How to Consult and Interpret the I Ching? Reading 2
The I Ching: Mysterious, numerical, full of symbolism. Ancient and yet alive; more living than the human body. This is a call to the Oracle through the haze of time and space. Please infuse your wisdom and help the people as they traverse the rough-hewn paths of life, distracted by smells and tastes, deceived by the mirage of appearance; just like in ancient times were so, now too.
How to frame questions and address the Oracle
Closed questions do not seem to function well. An open question is better therefore, and, also, it has been found that asking the I Ching to show the best hexagram, as a kind of answer, might be a good method. Obviously, one must then meditate and ruminate and think about the question, at least for 5 or 10 minutes to fix it in place before casting and receiving an answer.
Therefore, the question for today can be seen below:
Question: What hexagram best illustrates addiction and how to deal with the problems that life throws in our way?
Addiction and distraction; that is the way of modernity. Life flows by like a raging torrent and we sit, distracted, on the shore, only waking up to deal with the serious incidents. But how to focus and live? How to wake up and make life what it should be, now what it is so often, a slow ride to death.
Result
Hexagram 44, Coming to Meet
This hexagram, amazingly relevantly, explores the situation in which dark forces, having been eliminated, “furtively and unexpectedly obtrude again from within and from below”. The question, remember, was about addictions and problems, what an amazing answer!
In order to deal with this situation, the Oracle advises us to understand and prevent possible consequences. So, we have to anticipate these resurfaced problems, and stamp them out before they can grow.
Later, we read that, the Inferior thing seems so harmless and inviting that a person delights in it; it looks so small and weak that we imagine we can toy with it and come to no harm.
If the addictions and problems were resisted from the first, they would not gain influence.
As this is being typed, the tendrils of addictions are seeking to put down roots and grow.
How can problems and addictions be met half way?
Here are two videos that nicely talks about Hexagram 44:
Conclusions
Catching problems as they arise is key. Refusing to let addictions root themselves onto the soul is vital.
Grasping onto problems or addictions is what grants power to them.
If one refuses to cling onto a problem, it has no power and seeps into the wind and is gone. If one refuses to dip the toe into the waters of addiction, stays strong, they can not take up root and grow.
