Hexagram 35 - Looking for some advice/help?

[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 

 

 

[Apech]

Any moving lines?

[galloway87]

3 minutes ago, Apech said:

Any moving lines?

Sorry, forgot to mention no changing lines! 

[Apech]

Sorry to hear about your work situation.  But congrats on your daughter

 

 

Hex 35 is like a sun rise so suggests some kind of opening up to new horizons.  I guess the higher influences means that somehow this will turn out positive for you - but at present you don't know how.   Keep faith.  best wishes.

[galloway87]

16 minutes ago, Apech said:

Sorry to hear about your work situation.  But congrats on your daughter

 

 

Hex 35 is like a sun rise so suggests some kind of opening up to new horizons.  I guess the higher influences means that somehow this will turn out positive for you - but at present you don't know how.   Keep faith.  best wishes.

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! 

[Apech]

Just now, galloway87 said:

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! 

 

 

What's the job prospects like in your part of the UK?

[Harmen]

Quote

In my translation (Brian Browne Walker)

 

 Walker's book is not a translation but a very shallow interpretation of the original Yijing. I urge any serious student of the Yi to never use interpretations - they are making you lazy and will never touch on the matters that are essential to your situation. Keep in mind that in ancient China there were no Yijing interpretations. You had to do the interpretation yourself, only then were you considered a skilled diviner. Use a good translation. There are several available these days.

 

End of rant. Let's look at your hexagram. You asked 'how should I handle my current employment situation?' Most of the time I see the lower trigram as the questioner (you) and the upper trigram as everything outside the questioner (like your job opportunities). The lower trigram is Earth. Earth is docile, does not take action or initiative. It works with what comes to her and let it grow to its true nature & potential. This trigram might tell you to accept the situation as it is now but at the same time welcome the new opportunities that it has created. Earth is a barren but fertile field that has the quality to make the seeds that are planted in it grow. Earth does not judge but accepts everything. That doesn't mean it is easy, but what Earth might try to tell you is that there is potential and all you have to do is welcome it. Let it come to you.

The upper trigram is Fire. Fire wants to connect, it wants commitment, to make matters clear according to what you hold on to, what you see as the truth. This trigram might tell you that your should look for jobs that you are truly connected to, which feed you, which make you feel warm inside. It should feed your commitment without exercising any force to achieve that. The job should feed you, not drain you.  Fire can also mean that you have to make yourself visible as well as all the unique qualities that you have within. Let your light shine otherwise you will be surpassed unnoticed. The nature of Fire requires it to move on when its fuel has been used up. Now is that time for you and a new Fire is waiting for you. 

 

Let's look at the nuclear trigrams. The lower nuclear trigram (lines 2, 3 and 4) is Mountain. Mountain is inward peace, consolidation of what you have acquired through the years, stopping unnecessary progress and changes, being conservative, stay quiet and have inner confidence. This trigram is enveloped/blocked by another trigram Mountain (lines 1, 5 and 6). This trigram Mountain can show itself from a more or less negative side - stubbornness, rigid attitude, inflexibility, closing yourself off from your surrounding. This combination might tell you that if you are inflexible and reject renewal & change you will not be able to find some sort of inner peace: you will play the victim and stubbornly keep the situation in a status quo. Embrace change. Welcome new opportunities and keep an open mind towards them.

 

The upper nuclear trigram (lines 3, 4 and 5) is Water. Water asks of you to go with the flow, to accept that the situation might be murky and even though the destination is unclear you can still enjoy the ride. There are boundaries and yet within these boundaries you have the liberty to find the path that supports you the most. Don't try to control the situation - this is not the time for it. You are on a river which does not inform you of its destination. This trigram Water is enveloped/blocked by another trigram Mountain (lines 1, 2 and 6). Which means that if you keep a rigid attitude towards the current developments you will not be able to follow the currents with ease and comfort.

 

If you are able to relax, don't panic and accept the changes as the currently are you will do alright. There are opportunities and all you have to do is embrace them, let them come to you. This does not mean it will be easy. Every change comes with challenges. But if you realize that change is not necessarily bad you will make it much easier on yourself. This hexagram shows you have Fire to share with the world. And when you will make that visible you will not go by unnoticed.

 

The text of hexagram 35 says 康侯用錫馬蕃庶。晝日三接。 'Kang Hou is granted numerous horses. In one day he receives them three times.' This is a mark of excellence. Horses can be used to make progress, to win the war. Your excellence has you rewarded with the capability and assurance that you will progress. Don't doubt yourself nor the chances that you are given. If anything this situation has taught you it is that you have not changed even though the world is changing around you. Know your excellence and show it. Everything will benefit from it if you do that.

 

Congratulations on your daughter! She should be the only cause of sleepless nights.

Edited November 1, 2017 by Harmen
typos, grammar, etc. Errare humanum est.

[galloway87]

On 11/1/2017 at 11:42 AM, Apech said:

 

 

What's the job prospects like in your part of the UK?

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?

[galloway87]

On 11/1/2017 at 6:55 PM, Harmen said:

 

 Walker's book is not a translation but a very shallow interpretation of the original Yijing. I urge any serious student of the Yi to never use interpretations - they are making you lazy and will never touch on the matters that are essential to your situation. Keep in mind that in ancient China there were no Yijing interpretations. You had to do the interpretation yourself, only then were you considered a skilled diviner. Use a good translation. There are several available these days.

 

End of rant. Let's look at your hexagram. You asked 'how should I handle my current employment situation?' Most of the time I see the lower trigram as the questioner (you) and the upper trigram as everything outside the questioner (like your job opportunities). The lower trigram is Earth. Earth is docile, does not take action or initiative. It works with what comes to her and let it grow to its true nature & potential. This trigram might tell you to accept the situation as it is now but at the same time welcome the new opportunities that it has created. Earth is a barren but fertile field that has the quality to make the seeds that are planted in it grow. Earth does not judge but accepts everything. That doesn't mean it is easy, but what Earth might try to tell you is that there is potential and all you have to do is welcome it. Let it come to you.

The upper trigram is Fire. Fire wants to connect, it wants commitment, to make matters clear according to what you hold on to, what you see as the truth. This trigram might tell you that your should look for jobs that you are truly connected to, which feed you, which make you feel warm inside. It should feed your commitment without exercising any force to achieve that. The job should feed you, not drain you.  Fire can also mean that you have to make yourself visible as well as all the unique qualities that you have within. Let your light shine otherwise you will be surpassed unnoticed. The nature of Fire requires it to move on when its fuel has been used up. Now is that time for you and a new Fire is waiting for you. 

 

Let's look at the nuclear trigrams. The lower nuclear trigram (lines 2, 3 and 4) is Mountain. Mountain is inward peace, consolidation of what you have acquired through the years, stopping unnecessary progress and changes, being conservative, stay quiet and have inner confidence. This trigram is enveloped/blocked by another trigram Mountain (lines 1, 5 and 6). This trigram Mountain can show itself from a more or less negative side - stubbornness, rigid attitude, inflexibility, closing yourself off from your surrounding. This combination might tell you that if you are inflexible and reject renewal & change you will not be able to find some sort of inner peace: you will play the victim and stubbornly keep the situation in a status quo. Embrace change. Welcome new opportunities and keep an open mind towards them.

 

The upper nuclear trigram (lines 3, 4 and 5) is Water. Water asks of you to go with the flow, to accept that the situation might be murky and even though the destination is unclear you can still enjoy the ride. There are boundaries and yet within these boundaries you have the liberty to find the path that supports you the most. Don't try to control the situation - this is not the time for it. You are on a river which does not inform you of its destination. This trigram Water is enveloped/blocked by another trigram Mountain (lines 1, 2 and 6). Which means that if you keep a rigid attitude towards the current developments you will not be able to follow the currents with ease and comfort.

 

If you are able to relax, don't panic and accept the changes as the currently are you will do alright. There are opportunities and all you have to do is embrace them, let them come to you. This does not mean it will be easy. Every change comes with challenges. But if you realize that change is not necessarily bad you will make it much easier on yourself. This hexagram shows you have Fire to share with the world. And when you will make that visible you will not go by unnoticed.

 

The text of hexagram 35 says 康侯用錫馬蕃庶。晝日三接。 'Kang Hou is granted numerous horses. In one day he receives them three times.' This is a mark of excellence. Horses can be used to make progress, to win the war. Your excellence has you rewarded with the capability and assurance that you will progress. Don't doubt yourself nor the chances that you are given. If anything this situation has taught you it is that you have not changed even though the world is changing around you. Know your excellence and show it. Everything will benefit from it if you do that.

 

Congratulations on your daughter! She should be the only cause of sleepless nights.

 

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! 

[Harmen]

12 hours ago, galloway87 said:

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

 

Thanks for the update. What do you want to learn? You say 'about the I Ching' but does that include history, language and application? What do you want to learn?

 

12 hours ago, galloway87 said:

shitstorm

 

I've been there. I have two sons and believe me, sometimes there were days that I wondered how the diaper was able to contain all the material that the kid produced. Often the diaper simply gave up. I know that this is not the context for which you used the word 'shitstorm' but believe me, for the next months you will be in a shitstorm in the most literal sense you could ever have imagined.

[Harmen]

Oh, I forgot the translations question. Richard Wilhelm's translation is still a workable version but if you want a translation that is more close to the Chinese original and not tainted by Confucian doctrines I would suggest to look at this book:

https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Duke-of-Zhou-Changes-Stephen-L-Field/9783447104067

 

Not really for beginners I guess but a necessary book if you want to know what the Yi is really about. (not that I agree with all of Stephen's findings but that's another story.)

 

If you want something more accessible you might like Steve Balkin's book:

 

https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Laws-of-Change/9780984253715

[galloway87]

On 11/7/2017 at 8:54 AM, Harmen said:

 

Thanks for the update. What do you want to learn? You say 'about the I Ching' but does that include history, language and application? What do you want to learn?

 

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 

[Harmen]

6 hours ago, galloway87 said:

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.

 

When I give courses or workshops I always start with the meaning of the trigrams and lines - they are the oldest layer of the Yi and to me the point of entry when you want to interpret the answer that the book has given you. When you have grasped the meaning of the hexagram and its components the text becomes much easier to understand.

 

The problem is that I can't think of any good books that teach you to work with the hexagram. I am sure there must be books about it but for now I can't come up with any titles that I would recommend. Maybe the other members will have some ideas about this. Let me think about it and give me some time to walk through my > 300 Yijing books to see if I can find something.

 

6 hours ago, galloway87 said:

what do you make of the James Legge translation?

 

I could make a wonderful pile of shredded paper of it, were it not that the commentary that he gives in the footnotes gives a great glimpse into the Confucian kitchen of Yi application & understanding. His translation is awful and he clearly shows (and honestly admits) that he finds the whole idea and usage of the Yi utter nonsense. Read it for the footnotes and ignore the rest. Although the text can easily be found on several places on internet I would recommend to buy a version with a good introduction, like this pocket edition: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553260022?tag=collectorzapp-20

 

[zafrogzen]

I’m glad to hear the Wilhelm version is still considered good. It’s was my first I Ching and like a lot of firsts it has remained my favorite by far. I’ve heard it criticized for being too influenced by Christianity but that only makes it more relatable to a Westerner. I still have my original faded old yellow book that is starting to fall to pieces now, somewhat like me.

 

I’ve been throwing it at least once a week, sometimes more, for over fifty years. Although it is first and foremost a book of wisdom, using it for divination is the easiest way to access that wisdom. Reading it from cover to cover doesn’t grab you the way getting personally involved does.

 

I’m an agnostic/skeptic and the first decade of using it the readings were often hard to relate to, but as I’ve become better acquainted with the Ching it has become uncannily perceptive in most situations. I’ve developed many personal associations with the hexagrams which I find works well in divination. In fact I think that developing one’s own personal interpretations is better than adopting someone else’s. It’s possible to use almost anything as a vehicle for channeling intuition. One could even build a system of divination based on something like random street signs. But the I Ching system is ideally suited for such purposes, plus there’s a wise old teacher in there as well.

 

I view the I Ching as a trusted counselor, one who has proven to be quite reliable, but who I still treat as one of several opinions. For instance, several years ago I needed to drill a new well on some property where I was living -- an expensive undertaking in an area where many neighbors had spent thousands without finding water. I threw the Ching about several different locations and only one was definitely positive (abundance). Although that location would not have been my first choice, after talking to someone familiar with local geology and looking at other wells nearby, I decided to drill there. Sure enough we hit great water at just the perfect depth.

 

I hate to admit it, but I can think of several important situations where I ignored the I Ching's judgement, or wasn't strong enough to follow it, and have lived to regret it.

 

I’ve found that I get the best results when I reference the question I ask the I Ching to a specific situation like “What will happen if…? I also throw it about people. When a new person enters my life the first throwing about them is one I usually remember. However, it should be kept in mind that the I Ching is a book of “Changes” so nothing is cast in stone -- quite the contrary. What appears negative at first can turn out to be positive later on. Change is the only thing we can really count on.

 

I prefer using old American pennies for throwing the I Ching. The Chinese coins strike me as contrived and pennies are more symbolic --with heads (yang) on one side and tails, an open temple in older pennies, (yin) on the other side. Plus copper is a good conductor of energy. I’ve used the yarrow stalk method but didn’t feel it works as well for me and it is more labor intensive.

 

As for hexagram 35, Progress, While that's one of the most positive hexagrams, in my experience it hasn't always been easy to relate to the given situation. it often comes at unexpected junctures. I do think it's encouraging. New possibilities could open up soon (job interviews?). One needs to remain receptive and humble within, while bringing clarity and awareness to external matters. Good advice under any circumstances.

 

At least you didn't throw "Splitting apart." But even that can be managed with inner determination and external caution.

 

BTW, I threw "Darkening of the Light" for the last presidential election. The exact opposite of progress.

 

Edited November 24, 2017 by zafrogzen