Mountain Tea Question #2
How do I live closer to my ideals and closer to symbiosis with the natural world, and achieve "security" for myself and loved ones?
This question was asked on 6 April by SD of Renton, WA. The coin tosses resulted in Hexagram 48 /䷯The Well becoming Hexagram 57 /䷸Penetrating Wind. A complex situation that may only be understood in time, but one that can transform fear into intimacy. The question comes from a place of immense feeling and from the one with enormous creative talents and an ability to meet the challenge. Feeling separate from our source, we must look for ways to reconnect. The changing line in the 6th position transforms The Well to Penetration. In time, the situation proves a dependable source of nourishment. Do not underestimate your resources or insight. You are appreciated. Because of your openness to sharing with others, good fortune is suggested here. Small efforts are sustained over time.
48. ䷯Ching / The Well
“The Well is associated with the reservoir of unconscious activity like fear and inspiration. It can also symbolize elements of life that do not change. This hexagram can be a representation of complex situations that are unfathomable and can only be understood over time. You possess the deep inner resources to meet the challenge. You are asked to reach deeper within your reservoir of spirit to activate intuition. The object of your enquiry is something that is enduring and not easily changed. It can suggest a relationship that remains vague and undefined. Over time it can appear to be changing or moving forward yet it always seems to come back to the same issues. When people are learning from each other under the influence of the Well, the connection goes deep and can give definition to the spirit. However, it is important to realize that all relationships require that the life sustaining waters be kept clear. Communication needs to be honest and open so assumptions and misunderstandings don’t dilute the purity of interaction. The situation may be transforming fear by leading you toward the vulnerability required for intimacy. Whether the message is about the enormous creative gifts at your disposal or the abundance of feeling associated with the situation, the Well promises an inner journey that will lead to sustenance. As inexhaustible nourishment from the deep source of the psyche, the Well can be an initiation into intimacy and authentic expression (Cafe au Soul).”
When we feel separate from others, it is not because the Well has dried up, but because we have lost the means to reach it. Reclaim the tools necessary to penetrate to the depths of your fellows. The bonds you build will be timeless and inexhaustible.
Line 6 is changing. One draws from the well without hindrance. It is dependable. Good fortune. The Well (48) changes to Penetration (57). Over time the situation proves a dependable source of nourishment. You are appreciated for the wealth of resources or insight you provide. Supreme good fortune.
57. ䷸Sun / The Penetrating Wind
Wind follows upon wind, wandering the earth, penetrating gently but persistently. Small, persistent, focused effort brings success. Seek advice from someone you respect. Gentle persuasion is key.
There is gentleness and enormous power associated with hexagram 57, Penetration. Like the wind blowing against a mountain, the smallest influence when applied with a steadfast attitude can break down any barrier. Look deeply at the situation. Try to understand the less obvious dynamics at play. Whether you or someone else has established barriers as protection from intimacy, demonstrating trustworthy behavior can eliminate them. Penetration is a message about constant and gentle action and is often referred to as The Homecoming. In ways, we need not assert anything, there are forces acting in conjunction with our efforts to bring us to a sense of arrival.
The hidden influence of Opposition can show the barrier you are faced with. The message suggests you become more accommodating. You are being called to become gently persevering. This hexagram is formed by the trigram of the Wind over the Wind, so the message of slow and dedicated effort is doubled. After a period of uncertainty and wandering, this hexagram can show Coming Home.
Move like the wind -
its soft lullaby,
sculpting mountains.
“As a wanderer, there is nothing that might receive you. Therefore follows the idea of the Gentle and penetrating Wind.” Perhaps you have met an obstacle that has you moving in different directions. Trying to find a way 'in,' the opportunity may appear closed. Seek the help of someone in a position to guide you. With penetrating effort and remaining still, you will discover something profound is also committed to your success.
Life is always touching you in sublime ways; you sometimes only glimpse it when circumstances emerge to slow you down. The Gentle Wind is a message about steady progress and steadfastness in the face of difficulty. It slows you down enough to look deeper into a situation. You are given time to see that things are not what you thought.
The master said: "What is easy attracts the easy; what is hard will attract the hard." If you are open, there is no need for life to break away your protective covering. "The way is easy, yet people prefer by-paths.” If you remain easy, you invite the easy. The Way is easy because all it asks is that you remain supple enough to be led.
Success comes when you no longer “contend and yet are be able to conquer; do not declare your will and yet, get a response; do not summon, and still have things come spontaneously to you.” Te, as the ‘power in me,’ when tapped as nature's drive toward individuation, does not fight the very thing that gives it definition. What you need then comes spontaneously to you.
When the way forward is blocked by rocks, climb up for a better view. You may be pushing too hard to alter a situation that is complex. Examine your sincerity. This is a hexagram of Homecoming. A period of wandering followed by a return to comfort and peace. Nothing will happen quickly. Over time a lasting commitment can be made. Allow barriers and obstacles to become sources of enlightenment. Barriers to intimacy will erode in the same way the Wind chisels away a mountain. Actions speak louder than words. Be patient and persevering.
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Book of Changes / I Ching
1. Consider a question that goes beyond yes or no, such as the effects of some action on a current situation.
2. Write it down.
3. Keep it in mind while tossing three coins six times.
4. Record the outcome of each toss, number of heads & tails.
5. Each toss produces one line. Build your hexagram from the bottom up. The first toss is the bottom line. The next toss is the line above and so on until you have six lines.
6. Heads have a value of 3. Tails have a value of 2. A dot · after a line distinguishes a line that is changing from a line that is not.
3 heads = 9 = old yang ––––––– ·
3 tails = 6 = old yin ––– ––– ·
2 heads + 1 tail = 7 = yang –––––––
2 tails + 1 heads = 8 = yin ––– –––
Thank you for your questions—about your health and the health of our planet. I have received seven. Keep them coming. I am beginning to walk with them as I walk the I Ching, hoping to become better able to understand both your questions and your answers. I am keenly aware of your language and of the intentions you are offering. I am reading your coin tosses in Wilheim/Baynes, Thomas Cleary and Café au Soul.