Category: Today: I Ching

#38, line #1, #64

You are working at cross-purposes with another.  The distance between you is very wide.  The gap can be closed, however, with no compromise of your integrity.  You are not adversaries in this case — just two persons addressing individual needs.
Don’t search after the horses you’ve lost; They will return in seven days.
Acknowledge the presence of evil people: keep a close eye on them, but don’t be baited into dealing with them.
Resist the rush to completion.  Anticipation of fulfillment may callous you before you have fully absorbed the lessons of the journey.  The endpoint of this Quest will only prove to be the threshold for another.  You are short steps from Mastery on this plane, yet you stride toward Ignorance of the challenges lying beyond.  Savor this accomplishment.  Fully Become.  Take full possession of your world before embarking to discover the next one.  That voyage begins soon enough, and you will reminisce about this one.
These are the Good Old Days.

#35, line #2, #40

The Sun shines down upon the Earth:
Constantly honing and refining his brilliance, the Superior Person is a Godsend to his people.
This is a time of reward for good works.  Those you have helped want to show their gratitude.  Benefits come both from on high and from the humble you uplifted.  Accept all gifts graciously, though the reward may not be what you truly need or hoped for.  Some may bestow more than they can afford to give, but you must realize that they need to feel that they have repaid you.
You advance in sorrow, but this path leads to good fortune.  Accept the boon of a wise woman.
The Superior Person knows the release in forgiveness, pardoning the faults of others and dealing gently with those who sin against him.  It pays to accept things as they are for now.  If there is nothing else to be gained, a return brings good fortune.  If there is something yet to be gained, act on it at once.
The relief you experience here is not your own personal pardon, but the release of others from your rigid expectations.  Feel the lightness of being that results from forgiving others and accepting them as they are.  Free yourself of the endless vigil of policing the behavior of others.  See them for who they are, not what they can or can’t do for you.

#51

The shock that comes from the manifestation of God within the depths of the earth makes man afraid, but this fear of God is good, for joy and merriment can follow upon it.
When a man has learned within his heart what fear and trembling mean, he is safeguarded against any terror produced by outside influences. Let the thunder roll and spread terror a hundred miles around: he remains so composed and reverent in spirit that the sacrificial rite is not interrupted. This is the spirit that must animate leaders and rulers of men – a profound inner seriousness from which all terrors glance off harmlessly.
The shock of continuing thunder brings fear and trembling. The superior man is always filled with reverence at the manifestation of God; he sets his life in order and searches his heart, lest it harbour any secret opposition to the will of God. Thus reverence is the foundation of true culture.

#3, Line 3, #39

Supreme Success if you keep to your course.  Carefully consider the first move.  Seek help.
New ventures always pack along their inherent chaos.  Though this is an annoyance at best, and can even imperil or downright doom an endeavor, it is also the friction needed to polish your project to jewel brilliance.  Learn from these early obstacles.
A hunter who pursues his prey without a guide will lose his way in the deeps of the forest.  The Superior Person knows his limitations and gives up the chase.  To advance brings regret.  
The Obstacle lies in obstinance.
An insistence on only one way of proceeding has brought things to an impasse.  You may either continue banging your head with irresistible force against this immovable object, or you might step back and survey this situation from a fresh perspective.

#2, Line 2, #60

In this situation, the Superior Person should not take the initiative; he should follow the initiative of another.  Responsive devotion.  Receptive influence.
This is a time for dealing with reality as it is, not as you would have it be.
If you realize that in this situation you are the receptor, not the transmitter of the stimulus, you will find yourself reaching goals that seemed unattainable under your own steam.
If you persist in futile efforts to be the Shaper rather than the Shaped, you will completely miss this unique opportunity.
Straight, square, and true.
By being instead of doing, nothing is left undone.
Cultivating the proper disciplines and the proper degree of discipline are the concerns of this hexagram.
By limiting options, you may give more attention to priorities.
One who is all over the map is no less lost than one without a map.

#44, Line 1, #10

A strong, addictive temptation, much more dangerous than it seems.
You are ignoring a clear and present danger to your well-being.  If this threat emanated from a heavy-handed oppressor, you would see it coming.  But this danger comes to you in the form of a seduction, an amusement, a diversion, an indulgence that is eating away at the fiber of your secure little world.  You are too cocksure.  You underestimate the tribute this dalliance will demand.
If an inferior element has wormed its way in, it must be energetically checked at once. By consistently checking it, bad effects can be avoided. If it is allowed to take its course, misfortune is bound to result; the insignificance of that which creeps in should not be a temptation to underrate it.
The situation is really difficult. That which is strongest and that which is weakest are close together. The weak follows behind the strong and worries it. The strong, however, acquiesces and does not hurt the weak, because the contact is in good humor and harmless.
In terms of a human situation, one is handling wild, intractable people. In such a case one’s purpose will be achieved if one behaves with decorum. Pleasant manners succeed even with irritable people.

#56

WHEN A man is a wanderer and stranger, he should not be gruff nor overbearing. He has no large circle of acquaintances, therefore he should not give himself airs. He must be cautious and reserved; in this way he protects himself from evil. If he is obliging toward others, he wins success.
A wanderer has no fixed abode; his home is the road. Therefore he must take care to remain upright and steadfast, so that he sojourns only in the proper places, associating only with good people. Then he has good fortune and can go his way unmolested.

#60, line 2, #3

Limitations are troublesome, but they are effective. If we live economically in normal times, we are prepared for times of want. To be sparing saves us from humiliation. Limitations are also indispensable in the regulation of world conditions. In nature there are fixed limits for summer and winter, day and night, and these limits give the year its meaning. In the same way, economy, by setting fixed limits upon expenditures, acts to preserve property and prevent injury to the people.
But in limitation we must observe due measure. If a man should seek to impose galling limitations upon his own nature, it would be injurious. And if he should go too far in imposing limitations on others, they would rebel.
Therefore it is necessary to set limits even upon limitation.
When the time for action has come, the moment must be quickly seized. Just as water first collects in a lake without flowing out, yet is certain to find an outlet when the lake is full, so it is in the life of man. It is a good thing to hesitate so long as the time for action has not come, but no longer. Once the obstacles to action have been removed, anxious hesitation is a mistake that is bound to bring disaster, because one misses one’s opportunity.
TIMES OF GROWTH are beset with difficulties. They resemble a first birth. But these difficulties arise from the very profusion of all that is struggling to attain form. Everything is in motion: therefore if one perseveres there is a prospect of great success, in spite of the existing danger. When it is a man’s fate to undertake such new beginnings, everything is still unformed, dark. Hence he must hold back, because any premature move might bring disaster. Likewise, it is very important not to remain alone; in order to overcome the chaos he needs helpers. This is not to say, however, that he himself should look on passively at what is happening. He must lend his hand and participate with inspiration and guidance.

#41, line 4, #63

Decrease does not under all circumstances mean something bad. Increase and decrease come in their own time. What matters here is to understand the time and not to try to cover up poverty with empty pretence. If a time of scanty resources brings out an inner truth, one must not feel ashamed of simplicity. For simplicity is then the very thing needed to provide inner strength for further undertakings. Indeed, there need be no concern if the outward beauty of the civilisation, even the elaboration of religious forms, should have to suffer because of simplicity. One must draw on the strength of the inner attitude to compensate for what is lacking in externals; then the power of the content makes up for the simplicity of form. There is no need of presenting false appearances to God. Even with slender means, the sentiment of the heart can be expressed.
A man’s faults often prevent even well-disposed people from coming closer to him. His faults are sometimes reinforced by the environment in which he lives. But if in humility he can bring himself to the point of giving them up, he frees his well-disposed friends from an inner pressure and causes them to approach the more quickly, and there is mutual joy.
The transition from the old to the new time is already accomplished. In principle, everything stands systematised, and it is only in regard to details that success is still to be achieved. In respect to this, however, we must be careful to maintain the right attitude. Everything proceeds as if of its own accord, and this can all too easily tempt us to relax and let things take their course without troubling over details. Such indifference is the root of all evil. Symptoms of decay are bound to be the result. Here we have the rule indicating the usual course of history. But this rule is not an inescapable law. He who understands it is in position to avoid its effects by dint of unremitting perseverance and caution.

#2, line 3, #27

The Superior Person realizes he has not the wisdom to move the course of the world, except by attending to each day’s affairs as they come.  Success in small matters.  This is a good time to begin something.
The environment around you is not one of depth, and you are appreciated now for your image, not your essence.  You perfectly fill a role, and no one is seeing the genuine you.   Still, you are being listened to and watched.  Use this influence to further your goals as much as possible.  Even if you don’t feel understood, you can perhaps connect with a few isolated hearts.  Relax and enjoy the attention.
This represents a very charming life situation. One is under the spell of grace and the mellow mood induced by wine. This grace can adorn, but it can also swamp us. Hence the warning not to sink into convivial indolence but to remain constant in perseverance. Good fortune depends on this.
You are a conduit in this instance, able to provide the sustenance needed by others.  Position yourself to nourish the truly needy and worthy.
Avoid situations where you might be coerced into supporting the parasites and vermin who deprive your true charges.  Your own nourishment is an issue here, too.

#57, line 6, #36

Small, persistent, focused effort brings success.  Gentle persuasion is the key in this instance.  Though the words are soft, their speaker must be firm, calm and confident.  Gentle words are worthless if spoken with trepidation.
Wordless influence by example is also effective in this situation.  All persuasion should be almost unfelt, yet consistent and persistent.  Ask for feedback from someone you know to be an effective persuader.
A man’s understanding is sufficiently penetrating. He follows up injurious influences into the most secret corners. But he no longer has the strength to combat them decisively. In this case any attempt to penetrate into the personal domain of darkness would only bring harm.
You are progressing, rising inch-by-inch toward certain success.  What makes this assured is your refusal to tilt headlong toward your goal, slamming into obstacles and going mad with frustration.  You have a clear map before you of the steps necessary to reach your objective.  With faithful patience and a careful conservation of personal energy and resources, you will run this long, slow distance.

#37

One in this situation must be keenly aware of his influence on others.
Maintain a healthy respect for the ripple effect of your words and deeds.
To some you serve as a role model.  You can either help shape their world or tilt them into chaos.  Show temperance and consideration to all.

#48, line 1, #63

The Superior Person refreshes the people with constant encouragement to help one another.
There is a Source common to us all.  Jung named it the Collective Unconscious.  Others hail it as God within.
If a man wanders around in swampy lowlands, his life is submerged in mud. Such a man loses all significance for mankind. He who throws himself away is no longer sought out by others. In the end no one troubles about him any more.
The transition from the old to the new time is already accomplished. In principle, everything stands systematised, and it is only in regard to details that success is still to be achieved. In respect to this, however, we must be careful to maintain the right attitude. Everything proceeds as if of its own accord, and this can all too easily tempt us to relax and let things take their course without troubling over details. Such indifference is the root of all evil. Symptoms of decay are bound to be the result. Here we have the rule indicating the usual course of history. But this rule is not an inescapable law. He who understands it is in position to avoid its effects by dint of unremitting perseverance and caution.

#22, line 6, #36

The Superior Person realizes he has not the wisdom to move the course of the world, except by attending to each day’s affairs as they come.  Success in small matters.  This is a good time to begin something.
The environment around you is not one of depth, and you are appreciated now for your image, not your essence.  You perfectly fill a role, and no one is seeing the genuine you.  Still, you are being listened to and watched.
Use this influence to further your goals as much as possible.  Even if you don’t feel understood, you can perhaps connect with a few isolated hearts.  Relax and enjoy the attention.
Here at the highest stage of development all ornament is discarded. Form no longer conceals content but brings out its value to the full. Perfect grace consists not in exterior ornamentation of the substance, but in the simple fitness of its form.
One must not unresistingly let himself be swept along by unfavorable circumstances, nor permit his steadfastness to be shaken. He can avoid this by maintaining his inner light, while remaining outwardly yielding and tractable. With this attitude he can overcome even the greatest adversities.
In some situations indeed a man must hide his light, in order to make his will prevail in spite of difficulties in his immediate environment. Perseverance must dwell in inmost consciousness and should not be discernible from without. Only thus is a man able to maintain his will in the face of difficulties.
In a time of darkness it is essential to be cautious and reserved. One should not needlessly awaken overwhelming enmity by inconsiderate behavior. In such times one ought not to fall in with the practices of others; neither should one drag them censoriously into the light. In social intercourse one should not try to be all-knowing. One should let many things pass, without being duped.

#62

When a bird flies too high, its song is lost.
Rather than push upward now, it is best to remain below.
This will bring surprising good fortune, if you keep to your course.
There is no profit to striving here.
To be content with oneself is the greatest success imaginable.
The enlightened person has nothing to prove to himself or others, and thus may always operate from a position of sincerity, with no pretense or posturing.  His humility is guileless simplicity.  His mourning is selfless compassion.  His frugality is an unshakeable faith that he is but a conduit, letting what is needed flow through him to others, with no loss to himself.

#30, line 5, #13

The Superior Person holds an inner Fire that ignites passion in every heart it touches, until all the world is enlightened and aflame.  With so searing a flame, success will not be denied you.  Take care to be as peaceful and nurturing as the cow in the meadow; you are strong enough to be gentle.
With so searing a flame, success will not be denied you.  Take care to be as peaceful and nurturing as the cow in the meadow; you are strong enough to be gentle.
A Promethean flame is delivering light and heat to the situation at hand.
This radiance will cause such an alchemical transformation of circumstances that the changes will seem magical, miraculous.  Yet they are only shifts of perspective and attitude that bring clarity.
Here the zenith of life has been reached. Were there no warning, one would at this point consume oneself like a flame. Instead, understanding the vanity of all things, one may put aside both hope and fear, and sigh and lament: if one is intent on retaining his clarity of mind, good fortune will come from this grief.
Tears of repentance flood.  Enlightenment turns the tide for the better.
This is a matter of Positioning — not only yourself, but others as well.  There are niches to be filled, potentials to be realized, right livelihoods to be found.
You are not building a new organization, but shoring up an existing infrastructure.  It’s worth the effort, because it will provide union, community, and an ironclad alliance.