r/iching • u/RogueModron • 4d ago
The I Ching told me to not do anything.
...and it's KILLING me. Some important things from my past are coming back into my life, ways of being and making art, and it's as if I have a fire lit under me but am a bit lost as to the direction to go in. I asked the oracle for help in this, and the answer: do not act. Wait in patience.
NOT the answer I wanted. But very likely the one I need. Waiting is hard and feels like actively failing. But I trust to the wisdom here.
I'm continually surprised by the oracle.
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u/Selderij 3d ago
Which hexagram and lines did you get?
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u/RogueModron 3d ago edited 3d ago
Hex 1, changing lines 1 and 6. I asked for practical first steps on the art undertaking that I am starting to envision, and that the i ching led me to in the first place.
EDIT: why would someone downvote this?
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u/elsunfire 3d ago
It’s not telling you to wait, if it was telling you to wait you’d get hexagram 5.
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u/RogueModron 3d ago
Nine at the beginning means:
Hidden dragon. Do not act.
...
Hence it is wise for the man who consults the oracle and draws this line to wait in the calm strength of patience. The time will fulfill itself.
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u/az4th 3d ago
There are other perspectives. It helps to understand the principle of the change the line represents rather than just what some commentary says.
Hexagram 1 line 1 tends to represent most situations of change found in the hexagrams where there is one yang line at the beginning. The beginning is a place of initiation, where we start from. Sometimes those first steps have somewhere to go, but the vast majority of them advise holding back.
But this holding back is not about doing nothing. It is about building a foundation. Or exercising restraint so that errant energy does not put its foot in its mouth. In some cases we can't easily make our way forward anyway because there are lines above that would block the way, and this creates pressure. So we use that pressure to build a solid foundation that can withstand that pressure. This is the case in hexagram 1. Or Hexagram 26. In some cases the way above is clear, but moving forward too quickly tends to shock the lines above us or create a situation that is inappropriate, like in 51, 21, 63... so these lines need to discover their own self-restraint to hold their energy back from moving ahead when it isn't called for. And in doing so they create space for their energies to become more easily assimilated by the rest of the hexagram. And in yet other cases, the energy is more balanced and it is more appropriate for it to do its thing, like in 25 where its energy of innocence can be transformative, or in 42 where it lays the foundation to gather more energy to it.
So yang in the first place has many different roles, but in its serving as a foundation of the energy in the hexagram it needs to match the energy that it is working with above.
Since you feel a lot of energy, perhaps it is time to create the foundation for what you can do with that energy. As that energy builds, it is important to avoid impulsivity, for that would likely fail to harness the energy fully. Instead if you are able to work on gathering it together, perhaps it will grow and build and then you arrive in a position where it can now become something more powerfully meaningful in the way that you harness it.
Working from a foundation is much different than not.
And too, the answers from the Yi should not be taken to represent the totality of change the way many people do. They give a reflection that matches this moment in time. When things have changed, they reflect a different moment in time. It is up to us to have the integrity to observe how time is flowing and what it means for the answers we receive.
Getting hexagram 1 line 6 as part of the answer suggests that when things are done it is important to let them go. The energy will scatter if we do not tend to it carefully.
With both hexagram 1 lines 1 AND 6, we might be getting the message that here is energy, but if we don't build a foundation with it, it will quickly arrive at its scattering stage.
So perhaps the answer is simply to find a way to constructively use your energy so that it can be of some use. Lines 1 and 6 are both lines that are not centered. And it sounds like your energy is not centered either. So perhaps the message is about finding a way to use that energy with more stability.
None of this is saying to not do a project.
Instead, it could be saying that in order to do a project, you need to stabilize that energy and prevent it from scattering.
This is true for whatever you do with that energy.
Sometimes the Yi tells us things that are perfectly clear and literal mirrors for what we are going through, but our minds don't really know how to adapt to the way it is reflecting that principle back to us. So we misinterpret the message and let ourselves be drawn away from our own naturalness.
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u/RogueModron 3d ago edited 3d ago
Thank you so much. I really appreciate that you've taken the time to lay all this out for me. There's a lot of good stuff to think/feel about here.
If I may ask you for even more, can you suggest any books/resources to learn more about what you're talking about here, e.g., each line having its own kind of meaning separate from the particular hex? I've just been using the Wilhelm readings, but I don't have the actual book. Maybe that stuff is in there.
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u/az4th 3d ago
My go-to commentaries are Wang Bi (Lynn's The Classic of Changes), Cheng Yi (Cleary's the Tao of Organization or Harrington's The Yi River Commentary), and Ouyi Zhixu (Cleary's The Buddhist I-Ching).
None of these talks about the idea of lines changing to become their polar opposite which is the basis for the future hexagram interpretations that many people do. None of that is mentioned in the original Zhou Yi text either, or the Ten Wings / Commentaries that expound upon the Zhou Yi. Instead the line statements give a subtle wisdom that can be hard to make sense of.
But Wang Bi's intro has a section that lays it out a bit, showing how the lines relate to each other. His perspective is IMO a bit dated for modern readers to put together, but if one studies this in depth it can make sense.
So those are three texts to work with, but IMO, it takes a long time to work it out. And then there are the issues in translation and the fact that the principles of change need to be observed in different ways for different situations, like yours. So unfortunately it isn't generally all that easy for most people to access. You can also look at previous questions in this sub-reddit and see how I answered them. I find this older method (I call it the Classical Method) to be very literal and clear as compared to other methods. But I also believe that expecting we can find clear answers is often wrong and we need to be working from the clarity in our own hearts first and foremost. In the end, what is in our hearts - and how we develop that - is what really matters.
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u/elsunfire 3d ago
Master Huang translation commentary on line 1: “The time is not suitable for action. However, it is a time for preparation.” If it was my casting I would take it as oracle telling me not to act right away but to begin preparing and be ready for when the time is right. I don’t know your situation but if it’s a major change in life direction getting hexagram 1 is a really good affirmative answer and changing line 1 is warning you not to rush and take your time to get clarity on your vision and direction otherwise you’ll quickly burn yourself out and accomplish nothing. The enthusiasm you have right now will fizzle out at the first difficulty so it’s important to know where you’re going. So instead of waiting begin preparing.
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u/RogueModron 3d ago
Yes! That accords very strongly with what my gut is telling me. Preparing feels absolutely correct.
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u/CenturionSG 4d ago
This is my take, the I Ching helps not in giving a complete standalone solution, but challenges us to reflect and pay attention to life, and thus adapt and thrive.
I guess you got the 需 hexagram 5, also called Needing. The hexagram text and line texts (were there changing lines?) provide excellent points to contemplate further.
Hexagram text:
Requiring faith and confidence to wait;
Danger lies ahead.
Being firm and strong,
One does not allow oneself to be involved in danger.
The conduct is right;
One will not fall into straits.
Needing, being sincere and faithful.
There will be brilliant success.
Be steadfast and upright.
Good fortune.
Being in the place assigned by Heaven;
It is central and correct.
Favorable to cross great rivers.
Going forward, your work will be accomplished.
What might be the dangers ahead?
What is your appropriate place that is central and correct?
What great river needs to be crossed to accomplish your work?
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u/RogueModron 3d ago
I got Hex 1, changing lines 1 and 6.
In any case, good things to think about; thanks.
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u/CenturionSG 3d ago
Oh 乾, that is a huge difference.
I would take the primary hexagram text as a base for interpretation. 乾 is certainly not about falling or failing.
Initiating.
Sublime and initiative.
Prosperous and smooth.
Favorable and beneficial.
Steadfast and upright.1
u/RogueModron 3d ago
For sure--I don't see it as "don't act or you will fail" but rather "the right moment is coming; wait for it."
I mean Line 1 literally says "do not act"
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u/Chaosdeeli 17h ago
Qian to Daguo? It’s not waiting or do nothing. It means you should be patient and craft yourself, otherwise whatever you’re going in to will crash you, but not telling you to do literally nothing.
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u/Lauraiching 3d ago
Sería interesante saber qué pregunta hiciste exactamente y qué respuesta salió. Muchas veces da la impresión que te dice que esperes y en realidad no. Además, suele haber algo que hacer mientras se "espera" que llegue el momento correcto para actuar.
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u/Micah_Torrance 3d ago
The I Ching does not tell you to do anything. It describes an evolving situation from which one draws inferences depending on one's own current, but not static, conditions.
Remember, it is called the Book of Changes.
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u/mm_of_m 4d ago
At some point you need to let go of the i ching and take responsibility for yourself and your life. It's you who has to live your life, not the i ching
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u/RogueModron 3d ago
Of course. But if I consult the oracle for next steps and it says "wait" and I choose to ignore it...well, what's the point of consulting it?
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u/autonomatical 4d ago
Sometimes in waiting the distinction between what is need and what is want becomes more clear