I Ching Readings for a Changing World

The Ting - aka, The Cauldron - Nourishment
_________
____ ____ the upper trigram is Li, fire (the middle daughter)
_________
____o____
____o____ the lower trigram is Sun, the gentle wind, wood (the oldest daughter)
____ ____

The head of the family serves food from the Ting into the bowls of guests. (Obama is serving foreigners - this is not food given to 'the people' as that is discussed in a separate hexagram, 'The Well'.)

The Judgment:
The Cauldron - supreme good fortune!
Success.

The Ting, or cauldron, is heated with wood and filled with food. This in itself is good fortune for those foreigners offered nourishment. We "the people" may not be fed, yet there is success to be had.

The Image:
Fire over wood:
The image of the cauldron.
Thus the superior man consolidates his fate
By making his position correct.

The term 'superior man' doesn't refer to Obama, but rather to you, if you choose the best path under the present circumstance of having Obama as a leader in the USA. Do what you can to "make your position correct." So long as there is wood below the cauldron, the fire continues to burn. The wood symbolizes our tax dollars and whatever else it is that causes this country to continue on. Perhaps, our cooperation and the unity of the states. So long as we put our lives into the best alignment with fate our success will continue.

Line 2:
There is food in the ting.
My comrades are envious,
But they cannot harm me.
Good fortune.

Obama needs to achieve something significant (food in the ting)... something that will feed his guests. So long as he focuses on real achievements those who are envious cannot harm him.

Line 3:
The handle on the ting is altered.
One is impeded in his way of life.
The fat of the pheasant is not eaten.
Once rain falls, remorse is spent.
Good fortune comes in the end.

The handle on the ting is broken, meaning that the ting can't be picked up and so the food can't be served to guests. (The pheasant is not eaten.) Somehow, Obama's effectiveness will be blocked and his good qualities or intentions will go to waste. However, rain will fall (purification and/or spiritual blessings) and at that point difficulties will be resolved and all will end well -- at least, for "we, the people."

The hexagram changes to Chin, Progress (because there are two changing lines)
_________
____ ____ the upper trigram is Li, fire (the middle daughter)
_________
____ ____
____ ____ the lower trigram is K'un, the receptive earth (the mother)
____ ____

Here, the sun rises so all can be seen with clarity.

The Judgment:
Progress. A powerful prince
Is honored with horses in great numbers.
In a single day he is granted audience three times.

This powerful leader, Obama, is a prince, not the true king. There is someone over him to whom he answers. He rallies other horses - heads of state - around him in great numbers, getting them to pledge loyalty and peace. For doing this he is rewarded with riches and offered further intimacy with the king (a person or group that is above him in authority.)

The Image:
The sun rises over the earth:
The image of progress.
Thus the superior man himself
Brightens his bright virtue.

Here's our marching orders, should you decide to be a "superior man" (or woman.) We human beings become defiled by earthly things so we need to purify our hearts and spirits in the brightness of morning sunshine, and then we too will shine forth with clarity. It is time for us to emerge from darkness into the light. A time of great purification is coming to America. At the end of this purification, we will see each other, including Obama, clearly.

From this reading it appears that Obama may have some good intentions but since he's not the ultimate leader in the USA, and because he's serving guests (foreign interests) he can't be entirely trusted. However whatever he's trying to do for the foreigners will be blocked and in the end, after the purification, everything will turn out good for us. In the meantime we must work on self-purification so our bright virtues can shine forth and so we can achieve personal clarity in regards to this situation.

The answer:

K'uei - Opposition (no changing lines)
_________
____ ____ the upper trigram is Li, fire (the middle sister)
_________
____ ____
_________ the lower trigram is Tui, lake (the youngest sister)
_________

Fire over the lake (Li over Tui) . . . the element of fire burns upward, and the water in the lake sinks downward. These two daughters are in opposition and have separate goals.

The Judgment:
"Opposition. In small matters, good fortune."

Expectations for perfect, high-pay employment may be unfulfilled because of the conditions of the time. However a smaller effort may bring good fortune. It is not wise to expect too much of the job market at this time but don't be entirely discouraged. Opposition is not the same as obstruction.

The Image:
"Above, fire; below, the lake.
The image of opposition.
Thus amid all fellowship
The superior man retains his individuality."

Fire and water don't mingle; they retain their own qualities. This shows us an ideal path: rather than get drawn into the drama of others, we should retain our individuality. Therefore self-employment in small matters will be a good choice during the current economic downturn.

To consult the I-Ching a seeker of wisdom needs to engage it with a physical world set of divination tools. There are two accepted means of doing this: coins and yarrow stalks. I use the coin method, and this details how I do it:

Toss three coins. Many people use old Chinese coins, but any coins will do. Clean them and pray over them, then set out a cloth to receive your tosses. Shake them, then toss the coins down. You will need to assign a 2 for 'heads' and a 3 for 'tails', then count.

Your results will be one of these:

three heads = 2+2+2 = 6
two tails and one heads = 3+3+2 = 8
two heads and one tails = 2+2+3 = 7
three tails = 3+3+3 = 9

If the seeker gets three tails or three heads (6 or 9) this is called a "changing line" and that must be noted.

A seeker will then write down the results of the toss using either a strong or weak line:

8 = weak line = _____ _____
7 = strong line = ___________

Now the changing lines are notated with an x in a weak line or a circle drawn through a strong line:

6 = weak line = _____x_____
9 = strong line = _____o_____

The seeker will toss the coins six times. The first toss will be for the line at the bottom of a group of six lines; the six lines together are called a hexagram. The last toss will be for the line at the top.

Sample Consultation:

Question: What conditions affect those seeking success through Squidoo?

Answer:
___________
_____o_____ A changing line.
___________
___________
_____ _____
___________

Because there's a changing line, a second hexagram is indicated:

___________
_____ _____ This line changed from strong to weak.
___________ The others stayed the same.
___________
_____ _____
___________

Once you have this information you can look up your hexagram at the back of the book where there's a fold-out chart right after page 740. To do this you need to look at the hexagram in two parts. It consists of two trigrams, an upper and a lower.

Hexagrams have six lines; trigrams have only three:

___________
_____o_____ Upper Trigram
___________

___________
_____ _____ Lower Trigram
___________

There are eight different possible trigrams. These eight trigrams make up the entire group of 64 hexagrams in the I-Ching.

When you're done receiving the hexagram, pray again, asking for wisdom in understanding the Book of Changes, then read the sections of the book explaining the hexagram(s) received. If the seeker has a changing line then two hexagrams will be read, as well as the paragraphs pertaining to the changing line(s).

It is considered disrespectful to the oracle not to read and seek to understand the wisdom of the hexagram you accessed.

"Through repetition of danger we grow accustomed to it. Water sets the example for the right conduct under such circumstances. It flows on and on, and merely fills up all the places through which it flows; it does not shrink from any dangerous spot nor from any plunge, and nothing can make it lose its own essential nature. It remains true to itself under all conditions."

I have been using the I-Ching for over 35 years. It is one of the best sources of wisdom I've found - and I've read a lot of sources including the entire Bible, the Qu'ran, the Baghavad Gita, and many other holy books.

I've constantly been amazed by how appropriate the advice given is, and how helpful in learning how to wisely handle situations I encounter in life.

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