Psychic Readings from The
Psychic Internet often feature images drawn from the
I Ching Oracle. To offer supplementary
information about these images for our clients,
and for the public, we have provided this archive
of brief articles.
For general information on
the I Ching Oracle, click here.
The
abstract images of the I Ching Oracle (usually
called "hexagrams") symbolize all of
the related and interacting aspects of reality.
In the following excerpts from actual Psychic
Readings, the image of The Creative is discussed.
Click here for links to all
of the images.
Difficulty at the Beginning
It is
worth pointing out that Difficulty at the
Beginning is associated with birth, and in this
way also evokes the sense of deliverance, for
every birth is a delivery. We want, in this
connection, to endorse your willingness to seek
counseling in therapy. The age-old Judgment
associated with the image of Difficulty at the
Beginning says, "Difficulty at the Beginning
works supreme success, furthering through
perseverance. Nothing should be undertaken. It
furthers one to appoint helpers." Difficulty
at the Beginning is the third in the sequence of
64 images that make up this collection,
immediately following upon the images of Heaven
and Earth (The Creative and The Receptive). As
Confucius said about Difficulty at the Beginning,
"After heaven and earth have come into
existence, individual beings develop." Thus,
Difficulty at the Beginning was associated with
birth, and the "helpers" were sometimes
described as midwives, for an ancient verse said
in connection with this image, "the birth is
difficult."
The
idea of birth is significantly echoed for us in
the image of the Page of Cups, which we have
drawn for you from our Tarot Oracle. With all of
these portents of birth, it may be well for you
to consider childbirth itself to be part of the
potential of the moment. But, our sense of your
situation indicates that the term, birth, here
refers more to the changes that are coming about
in your person and spirit as a result of the
happenings that you described in your Reading
Request.
The
essential message associated with the image of
Difficulty at the Beginning may be summed up in
the words of the so-called Image text, associated
with the image from ancient times. It says,
"Difficulty at the Beginning. Thus the
superior person bring order out of
confusion." We may have mentioned in our
previous Reading for you that Deliverance is an
image that is constructed out of the subsidiary
images of thunder and rain. This is true of
Difficulty at the Beginning as well. Imagine,
then, all of the confusion of a terrific storm,
when thunder and rain terrify and bewilder.
Clearly, this a perfect metaphorical description
of what is happening in your life at this moment
as you described it.
Thunder
awakens. At the risk of taking a tangent, I once
witnessed a Guatemalan Indian woman take a still
born puppy and place it under a large metal
bucket. She commenced to pound on that bucket
with all her might, like a drum, and when she
lifted the bucket, the little puppy was alive and
breathing. So, realize that all of these shocking
events that have transpired recently in your life
have a great and momentous purpose, and it is a
life-giving purpose, full of wonderful prospects
for the future.
One of
the verses that is highlighted specifically for
you by today's Reading from the image of
Difficulty at the Beginning says the following.
"Difficulties in blessing. A little
perseverance brings good fortune. Great
perseverance brings misfortune." It may be
best to interpret this message for you in terms
of the traditional Chinese predilection for the
so-called "Middle Way." Moderation of
judgment is what is called for in your situation
AT THIS MOMENT. All the various threads in this
confused situation have yet to be woven into a
comprehensible fabric. Remember, the image of
Difficulty at the Beginning is associated with
the idea of birth. Well, this is the nature of
all times of birth. The confusion is not
something to fight or rebel against. It is
something to be understood as a transitory
condition. Anyone who drives through a storm,
when visibility is low, is asking for trouble.
Why not wait a little while? It is better to sit
out the storm until visibility improves enough to
move forward with confidence. This is the most
important part of our message for you today. It
is a cautionary message about postponing
decisions.
A
great commentator on the verse, Richard Wilhelm,
says, "It is only through faithful and
conscientious work, unobtrusively carried on,
that the situation gradually clears up and the
hindrance disappears."
Another
verse highlighted specifically for you by today's
Reading says, "Hesitation and hindrance. It
furthers one to remain persevering. It furthers
one to appoint helpers." This amplifies on
what has been said above, and also expresses the
dilemma that you face as you proceed forward on
your path. It is the perfect description of you
at this time, from a subjective point of view.
Richard Wilhelm says of this verse: "If a
person encounters a hindrance at the beginning of
an enterprise, he must not try to force advance
but must pause and take thought."
More on Difficulty at the Beginning
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