I Ching Gets It Right! Feb 2020

Over a year ago, in February, Jim’s Book was ready to go and we had our first book reading at Chapter 1 Bookstore in Hamilton, Montana. It turns out the second one has not happened. The group had read the news, COVID was coming.

After reading a few passages, we did a group cast. Everyone wanted to know what was going to happen. We cast the coins and got:

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____ ____ Hexagram 24

____ ____ Return/Turning Point

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THE JUDGMENT

RETURN. Success

Going out and coming in without error.

Friends come without blame.

To and fro goes away. --- A lockdown in Montana was coming

On the seventh day comes return. --- This is the yin-yang cycle of the 6 line

It furthers to have somewhere to go. Hexagrams suggesting a return after a

cycle completes “return to normal” I suppose.

THE IMAGE

Thunder within the earth --- Bottom trigram Thunder

The image of THE TURNING POINT. inside Earth, top trigram

Thus the kings of antiquity closed the passes --- And so the new kings closed the passes

At the time of solstice.

Merchants and strangers did not go about, --- Got that right

And the ruler

Did not travel through the provinces

SIX AT THE TOP --- Been awhile. I think we got a changing line

Missing the return. Misfortune. if I remember right

Misfortune from within and without.

If the armies are set motion in this way,

One will in the end suffer a great defeat,

Disastrous for the ruler of the country.

For ten years. --- ten years = a long time

It will not be possible to attack again.

The Confucian commentary on this line is:

The misfortune in missing the return lies in opposing the way of the superior man.

I will leave it to the reader to contemplate this, especially the SIX AT THE TOP, as we are on the cusp of entering the next stage of a COVID-19 response.

Wilhelm Translation.

Hexagram 64 Before Completion

22 September 2019, Big Creek Coffee, Hamilton, MT ~ 3:00 PM

The QUESTION after some discussion was formulated by T. B. and inscribed by H. R.:

How do we know/recognize when we are on the right path in influencing ourselves and the world toward greater consciousness.

= O = O = O =

Because for a light rain and time constraints the cast was made inside: First 3 lines by J. O. using stalks and second three lines by S. B. using coins.  

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☲

The Top Trigram is Fire 離, The Clinging, Radiance; light-giving, humane “dependance". Correlated with: Second Daughter, Eye, Pheasant, Clinging/clarity/Adaptable, Chinese Zodiac - Snake, Chinese Elemental Force: Fire ☵

The Bottom Trigram is Water 坎, The Abysmal, Gorge; Dangerous. Correlated with: Second Son, Ear, Pig, In Motion, Chinese Zodiac - Rat, Chinese Elemental Force: Water.  

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the two trigrams one atop the other give

HEXAGRAM 64 with a changing line in the 2nd place

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未濟 Wèi Jì (Wei Chi)* Before Completion (Not Yet Crossing)

* Wèi Jì is the Pinyin Romanization (Wei Chi) is the Wade Giles Romanization

THE JUDGMENT

BEFORE COMPLETION. Success. But if the little fox, after nearly completing the crossing, Gets his tail in the water,

There is nothing that would further.

THE IMAGE

Fire over water:

The image of the condition before transition.

Thus the superior person is careful In the differentiation of things,

So that each finds its place.

THE LINES

Nine in the second place means:

He brakes his wheels. Perseverance brings good fortune.**

** Kunst’s translation is different. The Text is: 曳其輪，貞吉 The third character 輪 is translated by Kunst (and Legge) as "spun thread.” He trails along the spun thread. The determination is auspicious. (Note the subtle difference in meaning compared to Perseverance [determination] brings good fortune [an auspicious outcome]).

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ADDITIONAL COMMENTARY 

The Sequence

Things cannot exhaust themselves. Hence there follows, at the end, the hexagram BEFORE COMPLETION.

Miscellaneous 

BEFORE COMPLETION is the exhaustion of the masculine.

Commentary on the Judgment

The little fox is not yet past the middle“He gets his tail in the water. There is nothing that would further”… because the matter does not go on to the end.

Although the lines are not in there correct places, the firm [unbroken line] and the yielding [broken lines] nevertheless correspond [line pairs in Figure 6.3 have the same line for each pair].

Commentary on the Lines

Line 2 has good fortune if it is persevering. It is central [the central line in the bottom trigram — and as noted above corresponds to Line 5 which also has an unbroken line] and thus acts correctly. [The husband and wife (or Official and Ruler) are central and acting in accord with one another in this Hexagram]. This might be a fortuitous for both our question and a couple of other things going in with the people in the group - if we persevere or on other translations are “determined."

SOME OF OUR THOUGHTS FROM THE CAFE IN RESPONSE

...how do I/we know when we are on the correct path? ... an answer from the vision, from Spirit...

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We know when we are in alignment with the desired path when we are building upon our strength but waiting for the correct time to use it, when we preserve but do so with great care and caution.  

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It is a cautionary tale. 

It emphasizes caution in the extreme [tail in the water, nothing would further, careful in the differentiation of things - ideas], implying we are at a loss for the right path even though we have moved forward [put on the brakes]. There will be difficulty recognizing the right path and must be cautious and check every step [the fox walking across thin ice]. 

And, our assertive “male” energy, the Yang, is exhausted [exhaustion of masculine energy], so we have to move toward the pure Yin, the receptive, that is listening and learning, build up our inner understanding of the situation as we develop ourselves before taking even another step.  [the author commentary on the Judgment]

If we do this in concert [The correspondence of line 2 and 5 - the members of a group or family], and learn enough to move cautiously in the right direction, we will have success [“Success" appearing both in the Judgment and Line 2 readings].

Hexagram 26 - The Taming Power of the Great

A small group that meets almost daily casts a group I Ching to contemplate the main question on everyone’s mind.

SEPTEMBER 14, 2019

Group Question articulated by W M. after some discussion regarding -

whether revolution will be internal or external H R. manipulated the Yarrow Stalks and received the following two trigrams.  TOP

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艮 Gèn Mountain Keeping Still, Resting. Correlated with: Northeast, third son, hand, excretory system, completion, wolf/dog, Uranus, Chinese Zodiac - Monkey, Chinese Elemental Force - Earth BOTTOM

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乾 Qián HeavenThe Creative/Force. Correlated with: Northwest, father, head, spirit, strong/persisting, horse, Neptune, Chinese Zodiac - Sheep,  Chinese Elemental Force - Metal.

HEXAGRAM 64, with changing lines in the Third Place and the Fifth Place.

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大畜 Dà Chù (Ta Ch’u)* The Taming the Power of the Great* Da Chu is the Pinyin transliteration that is internationals standard. Ta Ch’u is the older Wade-Giles systems used by Western Scholars(and the Wilhelm Translation) in the 20th Century up until the 1990’s.䷙

THE JUDGMENT

THE TAMING POWER OF THE GREAT. Perseverance furthers.

Not eating at home brings good fortune.* It furthers one to cross the great water.

* Kunst in his literal translation puts good fortune as unconditional good fortune in his translation

THE IMAGE

Heaven within the mountain:

The image of THE TAMING POWER OF THE GREAT.

Thus the superior person** acquaints himself with many sayings of antiquity And many deeds of the past, In order to strengthen his character thereby.

** Wilhelm and others translates  君子 as superior man, but this is an artifact of European languages which insist on a gender (as in mankind). 子 has no gender and is translated by others as person. Confucius explicitly rose the idea of noble inheritance,  君子, literally meaning noble person’s child, to a term meaning an educated moral person. 

THE CHANGING LINES

Nine in the third place means. A good horse that follows others. Awareness of danger, With perseverance, furthers. Practice chariot driving and armed defense daily.  It furthers one to have somewhere to go.

Six in the fifth place means:

The tusk*** of a gelded boar.

Good fortune.

*** Kunst in his literal translation translates this a Fang.

OUR INTERPRETATION

After some thought, it was clear the revolution has to begin within us, fostered by going back to our spiritual roots, letting go of the yang forcefulness which

wants to rise up in a political dialog. Then we can non-violently affect society.