Re: first time

please remove me from list serv. thankyou
way too many messages to cope with. needs to be moderated and send weekly messages; then would consider rejoining.
[email protected] 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: omega 
  To: [email protected] 
  Sent: Tuesday, May 04, 2004 12:27 AM
  Subject: [Ecobal]first time


  Howdy all,

    This is my first posting.  I am male, 42, societal drop out as much as possible, Tai Chi bum, turned reluctant business person with the direction of the I Ching, or Book of Changes, to which I owe a great debt for guidance, strength, and purpose.

    I have given much thought to the creation of an intentional community over many years, and hope to facilitate many of them with an agricultural invention inspired by the I Ching, but before getting to that, I would like to share one question, and answer session with the I Ching, in the Oracle format.

  I Ching, please advise regarding human destiny. 

  I received a two Hexagram answer, with the sixth line changing, which means that only the sixth line (9 at the top) the last line of the first Hexagram should be read/considered ( I tried to  underlined it, but it may not arrive that way), for those of you that are familiar with this Oracle, I used Yarrow stock probabilities to arrive at this answer.

  I shall return

  Cheers
  Ted Marchildon





59. Huan / Dispersion [Dissolution]

                above
SUN  THE GENTLE, WIND
                below
K'AN  THE ABYSMAL, WATER

Wind blowing over water disperses it, dissolving it into foam and mist.
This 
suggests that when a man's vital energy is dammed up within him
(indicated 
as a danger by the attribute of the lower trigram), gentleness serves to
break 
up and dissolve the blockage.

        THE
JUDGMENT

        DISPERSION.
Success.
        The king
approaches his temple.
        It
furthers one to cross the great water.
        Perseverance
furthers.

The text of this hexagram resembles that of Ts'ui, GATHERING TOGETHER 
(45). In the latter, the subject is the bringing
together of elements that have 
been separated, as water collects in lakes upon the earth. Here the
subject is 
the dispersing and dissolving of divisive egotism. DISPERSION shows the 
way, so to speak, that leads to gathering together. This explains the
similarity 
of the two texts.
  Religious forces are needed to overcome the egotism that divides
men. The 
common celebration of the great sacrificial feasts and sacred rites,
which gave 
expression simultaneously to the interrelation and social articulation of
the 
family and state, was the means of employed by the great ruler to unite
men. 
The sacred music and the splendor of the ceremonies aroused a strong tide
of 
emotion that was shared by all hearts in unison, and that awakened a 
consciousness of the common origin of all creatures. In this way disunity
was 
overcome and rigidity dissolved. A further means to the same end is co-
operation in great general undertakings that set a high goal for the will
of the 
people; in the common concentration on this goal, all barriers dissolve,
just 
as, when a boat is crossing a great stream, all hands must unite in a
joint task.
  But only a man who is himself free of all selfish ulterior
considerations, and 
who perseveres in justice and steadfastness, is capable of so dissolving
the 
hardness of egotism.

        THE 
IMAGE

        The wind
drives over the water:
        The image
of DISPERSION.
        Thus the
kings of old sacrificed to the Lord
        And built
temples.

In the autumn and winter, water begins to freeze into ice. When the warm 
breezes of spring come, the rigidity is dissolved, and the elements that
have 
been dispersed in ice floes are reunited. It is the same with the minds
of the 
people. Through hardness and selfishness the heart grows rigid, and this 
rigidity leads to separation from all others. Egotism and cupidity
isolate men. 
Therefore the hearts of men must be seized by a devout emotion. They must 
be shaken by a religious awe in face of eternity-stirred with an
intuition of the 
One Creator of all living beings, and united through the strong feeling
of 
fellowship experienced in the ritual of divine worship.

        THE 
LINES

        Six at the
beginning means:
        He brings
help with the strength of a horse.
        Good
fortune.

It is important that disunion should be overcome at the outset, before it
has 
become complete-that the clouds should be dispersed before they have 
brought storm and rain. At such times when hidden divergences in temper 
make themselves felt and lead to mutual misunderstandings we must take 
quick and vigorous action to dissolve the misunderstandings and mutual 
distrust.

        Nine in
the second place means:
        At the
dissolution
        He hurries
to that which supports him.
        Remorse
disappears.

When an individual discovers within himself the beginnings of alienation 
from others, of misanthropy and ill humor, he must set about dissolving 
these obstructions. He must rouse himself inwardly, hasten to that which 
supports him. Such support is never found in hatred, but always in a 
moderate and just judgment of men, linked with good will. If he regains
this 
unobstructed outlook on humanity, while at the same time all saturnine
ill 
humor is dissolved, all occasion for remorse disappears.

        Six in the
third place means:
        He
dissolves his self. No remorse.

Under certain circumstances, a man's work may become so difficult that he 
can no longer think of himself. He must set aside all personal desires
and 
disperse whatever the self gathers about it to serve as a barrier against
others. 
Only on the basis of great renunciation can he obtain the strength for
great 
achievements. By setting his goal in a great task outside himself, he can 
attain this standpoint.

        Six in the
fourth place means:
        He
dissolves his bond with his group.
        Supreme
good fortune.
        Dispersion
leads in turn to accumulation.
        This is
something that ordinary men do not think of.

When we are working at a task that affects the general welfare, we must
leave 
all private friendships out of account. Only by rising above party
interests can 
we achieve something decisive. He who has the courage thus to forego what 
is near wins what is afar. But in order to comprehend this standpoint,
one 
must have a wide view of the interrelationships of life, such as only
unusual 
men attain.

        ° Nine in
the fifth place means:
        His loud
cries are as dissolving as sweat.
        Dissolution!
A king abides without blame.

In times of general dispersion and separation, a great idea provides a
focal 
point for the organization of recovery. Just as an illness reaches its
crisis in a 
dissolving sweat, so a great stimulating idea is a true salvation in
times of 
general deadlock. It gives the people a rallying point-a man in a ruling 
position who can dispel misunderstandings.
        
        Nine at
the top means:
        He
dissolves his blood.
        Departing,
keeping at a distance, going out,
        Is without
blame.

The idea of the dissolving of a man's blood means the dispersion of that 
which might lead to bloodshed and wounds, i.e., avoidance of danger. But 
here the thought is not that a man avoids difficulties for himself alone,
but 
rather that he rescues his kin-helps them to get away before danger
comes, or 
to keep at a distance from an existing danger, or to find a way out of a
danger 
that is already upon them. In this way he does what is right.




29. K'an / The Abysmal (Water)

                above 
K'AN  THE ABYSMAL, WATER
                below 
K'AN  THE ABYSMAL, WATER

This hexagram consists of a doubling of the trigram K'an. It is one of
the 
eight hexagrams in which doubling occurs. The trigram K'an means a 
plunging in. A yang line has plunged in between two yin lines and is
closed 
in by them like water in a ravine. The trigram K'an is also the middle
son. 
The Receptive has obtained the middle line of the Creative, and thus K'an 
develops. As an image it represents water, the water that comes from
above 
and is in motion on earth in streams and rivers, giving rise to all life
on 
earth. 
  In man's world K'an represents the heart, the soul locked up
within the 
body, the principle of light inclosed in the dark--that is, reason. The
name of 
the hexagram, because the trigram is doubled, has the additional meaning, 
"repetition of danger." Thus the hexagram is intended to
designate an 
objective situation to which one must become accustomed, not a subjective 
attitude. For danger due to a subjective attitude means either
foolhardiness 
or guile. Hence too a ravine is used to symbolize danger; it is a
situation in 
which a man is in the same pass as the water in a ravine, and, like the
water, 
he can escape if he behaves correctly.

        THE
JUDGMENT

        The
Abysmal repeated.
        If you are
sincere, you have success in your heart,
        And
whatever you do succeeds.

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.
Thus 
likewise, if one is sincere when confronted with difficulties, the heart
can 
penetrate the meaning of the situation. And once we have gained inner 
mastery of a problem, it will come about naturally that the action we
take will 
succeed. In danger all that counts is really carrying out all that has to
be done-
-thoroughness--and going forward, in order not to perish through tarrying
in 
the danger.
  Properly used, danger can have an important meaning as a
protective 
measure. Thus heaven has its perilous height protecting it against every 
attempt at invasion, and earth has its mountains and bodies of water, 
separating countries by their dangers. Thus also rulers make use of
danger to 
protect themselves against attacks from without and against turmoil
within.

        THE 
IMAGE

        Water
flows on uninterruptedly and reaches its foal:
        The image
of the Abysmal repeated.
        Thus the
superior man walks in lasting virtue
        And
carries on the business of teaching.

Water reaches its goal by flowing continually. It fills up every
depression 
before it flows on. The superior man follows its example; he is concerned 
that goodness should be an established attribute of character rather than
an 
accidental and isolated occurrence. So likewise in teaching others
everything 
depends on consistency, for it is only through repetition that the pupil
makes 
the material his own.