Balancing on the Edge
I hate to think that I’ve become repetitious or boring, but I stumbled upon an essay I wrote on April 30, 2022. Being a narcissistic egomaniac, I had an overwhelming urge to bore you with it.
Without further ado….
FUN WITH THE I CHING
My favorite version of the I CHING is the 10th Anniversary Edition of Master Alfred Huang's translation. The Wilhelm edition has long been accepted as the ultimate and most accurate translation; but that version, as virtually every other version, is written in such vague and esoteric language that a reader can interpret the hexagrams to mean whatever he or she is expecting to find.
The term Chinese term "gua" is used frequently in the Huang translation when explaining the names and structures of the sixty-four hexagrams. In the I Ching, the meaning of the word gua is extended to be the phenomenon of the universe.
This evening, as I was meditating on the situation in Ukraine and wondering what is really going on and what will be the results of the conflict, I threw the coins.
The initial hexagram, the one describing the situation as it exists today, is interpeted by Master Huang to be #29 - DARKNESS.
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In the section entitled NAME AND STRUCTURE, Huang states, "Kan is a pit. It can also be interpreted as falling. Wilhelm translates Kan as Abysmal and Blofeld as Abyss.... We have here the image of someone falling into a pit. The meaning of Kan is twofold, either a pit or falling"
Thank God the yin and yang are forever changing. There were two changing lines in the initial hexagram and the one resulting, surprisingly, was #40 - RELIEF.
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In the section entitled SIGNIFICANCE, Huang explains the change to be expected and he stresses the importance of the fourth "six" (the yin line becoming yang). According to Master Huang, "Darkness alternates to Exhausting".
What are we to make of this? While the concept of exhaustion is not positive, the final gua pictures Thunder (Zhen) over Rain (Kan) and Huang determines that Hexagram #40 spells relief.
As it often says in the Wilhelm version, "This is auspicious".
May we all Rest in Peace and not be troubled by the 24/7 onslaught of fear and propaganda the bastards are feeding us.
Namaste.
“May we all Rest in Peace and not be troubled by the 24/7 onslaught of fear and propaganda the bastards are feeding us.”
Here here! You make me happy that you are continuing to write and contribute to the collective wisdom.
And this is to the point:”and propaganda the bastards are feeding us.” 🙌🔥