No. 59, Dispersion / Reuniting:

Something is separating you from those with whom you should be joined. It is likely a rigid attitude- maybe it's yours, maybe it's someone else's. The Image produced by the combined trigrams of Wind over Water is a warm spring breeze flowing over the ice of winter, dispersing it. Are you holding a rigid attitude that is keeping you "frozen?" Are you in a relationship or group where all parties have staked out their positions, and no one will budge?...read more>>>...

No. 64, Before Completion / Not Yet Fulfilled:

Before Completion. Success. But if the little fox, after nearly completing the crossing, gets his tail in the water.There is nothing that would further."


This hexagram is the last hexagram in the I Ching, but it does not signal an end. It describes "the condition before transition." ...Read More>>>...

No. 45, Gathering Together / Bringing Together

"Letting oneself be drawn
Brings good fortune and remains blameless.
If one is sincere,
It furthers one to bring even a small offering."

"You may feel mysteriously drawn to certain people or endeavors, although this may not be what you had planned for yourself. Give in to this impulse." [Wing]
"At the time of Gathering Together, we should make no arbitrary choice of the way. There are secret forces at work, leading together those who belong together. We must yield to this attraction; then we make no mistakes." [Wilhelm]

Who are you being mysteriously drawn to? Don't dismiss this person as too fat, too old, too young, not in your league --- whatever. Is it an "endeavour" that is intriguing you? A job or business you'd like to try, but --- it doesn't pay enough, the commute would be too long, you'd never be able to raise the capital?

No. 50, The Ting / Establishing the New:

The Ting. Supreme good fortune. Success.The Ting was a vessel (a cauldron) used to make offerings in ancient Chinese religious ceremonies. Huang calls this hexagram Establishing the New. "When a new dynasty began or a new emperor was enthroned, the first thing done was to cast a new ding (ting) and inscribe the new constitution on it, symbolizing that a new era had begun." [Huang] In order for you to truly Establish the New, and obtain "supreme good fortune," it will be necessary to make a sacrifice: "Earthly values" must be sacrificed to "the divine." [Wilhelm] "You will begin to perceive what is actually possible for you to achieve and not waste precious energies on the impossible, those things that are not in accord with the Cosmic Order given the circumstances of your life." [R.L. Wing] Is there something that you are clinging to --- a hope, a dream, a goal --- that is just not attainable? Sacrificing that unrealistic goal will allow you to establish a new, richer life.(Daily Yi)

No. 16, Enthusiasm / Confidence

"Enthusiasm. It furthers one to install helpers and to set armies marching."
We will look at this message from a slightly different perspective, using the Blofeld translation. Blofeld calls this hexagram Repose, which he says was "suggested by the Chinese experts who kindly vetted this manuscript."*

He hesitated to adopt Repose, since it seems completely opposite to Enthusiasm, until he "realized that it must be understood as the kind of mental repose which follows absolute confidence that the action being taken is the right one."

"Recognizing where our true help comes from and how readily it is granted inspires us with the inner independence needed to find the right direction for our lives. This is true Enthusiasm." [Anthony & Moog]

Do you know the direction you want your life to take? The Yi is shouting: Go for it! (Daily Yi)

No. 46 ... Pushing Upward

"Pushing upward has supreme success.
One must see the great man.
Fear not.
Departure toward the south
Brings good fortune."

A very auspicious message: Success is assured --- if one exerts the appropriate effort.

The Yi continues to caution against looking for a quick fix. The Image of this hexagram says, "Thus the superior man of devoted character heaps up small things in order to achieve something high and great."

You may have to consult someone in authority, but don't be afraid. "It is essential to see a great man, so as to banish anxiety." [Blofeld] Setting the activity in motion (the departure toward the south) almost guarantees good fortune.

The person "receiving this hexagram is counseled to make a decision between two paths. . . .the path of his unique destiny that he alone can trod by following his inner truth, or the one laid out . . . that has been trodden by others." [Anthony and Moog}....read more>>>...

No. 47: "Oppression / Exhaustion / Adversity"

"Oppression. Success. Perseverance. The great man brings about good fortune. No blame. When one has something to say, It is not believed."

Oppression. Or Exhaustion. Or Adversity. Yet what is the first thing that follows? Success. How can this happen? With perseverance, of course. Even the most difficult of times can result in good fortune.The Yi defines Oppression as 'When one has something to say, it is not believed.' (Book Of Changes)

No. 45. Gathering Together / Bringing Together:

Bringing Together. Success.The king arrives at the ancestral temple.Favorable to see a great person. This brings success. Perseverance furthers. To bring great offerings creates good fortune. It furthers one to undertake something.

Your task at this time is to bring people together. Wilhelm and Blofeld translated this message as Gathering Together. Huang chooses Bringing Together, finding Gathering too general.

"Bringing bears a sense of causing to come and implies a purposeful togetherness."

Or it may be that you - personally and internally - need to "get it together." As R.L. Wing points out, "When you are not in accord with your goals, you may well feel indecision, conflict, or malaise; when you are, a sense of confidence and well-being will surround you." What is it that you need to "get together?" Whatever it is, this need will dominate everything you do for the foreseeable future: we received no changing lines with this message.

No. 31, Influence / Attraction

"The influence shows itself in the thighs. Holds to that which follows it. To continue is humiliating. What the heart desires, the thighs run after without a moment's hesitation .." [Wilhelm]

The Yi is warning you: Don't run after the object of your desires. That results in humiliation.. . . one needs patience to wait until the other party is ready. For mutual influence, the worst thing is to take reckless action." [Huang]

No. 31, Influence / Wooing:

"Influence. Success. Perseverance furthers. To take a maiden to wife brings good fortune."

A major Influence is entering your life. R.L. Wing calls this hexagram Attraction, pointing out that "The universe as we know it is held together and governed by the various laws of Attraction," right down to its smallest unit, the atom, held together by the attraction of its positive and negative charges. The I Ching is a guide to the infinite possibilities of combinations of yin and yang.

The danger here is that this Influence will be so different, so unlike you, that you will shy away from it. Don't. The Image says, "Thus the superior man encourages people to approach him by his readiness to receive them."

Joining with this Influence in a serious, long-term commitment will bring success. But it won't be easy.

No. 16, Enthusiasm

"Enthusiasm. It furthers one to install helpers and to set armies marching."

Enthusiasm signals a future when new ideas can be developed and promoted - successfully.

"During this time you should seek to analyze the essential nature of the moment. If you can grasp the direction of the tendencies around you, you can parallel them and accomplish great deeds." [Wing]

Recognizing "the essential nature of the moment" is what the I Ching is all about. Align yourself with the flow of the Universe.

No. 39, Obstruction / Hardship

“Obstruction.
The southwest furthers.
The northeast does not further.
It furthers one to see the great man.
Perseverance beings good fortune.”

You have hit an obstruction in pursuit of your goal - or you will, soon. This is the future of the situation symbolized by The Family/The Clan. In the I Ching system of metaphors, the southwest is the region of retreat, the northeast is the region of advance. However, the retreat shouldn't be a complete turning away from the direction you were headed. What is advised here is to pause, seek assistance, and then keep trying. The current challenge "requires the will to persevere just when one apparently must do something that leads away from his goal. This unswerving inner purpose brings good fortune in the end." [Wilhelm]

Where will you apply your "unswerving inner purpose?"

No. 3, Beginning, Line 1

"Lingering and considering. Favourable to abide in being steadfast and upright. Favourable to establish feudal lords."

Huang translates this line as "Lingering and considering," rather than "Hesitation and hindrance," as translated by Wilhelm. (Having received exactly the same hexagram and changing line, one right after the other, we are looking at them from a slightly different perspective the second time through.

"This place requires one to linger and consider. The timing is significant. Although there is difficulty ahead, it is a crucial time to start a new enterprise. In this situation, persevering is critical." [Huang]

Think you may have some trouble "establishing feudal lords?" Don't worry. Huang informs us that this is an ancient Chinese expression that means "seeking support."

No. 3, Difficulty at the Beginning,

"Hesitation and hindrance. It furthers one to remain persevering. It furthers one to appoint helpers."

At the beginning of something new, you may hesitate. Perhaps you do not yet see clearly where you are headed. Perhaps you do not feel up to the task that lies before you.

"The person needs to discover and eliminate the mistaken beliefs he holds about his true nature, which are the hindrances mentioned." [Anthony and Moog]

Don't insist on knowing the outcome before you begin, and don't insist on doing everything yourself. Keep taking those small steps.

No. 22, Grace

Grace has success. small matters. It is favorable to undertake something.

"Grace is a person's natural state of harmony and unity with the Cosmos." [Anthony and Moog]

Consider the possibility that the "small matter" the Yi wants you to undertake is your own fulfillment: bringing your uniqueness successfully into expression. What is truly, creatively, naturally and simply You? Are you doing, or being, that now? What small step can you take in that direction? (Daily Yi)

No. 62: Preponderance of the Small / Conscientiousness, Line 3:

"If one is not extremely careful, Somebody may come up from behind and strike him. Misfortune."

The Yi says: Watch your back! The main message and changing lines are all about not overextending yourself in this time of Progress. Line 3 says: Self-confidence is dangerous if it blinds you to reality. As Henry Kissinger famously said, "Even paranoids have real enemies." There are external sources that are indeed hostile to you and your plans. Be alert and be prepared. (Daily Yi)

Book Of Changes

The "hawk on a high wall" is an inferior, but powerful, influence that is the final impediment to your Deliverance.

Receiving this last changing line means that you must "forcefully dispense with a great adversary," once and for all. The first four changing lines of this series have given clues as to who this "great adversary" really is.

It is "the hawk that watches (with its sharp eyes) for every thought that might displace its rule. This hawk has been installed, through conditioning, in a person's psyche." [Anthony & Moog]

A companion - or culture - wants to see you remain stuck, with them, in the world of "shoulds" and "musts" imposed by others. Perhaps it is that "great toe" warned of in Line 4.

Stop this influence completely. Allow yourself to experience the Relief the Universe has brought you. Then everything you do will have success.

Deliverance / Relief,

You have been carrying a heavy load. Relief has come, but . . .

"Riding in a carriage" - taking the way of ease and flaunting your newly-acquired Deliverance - will only invite the envious to attack you. If you continue in this manner, you will be brought down in short order.

Say, for example, that you have received a long-deserved promotion. If you are arrogant about this, you invite ambush from your former co-workers. (Book Of Changes)

No. 9, The Taming Power of the Small

"The rain comes, there is rest.
This is due to the lasting effect of character.
Perseverance brings the woman into danger.
The moon is nearly full.
If the superior man persists,
Misfortune comes."

The release promised in the main message comes - you have some success. This is a direct result of following the Yi's advice and taking the "small steps." However, you must not presume that everything is "okay" now, and you can forge ahead. The Yi is almost always telling us that "perseverance furthers." Not right now. "The moon is nearly full" means that you have taken this endeavor, whatever it is, about as far as it is going to go. You are about to hit the high point. After that, waning is inevitable. It does not matter that you are doing everything right. The decline is part of a natural process. Persisting only brings misfortune.

Revolution

On your own day you are believed. Supreme success, furthering through perseverance remorse disappears.

If you've been thinking that now is the time to make a change, you're right. What's more, others will listen - and believe you! - bringing about "supreme success." Regrets over the past will disappear. This hexagram presents an image of the dark of winter being overcome by the light of spring. This will happen naturally, like the change of seasons. But there is work to be done: your own personal "spring cleaning." Clear away the old, dead patterns of the past, and allow the new, vigorous growth to appear.

We received this hexagram without changing lines, indicating that this change is not something you will be able to influence, or steer in a different direction. Go with it, wholeheartedly. What area of your life is crying out for this kind of change?