Some Reflections
Usually, we act, we do and push things Trusting receptiveness is a rather unusual practice for most of us. Hexagram 02 – the receptive invites us to trust the process, the natural course of things. And in the meantime take stock: Where exactly am I? What have I already achieved? How secure is my own standing? What are my resources? What supports me, what holds me? What are my goals?
By answering the above questions, we become aware of things that nourish us, things we can later use as a source of strength for our further path.
And this brings us already closer to the interpretation page‘s cryptic formulation: A nurturing place. A place like… chicken soup….
“And what is that supposed to mean?”, some users ask.
Well, my background consideration behind this wording is more or less the following: If you’re not feeling well, if, for example, you’re lying in your bed with a mild (or even severe) cold and in this situation are longing for attention… then it’s very comforting if the bedroom door suddenly opens and a dear person comes in with a plate of homemade chicken soup. This does you well. Physically. But also emotionally.
That’s how it’s meant. Consolation, affection. A heavenly gift for which – for a change – you did not do anything.
Scope of Questions
- For the sake of her family, one user has put her own artistic ambitions on hold for years. When the children are fledged, she concentrates her energies and builds up a career. One day she meets a young man who is already well known in her field of activity and who wants to work with her. She asks the I Ching how this collaboration could develop, whether it would be fruitful and positive, consistent.
- One user asks: “How should and will the rest of my life develop?
- A user asks: “Should I get vaccinated? What facts can I rely on? Is there even perfect factual certainty?”
- One user asks: “How about my love relationship with my partner, from whom I don’t feel accepted? I have persued this relationship for years out of a sense of duty, even though I miss emotional depth. There is another woman who touches my heart. This other woman has everything I miss about my partner and I feel that she sees me for who I am. I don’t know whether she is free or whether she is interested in me as a man. But I do know that I long for such a woman as a partner.”
- Another question: “I am looking for a new place to live. I’m currently considering building a small house on a friend’s property as a joint project, also financially. I’ve wanted to move away from the place I’m currently living for a long time, but so far – for years – no good opportunity has presented itself and my patience is really being tested! My question to the I Ching is therefore: Will this project materialize and will it be the right one?”
Case Study
A user asks the I Ching a question regarding an acquaintance, and whether she should take the initiative. She illustrates: “A few months ago I met a man I liked a lot. But at that time we actually both had some old stories going. Since then we met over a coffee and spend a entire day together recently. Both our old stories are through now, the day spent together was harmonious. However, we did not come closer in terms of “haptic”. My question regarding the relationship’s future development was replied by the I Ching with 02 – the receptive. May I hope that something will develop – without, my patience being overused?”
Hexagram 02 – the receptive consists exclusively of yin lines. Kun, the earth, is present not only in both trigrams, but also in both core characters of the hexagram. Kun, the earth, symbolizes growth, materialization. Something that initially is vague and potential is taking shape now. A seed comes to life and begins to grow.
And when can we reap ? In her last question the user addresses a frequent challenge Kun presents to us: trusting patience. Because usually we act, we do and push things. Trusting patience however, often wrongly associated with laziness or idleness, is a rather unusual exercise for most of us.
Why is trusting patience so hard? We are able to await our next holiday more or less patiently… The difference: that holiday is booked, virtually inevitable, and we can be pretty sure that it will take place sometime. And in our weak, doubtful moments we can take a quick glance at the tickets and rest assured: ” Yes, that holiday is coming!”
With hexagram 02 – the receptive, however, we must trust in the run of things, without any control or detailed information. And even if we are sure that the seed is planted (because we did it ourselves), our fingers itch to help the little seedling grow faster – even by pulling it’s delicate leaves!
Which brings us to the issue of intervention: how can we accelerate a process, the natural run of things? Last spring I planted a sachet of basil seeds and learned a lot. About basil – and about myself! Because it took a very long time until the first seeds sprouted and small leaves appeared. Only with extreme discipline I could stop myself from poking around in my flower pot to see what was going on within the soil.
I am a horticultural laywoman. But I suppose that professionals, gardeners and agricultural scientists, actually know their ways how to speed up the process of germination and growth. Perhaps by changing the light and heat conditions, perhaps through targeted fertilization. The difference between these people and myself is that they have in-depth knowledge of the relevant object of study and have often witnessed the process. Along their long path and certainly with the experience of many defeats they have achieved mastery. Today they know exactly what to do to speed up the process.
Or not. Because these people know the process so well that they completely trust in it. In most cases it is simply unnecessary to speed it up. They just wait with trusting patience until things happen by themselves.
So why not doing it like the masters and refrain from intervention? And instead let things just happen? In the meantime we could devote a little time and energy to ourselves.
Because that is the other side of Kun: navel gazing, an invitation to withdraw to our own origins as a source of strength and to become silent. Kun reminds us of the place we currently at, here and now, and invites us to a thorough inventory: Where exactly am I? What have I already achieved? How secure is my own standing? What are my resources? What supports me, what holds me? What are my goals?
If we use the time of patient waiting to answer the above questions, we will become aware of our own resources and they will serve us as a source of strength for our future path.
The current interpretation can be found here: https://www.no2do.com/hexagramme_en/888888.htm
