Since I started to work more intensively on deciphering the hexagrams, one of the most important sources that showed me the way was the quote from Wang Bi in which he talks about the fish trap. He says:
The images stem from the ideas.… The images are the trap for the ideas… once you have captured the ideas, you can forget the images. Wang Bi (from Zimmermann 2007, 64 and note 14)
We have seen earlier that the hexagrams with which the I Ching responds to us are messages from our unconscious to our daily consciousness. This sounds beautiful at first. In practice, however, it quickly becomes clear how challenging it is: How should one understand the meaning of the I Ching’s response to the question formulated during the consultation? And how can one work with or implement these answers concretely?
Weiterlesen: What does the Hexagram want to tell me? Deciphering the Path of TransformationsThe interpretations of individual hexagrams (as for example hexagram 11 – peace ) start out with Eastern concepts, but from there successively move on . If one wants to follow this approach further and interpret the hexagrams from a perspective that is even stronger rooted in Western thinking, philosophical anthropology provides a good framework.
Weiterlesen: Follow the Path of the Dao: A Western Approximation
Hexagram 6 – conflict seems to be a rather unpopular hexagram, because for a long time I did not receive any feedback on this answer of the I Ching. Now the tide has turned and I have been sent some questions.
Weiterlesen: 06 – conflict
I was told two job stories these days. Both situations involve encroaching employers. In one case, extra (unpaid) hours are demanded with a flimsy justification; in the other, extra tasks were assigned that require extra work, which is then not paid. The I Ching‘s commentary in both cases is 10 – the treading.
Weiterlesen: 10 – treading (conduct)Regarding hexagram 16 – Enthusiasm I received a couple of questions concerning quite different issues:
Sometimes, our cool head is the savior: when chaos ensues, when gut feelings go haywire. But perhaps they are not going haywire at all; maybe we just don’t understand what they’re trying to tell us. That’s when the cool head comes to the rescue – guiding the gut, illuminating the darkness, calming the storm.
Weiterlesen: 22 – grace
A user asks the I Ching the following question: “How should I deal with my lack of paid work – and the resulting low income? Is there any good in this situation?” The I Ching’s answer is hexagram 55 – abundance. A wonderful answer to a question about scarcity…
Weiterlesen: 55 – abundance
A user asks the I Ching whether she should start a new field of activity. Specifically, she is thinking of consulting in an area where she has had a lot of personal experience in recent years. The answer of the I Ching is: 57 – the gentle.
Weiterlesen: 57 – the gentle
