I’ve been diving more into I-ching since a friend bought me a kit for my birthday. I-ching is essentially a divination technique from ancient China. I connect a lot through it because of my connection to Taoism. I’ve been trying to be better about referring back to my last reading when I go through the highs and lows of life to see if the new experiences add significance to the reading. I have historically done readings for myself when I feel some sense of change – such as starting a new year, or starting a new semester in school, a new role, etc. Now, I have started to use it to provide guidance and advice on specific situations too.
On January 25th, I think I did this reading because of the full Wolf moon. I received a changing hexagram, that started a 39, ‘obstruction’:
This foreboding hexagram is a telltale sign of great difficulty and adversity. This is the time to seek guidance and counsel from a wise person. Remember, asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. This may be a time to seek support and break free of isolation. Perseverance brings good fortune. Stay put for a awhile if you think it wise. Though you may be stopped in your path on an outer level, let your inner purpose stay true to its course.
The 5th line in the hexagram was changing, which signified – Handling Emergencies – if confronted by extreme challenge or emergency, your inner will and Spirit will cut like swords through any obstacles. Rest assured you will be taken care of and all will be fine.
After this line changed, the future hexagram would become 15, ‘modesty and progress’:
This hexagram symbolizes two concepts modesty and progress. The suggestion here is that progress at this time can be best accomplished through a modest approach. Self-promotion or boasting are seen as strong negatives here. Actions will speak far louder than self-serving words. If something is unknown, ask without shame. Feigning knowledge brings misfortune.
I remember when I got it, I did not know what to make of it. Now, I think I do understand it better. Pranic healing explained that astrology could have something to do with all of this as well. She said that now is a time to uncover deeper healing.
I felt a wind of change this week, both with the news of a coming baby and having excitement for uncovering and doing some internal healing. So I did another reading which also had some changing lines:
The present is a 29 ‘pitfalls’:
Dangers and challenges are indicated in this unwelcome hexagram. Faith and connection to others are your lifelines during this doubly dangerous time. Confront all dangers headfirst. Summon your strength and rise to the call. This is a time to take charge. Don’t run away from yourself or your problems. To give up may prove disastrous.
Lines 1 and 3 were changing: Line 1 was Falling into the abyss – Any attempt to fight what is happening could make the situation worse. True surrender is your savior. Resistance is futile. Ride out the current bad situation and soon it will be over. Line 3 was The power of waiting – Stay put. Don’t act one way or the other. Herein lies your strength.
Already I see some discrepancies with this reading – going headfirst, but also staying put. Very interesting.
Anyway, the future change is 5 ‘patience’:
The lesson of this hexagram is that good things come to those who wait. Patience requires both inner strength and a commitment to resist the temptation of acting prematurely. Often hardships will arise in the course of one’s time spent waiting. The message here is that those who endure these hardships, and ‘cross great streams’ will emerge victorious. Do not be put off your path at this time.
Overall, it’s interesting to see and sense what the universe is telling me. With all the ruminating, it can sometimes be hard to trust what the right move to do is. Emotion makes things a little stickier. After this reading though, I had a bit more clarity and it ties back to another thought about the difference between hope and faith as well as internal vs external locus of control.
I questioned how much I needed hope, because of my internal locus of control. I believe that I control my reality, so why would I need hope? I could see how people with an external locus of control would need hope to cope with challenges since they do not believe they can make the changes necessary to deal with the situation. On the flip side, for everything that is certainly not in my control, the death of a loved one, the birth of a child, etc. – I have faith in my beliefs that timing is sacred and therefore, everything happens exactly when it needs to. So once again, where does hope come in?
I looked up on Google what the distinction between hope and faith was and this is what came up: ‘Faith is the result of current belief systems as shaped by experience, whereas hope is the product of desiring a future state of affairs.’
I think I realized, at least in conjunction with my I-ching reading, that patience is a form of hope. There is a small layer with an internal locus of control where it’s the belief that everything can be fixed if I try hard enough. However, that isn’t exactly true. There is a moment where the internal locus of control needs to give way to faith and belief that everything is progressing at the right time with the universe. I think that moment is where hope has a part to play. For example, I think it can sometimes be difficult to recognize when I am dealing with a problem that involves me but it’s not something I can fix at that exact moment. I overprocess and things get a little worse. In these instances, I need to let go of this belief of internal locus of control and surrender to the universe. This certainly doesn’t mean running away from the problems, but it’s kind of like my old pottery teacher used to say – ‘Sometimes things need to look a little messier before they can look better’. Faith must exist that things can look better, but hope allows for us to be patient in the journey/ process.
