“I, I, all I!” – did I get the message? Did I hear this fine, clear, subtle voice… and the message it speaks to me, deep from within my heart? Let us listen again carefully: what does it tell me?
If I am honest, I have long understood the message. Maybe I did not want it to be true, hoping I misunderstood. But I did not misunderstand. The voice is there, and I have understood its message.
Is something wrong here? And if so: what is it? A dynamic development ends unexpectedly with a reality check – why? Momentum is basically positive. It turns unpleasant if the autopilot takes control. Autopilot occurs when a situation’s dynamic no longer comes from our own interior, but is determined by external (eventually cultural) imprint. A reality check is quite beneficial: Do I really enjoy what is currently happening? Does it make sense? Does it corresponds to my very heart – or is it a copy of someone else’s life? The answers to these questions will lead to a decision. And probably you must let go of something: maybe the autopilot, which was in control until now?
We open ourselves to our environment – and become inspired… Not an easy task, if our head and mind are full. Ok, once again: we open ourselves, make ourselves empty and perceptive, curious, without prejudiced, without any prior knowledge. We listen carefully: What does the external world want to tell us? And all off a sudden: we perceive it – and are inspired! Nourished, fertilized, refreshed… connected with what previously was alien, non-familiar. From this contact with the external world a decision arises, followed by a long period of growth and materialization. Maybe it will take some time before we see results. But we need not do anything. Only trust: in our inspiration, in our decision.
“I, I, all I!” – I am standing at the summit, I have achieved something. And now? For a moment I rest, enjoying spectacular views. And then? I’m standing at the summit. I have achieved something. I enjoy the views… What else do I see? More summits. Summits which I could set out for. And reenter the course of the world.
Being truthful – that is a big word. How to get there? In many small steps, one after the other, until eventually one day we arrive: at self-centeredness. One with ourselves. Initially you may perceive your inner truth only vaguely. But by and by it intensifies. And one day you will start to express it. To the environment. Bravely. Uncensored.
“I, I, all I!” – No, this is not an ego trip, this is about a person who is all one with him/herself: who knows, who he is, what he needs, what he is able to. And who, right at that point, reopens to the outer world, to his/her surroundings.
So far I received various questions regarding hexagram41 – decrease:
A user asks: “Was it just my own thought … or did I really hear his voice?”*
Another user would like to buy a nice condominium, but is not yet sure if he should do so. His question to the I Ching: “What happens if I buy the condo?”
One user describes himself as a person full of mental blockades. However, these began to loosen up recently. His question now to the I Ching is: “How do I get closer to a new professional vision?”
A user asks: “How can I fulfill my life path/soul path?”
Several users describe situations and questions regarding Hexagram46 – Pushing Upward:
One user describes his situation as follows: “In my family, it is all about success and competition. And I always was the loser, the problem. On the occasion of his new beginning and moving into his own, new apartment, he asks the following question: “Under what star will I be living in this apartment?”
A user writes: “About a year ago I met a man, who, like me, lives in a relationship. We understood each other extremely well and decided to be Platonic friends. But we both fell in love with each other. We were so naive.. My mind tells me: give him up! But it is hard to let somebody go you like so much. It all starts to hurt me.”
One user feels almost like pregnant with lots of different information which want to be put together into a meaningful whole. Her question to the I Ching: “How can this happen?”
Another user asks: “There is a lot of bullying at my place of work, even nice colleagues are affected. What should I do?”
A user asks the following question: “How can I act towards and with my art, get into a relationship with it?“ Again and again he found himself in conflict with his self and his art. How should he present himself and his art to the outside world without being identified exclusively through it or identifying himself with it too much? During the past years this dichotomy became so bad that he literally suffered from fear and panic attacks: of the expectations of others – and of his own expectations. He could make art only under immense inner pressure and in the meantime gained the insight that right at the very center of his creativity lies his worst (old) injury. All this stands in his way and hinders practicing his art freely and easily.
One user asks, “Is my boyfriend cheating on me?”
One user describes her situation as follows: “I am currently being harshly bullied out of work and in return I am trying to slowly detach myself, I have sent out job applications and hope to be accepted.”
A user asks the I Ching the following question: “How should I deal with my lack of jobs – and the corresponding low income? Is there maybe something good about the situation?” The I Ching’s answer is hexagram55 – abundance. A wonderful response to a question which relates to scarcity…
A user writes: “Two weeks ago I decided to separate from my wife after 13 years of marriage. My question for the I Ching is, ‘What situation am I in?’”
A user asks: “My only son is leaving the house. I am currently not working. How should I deal with the future emptiness?”
A user asks how his professional situation will develop for him.
A user wants to buy and renovate an old building in Sicily. However, everything is delayed while she lives in her mobile home and waits, waits, waits. She writes: “Basically, it looks as if what we have planned won’t work anyway. Hence the question to the I Ching: ‘What can you tell me about the problems with the purchase?'”
One user asks: “Is he just a friend to me or more of a future partner?”
Some Reflections
The last inquiry regarding hexagram 55 – abundance, the oil mill in Italy, was sent in recently. And at about the same time, on a walk, I came across an image that I find somehow fitting: Light at the end of the tunnel. What I like about this image is that the tunnel itself is pretty. But exactly that is what you lose sight of when you only focus on the end of the tunnel, that single point, the problem. Yet the surroundings are full of beauty. And probably also full of alternative solutions. Perhaps this is what is meant by abundance (in the hexagrams name): All the possible solutions that actually exist – but for which one is blind as long as one’s focus is exclusively on the problem.
How does the heart gain such clarity and pioneering influence? Only through an entity that is able to discern between important and unimportant, to sort out what is essential and to put only the purest [substance] at the heart’s disposal. This function of the organism is attributed to the small intestine… The small intestine, alchemist of the interior… Discernment is needed on all levels! Sorting out intellectually, differentiating facts, clarifying relationships and… feelings – all this falls under the responsibilities of the small intestine… This is why mental health is associated with the small intestine as well…
During our conversation I consequently I ask the user questions like: What exactly is the problem that led you to consult the I Ching? To what extent is your perception of scarcity actually true? Is your job situation really that bad? And what is your general financial outlook? My inquiries bring up that she has a few small jobs, but not too many. Secretly, however, she sees this situation almost as a blessing, because currently she is intensively and with great joy engaged in a non-profit project – which certainly would not be possible if she had more “real” work. Financially, she has enough savings to make ends meet, although she would prefer not to touch her reserves and keep them for some ominous future (an attitude she was brought up with but gradually starts to feel doubtful about). Clarity Bears Growth shows us here how an honest inventory may open up entirely new perspectives for dealing with a given situation. Originally the user was saddened because she did not receive what she believed to be wanting: more jobs. What she was given were not jobs but enough time for her non-profit work – without any real financial worries. Admittedly, in our meritocracy it is an unusual attitude to use our own work force for charitable goals while living off savings. It’s definitely a new and unusual way, which certainly feels provocative to some people. The judgment of hexagram 55 says: Be not sad. Be like the sun at midday. This phrase seems to indicate that sometimes it is appropriate to not conform to others and not behave like everybody. In some situations it is advisable to make own decisions and to take new directions. Step 2 (second core character) is Dui, the lake, a sign which refers to our connection with the environment and to our attentiveness towards the echoes of our actions. At this stage of development we are confronted with questions like: What exactly is reflected back to me through my environment (what is it really – not: what do I assume / am afraid of to get as a feedback!). The user’s clear answer is: Yes, she has less money available, but she feels very happy and fulfilled in her daily life. And contrary to her expectations she actually receives little criticism but is appreciated and supported. Maybe that’s a good attitude for her to assume in the near future: to move forward with particular care and attention on this new path and to question again and again how she really feels – and what exactly it reflected to her through the environment. We all are threads in the collective fabric of life: when one thread changes, it also affects the surrounding tissue. Quite often these changes are very subtle – but they can be perceived if we look really carefully at your environment. In hexagram 55 – abundance the initial clarity finally becomes Zhen, clear determination: that which has slowly and perhaps even secretly grown will finally push outside, will become visible to all through determined action.
The user’s question is: “What is there to say about the city / area where I live?” The user has lived in this place for a long time, but always with a feeling of alienation, uneasiness, like a prisoner. At the same time he feels gratitude – but also burden, boredom. The answer of the I Ching is: 60 – limitation. Somehow he likes the interpretation with humus. A similar sentence has accompanied him for a long time, a sentence that speaks about flowers that need exactly this kind soil/dung to grow.
The question of the user: “What is important now, in this existentially threatening situation?” The background, as he explains, is that new projects are developing which give him justified hope. He feels that he should nurture hope and at the same time take the chaos (in the form of his living environment) more easily. There is a lot to be cleared up, and this mountain of work together with old fears almost paralyze him. But at the same time he feels hope, a light that gives him courage and says: Everything is good.
A user asks how he should behave in the cooperation that is about to begin. He actually feels superior to his partner because of his greater experience and would like to set the pace. On the other hand, it is clear that his counterpart will manage and coordinate the entire project.
One user asks: “When will Max the dachshund return to his owner? Will he even come back?”
One user writes: “I’ve started a new job and I’m realizing that I’m becoming more and more overwhelmed with the work requirements. At first I thought that the project would open up to me as I got used to it, but now I realize that I am more exhausted and drained every day. My question to the I Ching is: ‘How can I solve the situation? What should I do?'”
A user has the following concern: “Why does the question about the meaning of life constantly pop into my mind, even though that questions seems to lack sense and I just turn in circles?”
Another user asks what the coming year will bring. The I Ching’s answer, hexagram61 – Inner Truth, fits well with her life situation. She is learning more and more to rely on her inner voice and her perception for guidance.
One user writes: “I have been seeing a man on and off for about two and a half years. On the one hand, we feel attracted to each other in a special way, but on the other, it doesn’t seem to be the right time for a partnership. Eventually we could meet and connect very easily and light-heartedly on a physical level, I as a woman would just have to give the signal. But within myself I’m not ready yet. So much old stuff overshadows my own joyful energy, I lack inner security.”
One user’s question is: “How can I find my strength in my artistic work and enjoy it again?”
The exam period is beginning. A user wants the best possible grades for her final exam. However, she feels she has not yet fully mastered the material. Should she postpone the exams? Her question to the I Ching: “Should I do the exams now?”
A user asks the following question: “Does he call me because he still has the same feelings as I do? Does he just call out of kindness? Does he call me because he misses me as much as I do? Does he still have feelings for me?” The I Ching’s answer is 62 – Preponderance of the Small.
The user’s newly moved-in neighbor repeatedly operates a device that disturbs the peace, triggers violent vibrations and sounds as if a moped was riding up and down in front of and under the apartment all the time. Neither the property management nor the police take the complaints seriously, but the user does not want to move either. His question to the I Ching: “What happens now with this situation?”