galloway87

Hi All, I am looking for a bit of advice on my current situation- Me and my partner have recently been blessed with the arrival of our new daughter, and could not be happier! I took the standard 2 weeks paternity leave from work (UK), but then on my first day returning I was called into a meeting and told I was being let go from my position... The reasons stated were, 'we are trying to improve the company and feel you have too much of a laid back attitude towards standards'. I don't personally agree with the statement as I actually worked very hard at the company, but to be honest my department was a mess and new rules would be handed down weekly on how to correctly operate, and nothing was very clear. This left me feeling completely bewildered and lost. I'd had no prior warnings or disciplinary procedures brought against me. I had to ring my partner and break the news to her, and she was obviously devastated by the situation. Our life had been turned upside down in a matter of seconds! I think the employer is simply trying to save money and picked off an easy target as I've only been there 9 months. Strangely, earlier in the day I'd thought about consulting the I Ching regarding finding new employment, coincidence? Probably! But I thought what better time than now. The question I posed to the I Ching was, 'how should I handle my current employment situation?' And the hexagram I cast was #35- chin/progress. In my translation (Brian Browne Walker) this seems like a very positive hexagram that marks the arrival of easy progress, growth, understanding and so on. I need to devote myself to higher things whilst distancing myself from inferior influences. Does anyone have any insight into what the higher things/inferior influences could be in this situation? I was not expecting to cast such a hexagram at this time, as I honestly feel completely lost in this situation, and am having a hard time dealing with the stress and worry it is causing. Anyone who can offer any insight into this situation, or thoughts and feelings on how to deal with this tough time I would love to hear from you! Kind regards, David

I suppose what I would most like to learn is application, to get a better understanding on the hexagrams and how I can really apply them in everyday life. Thanks for the reading suggestions I'm gonna pick up a copy of Steve Balkin's book, lots of good reviews! I think the Wilhelm translation will be easy enough to find online, what do you make of the James Legge translation? I know they have it online at the sacredtexts website. Many thanks, David

Thank you for such a detailed response, and apologies for the lateness of my reply! I can see from the depth of your answer compared to the interpretation from my copy, that it really does seem shallow in comparison. You mentioned a few good translations, could you point me in the right direction? Also I would love to learn more about the I Ching, if you could recommend any supplementary material for a beginner I would be very interested I do have a tendency to end up in jobs that I'm not particularly interested in, and would love more than anything to find something I can be passionate about. I have landed myself in this position, but I feel like I am ready to dig myself out of this rut. I am looking to inherit some money in the next year or so and plan to put it to good use and attempt to set up my own little business or at least train in something I can sink my teeth in to. At first when I was let go from my position I felt extremely angry about how the company could do something so heartless to a new father, I even penned a letter to the operations manager telling him exactly what I thought of him and the company. Instead of sending the letter right away I decided to reflect on it for a day or two, and getting the feelings out on paper seemed to cool me off a little bit and I decided not to send it. My mind is starting to uncloud a little and hopefully I can begin to see this as an opportunity, and not the end of the world shitstorm I first thought. Again thank you for your detailed insight into the situation!

Not too bad really, my only problem is that I never learned a trade after school, I was more interested in getting drunk and hanging out with friends, which I am now obviously paying for so I get stuck doing quite generic jobs. Are you based in the UK also?

Thank you for your kind words! Yes, this is the feeling I got from the hexagram also, it's just hard to believe in such negative seeming circumstances. I suppose every situation can be see from many points of view. Keeping faith is what I struggle with, as at times things can seem completely hopeless!

Sorry, forgot to mention no changing lines!

Hi Jim, It was myself who asked the question! Thank you in your interest in the topic and insight. The question I put forward was 'How can I find a job that I truly enjoy'. I don't see the I Ching as some sort of future telling device, where would be the fun in that?! More as a wise old friend who has been around the block a few times and has a bit of experience under their belt. I find your comments above quite interesting, theorizing that we already have the answers that we are looking for. You mentioned Carl Jung above and synchronicity, and as I'm sure you know it was Carl Jung who also coined the phrase 'collective unconscious', very crudely put a storehouse of information shared by members of a species gathered over time, like you mentioned above. Another person who I found had a very interesting theory on the I Ching was Terence McKenna, who theorized that the I Ching was formulated by the study of patterns and cycles that emerged in time. (I'll try and find a link because it's an interesting watch!) Of course the Sage pointed me to a very simplistic answer- to be more modest in the situation and to abandon ego. I have interpreted this as to stop thinking I am better than the situation I am in. In all fairness I hadn't given the job a fair trial and was feeling very stressed because I felt I was in a little over my head, and that it didn't fit in with my image of an 'ideal' job for me. Maybe I have landed where I am because I'm going to pick up some useful skills that will help me in the future!? Who knows? My main interest with your theory is how do you feel the I Ching works alongside synchronicity and the collective unconscious? By this I mean how does the link between the question being asked, the coins being thrown, and the hexagram being formulated come into being? I find all of this truly fascinating Here is the video I mentioned earlier, well worth a watch if you have time! Kind regards, David

Hi all, I am just looking to get some general advice on a recent I Ching reading. I have recently started a new job working in a kitchen, but I only started here to get away from an old job which I hated. I have worked in the kitchen about 2 weeks now but I can tell it is just not me really... I asked the I Ching 'how can I find a job that I truly enjoy?', and came up with hexagram 15. Can anyone with a little more experience with readings offer a bit of insight as to how this relates to my current situation? Thanks in advance! David

Thank you for such a detailed answer. I had a feeling something like this might be the case. Although I believe my terms of enjoyment not to be too strict, I believe the easiest way around the issue would be to learn to enjoy whatever I am doing at the time instead of constantly fighting the situation and worrying. Perhaps I should settle down for a little while and see how things unfold? Easier said than done though I'm sure

Nope! No changing lines in this one.

Very true my friend! Maybe I just need more patience and see what comes my way.

Hi all, I am looking to get a bit of advice on a topic that has had my head spinning in circles for some time now! - What would the Taoist approach to overcoming bad habits? I have a number of habits that I consider to be 'bad', in the respect that they cause me some degree of internal conflict whenever I indulge in them. I have come to the conclusion that the main problem underlying all of these habits is my lack of willpower. I always find myself falling back into old routines. Here's an example- From the age of roughly 17 (I'm 28 now), I have smoked cannabis. When I was younger I used it heavily pretty much every day with friends. As I've grown older the usage has declined massively. I now only smoke at the weekends and don't generally touch it during the week. But recently I have started to feel as if I am just smoking for the sake of it, and that it sabotages my ability to get things done and just generally makes me lazy and eat too much etc.. I was discussing the issue with my partner to get her thoughts on it, and she feels the same way- that the enjoyment factor has started dropping away and we are just doing it because it's what we have done for so long in the past. So I came up with the idea of just smoking occasionally only when friends come and visit, say every 2-3 weeks, and that we wouldn't do it when we are alone. We have recently returned from a holiday in India, so haven't touched anything in 2 and a half weeks, but now that I'm home I can feel the pull of the bad habit creeping back in. I always seem to crumble and then just end up mad at myself for giving in. Another example is meditation practice- something which I do thoroughly enjoy, but never manage to stick to for more than 3-4 weeks. These habits just go around in continuous cycles. Is self improvement just some kind of mental trap? I'm not sure if I should just allow things to run their course and stop trying to improve/strive for these ideals that I dream up for myself. I look forward to hearing from you guys and getting your insight on this situation Kind regards.

Hi Roger, I find this a very interesting angle to look at the issue from! I have often found myself asking these very same questions. Did you ever come to some sort of conclusion? The way that I have come to see things is this- I believe that the cause of human suffering is the fact that we have become self aware, causing us to grow egos and become very greedy, never thinking we have enough and so on. I always make comparisons to other creatures such as spiders, in the way that a spider only does exactly what it needs to do at the time. When they are hungry they eat, otherwise they will remain perfectly still in the same spot for days on end! I highly doubt they are concerned with what the other spider across the hall thinks of them. They are driver completely by instinct and without worry. But I do see human self awareness as a product of the natural world around us, and that egos developed in a time when food may have been hard to come by, but now we are stuck with these lingering feelings of scarcity in a time when scarcity is not so much of an issue. This causes us to run around thinking we still have to collect more and more of everything in order to be 'successful'. Humans success will also be its undoing, the pendulum has reached its apex and is now heading back the other way as we continue to multiply in numbers and drain natural resources. So I believe everything is naturally as it should be and over the next 1000 years humans will die out or at least massively drop in numbers and the system will re-balance itself. Behavior that some people consider to be evil like hoarding billions of dollars and stripping resources is the byproduct of humans success over millions of years of evolution. In regards to free will, this is something I am unsure of. I think we may have fleeting moments of free will, but the body mostly regulates itself in regards to functions like beating your heart or growing your hair. Maybe it is these moments of free will that cause so much internal conflict between who we are and who we aspire to be? I would love to hear your thoughts on this Regards, David

Hi Roger, Thanks for the input! I really do think this is something I need to apply better in my everyday life, not just in this certain situation. I can be awfully hard on myself, and even though I don't show it on the surface I am usually disappointed with myself for one reason or another at least once during the course of a day. I think this stems from a mental image of how I desire to be vs who I actually am at the moment. I feel that I should be some super healthy, successful, intelligent person who always makes the right choices etc.. I have no idea where this mental image has come from (28 years of buying into societies ideals perhaps?), but it bugs the hell out of me. I'm not sure how I can just settle into being whatever I am in the present moment. I guess it can be a good thing to have goals, but not if those goals cause internal conflict. Oh life is all very confusing

Hi Noonespecial, I must say that is quite an interesting idea! I am very new to any kinds of cultivation techniques, I have just literally just started looking into them earlier this week as suggested by RyanO. I am still getting my head around it to be perfectly honest. I think I should maybe practice for a little while to get a feel for things. Do you have much experience with cultivation? Or cannabis for use for that matter? I love hearing other peoples experiences

This is not a book I have head of! Is it in regards to smoking cigarettes or cannabis? I see the two as being very different, as I never smoke tobacco, only pure cannabis. How did you find the quitting process just out of interest? I want to get as much insight into kicking habits as possible

Hi, My name is David, currently living in the UK. I'm looking forward to getting to know you guys, and looking forward to picking up lots of useful bits of info whilst I float around the forum

I'm sure the company will be sterling What I want to learn- I think I can sum this up by saying I want to learn to live skillfully and simply, whilst also discovering things about myself and the universe around me! Not much to ask ey? What about you Junko, what did you come here to learn?

Thanks for the reply Dustybejing. To start with all of your assumptions are correct pretty much! One thing I will point out is that I am not looking to quit smoking completely at this moment in time, although I think this may change in the future as I start thinking about settling down more and starting a family. One of my favorite pass times is sitting down and watching films (my favorite is 2001 A Space Odyssey ), and this is when I like to have a smoke. Not because I need it to enjoy the film, but rather it makes me see it in a different way, usually being a lot more drawn in to the story. I suppose this situation is one of the stimuli that you mentioned. I have quite a small circle of friends that I am really happy with at the moment, and most of them do smoke. The person I buy cannabis from is also a lifelong friend that I would hate to lose touch with. I have started this weekend to test out the method of only smoking when friends come to visit, as more of a social activity rather than something that I depend on every weekend. I'm going to give this a fair trial and see if it makes any difference in how I feel, and then I will make any other adjustments. In reflecting on what I've said I can see how my use of cannabis has changed over the years, and perhaps it is slowly but surely naturally coming to the end of it's cycle Hi RyanO, thanks for your input! I can definitely agree with the second and third points in your comment. When I do try to resist the calling of a habit I can usually feel some degree of tension in my body! I will be sure to check out the Inner and Secret Smile meditations. Do you have any experience using these techniques? I read a lot of places that these practices should mostly be learned from teachers instead of internet articles, but I don't believe I would be able to find a teacher anywhere in my area unfortunately And yes, persistence is something I feel I should become more aware and accepting of. Looking at the bigger cycle of things, whenever I mess up I always have the persistence to try again or look at the problem from a different angle. Instead I am usually focused on being mad at myself for making a mistake! A shift in focus will be a welcome change I think. Thanks for the reply Wilfred! I can certainly agree with the negative effects being more strongly pronounced than in my younger years. I often wake up the following morning after smoking feeling quite groggy! A sort of cannabis hangover? I think you could be right in saying I need better motivation- a taste of how things could be! I don't believe I have yet had a taste because my mind has been so clouded in my youth by things that are detrimental to clear-headedness. I would love to get some proper instruction from a teacher but at the moment I don't think this would really be possible because of money and location. So I suppose for now I will just keep on keeping on and see where I end up. I have a subtle sense of reassurance that things may be moving in the right direction because like you mentioned- my introspective thoughts on the matter, and my continued feeling of wanting to change the situation. It will be interesting to see how things progress from here!

Hi Wilfred, how's it going? Nice to see another Brit here! How do you find following a Taoist lifestyle fits in with life in the UK? One thing I have noticed is a huge lack of teachers on our tiny island.

Thanks a lot Marblehead, I'll be sure to check out the rules and then dive on in