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 images of the I Ching
are discussed.
Click here for links to all
of the images.
Influence
In this
week's Reading, through the image of Influence,
one sees the coming together of two people, or
entities, or more generally speaking, the coming
together of any two sources of energy and action.
This is expressed in the Judgment, where the
oracle says, “Influence. Success.
Perseverance furthers. To take a maiden to wife
brings good fortune.” But, in the context of
this Reading, one could say that the image as a
whole describes the conditions under which it is
right and proper for a man to take a maiden to
wife. In fact, in the translation that we find in
the Tao of Organization, the oracle says,
“Sensing [i.e. Influence] is beneficial if
correct.”
This is a
big IF. And, to clarify the matter at hand, in
the verse that is highlighted specifically for
you by today’s Reading from the image of
Influence, the oracle says, “The influence
shows itself in the calves of the legs.
Misfortune. Tarrying brings good fortune.”
As Richard Wilhelm says of this verse,
“Since the movement is not self-governed, it
bodes ill. One should wait quietly until one is
impelled to action by a real influence. Then one
remains uninjured.” And Confucius said of
this verse, “Even though misfortune
threatens, tarrying brings good fortune. One does
not come to harm through devotion.”
Let me
quote rather extensively from the Tao of
Organization on this point. “When people are
sensitive to each other, then they have a way to
reach their goals. When leaders and officials are
sensitive to each other, then their proper course
of action comes through. When superiors and
subordinates are sensitive to each other, then
they are successful in their aims. When family,
relatives, and friends are all emotionally and
intellectually sensitive to each other, they get
along well and are successful. Everything works
this way, so in sensing there is reason for
success. It is beneficial if correct because in
the course of mutual sensitivity, such as the
effect of people or things upon each other, any
benefit lies in correctness. If it is not done
correctly, then it leads to evil. Examples of
incorrect sensing are when people marry through
lust, when officials flatter and cajole their
leaders, and when there are malignant prejudices
in the relationships between superiors and
subordinates. These are all cases of people
moving each other, but it is not done correctly.
If you do not keep to the Way and await the
summons from above, this is like the calf moving
on its own, meaning to act wrongly in haste,
losing oneself. That is why it bodes ill. If one
in this position stays put and does not move,
awaiting the summons from above, then one has
found the right way to advance and withdraw. This
bodes well. To stay put bodes well., because if
one remains in one’s place and does not move
by oneself, that will lead to good results.”
There is
also an echo in the response of our I Ching
Oracle to what was said above with regard to
approaching power from a position of weakness. In
the second verse that is highlighted specifically
for you by today’s Reading from the image of
Influence, the oracle says, “Perseverance
brings good fortune. Remorse disappears. If a man
is agitated in mind, and his thoughts go hither
and thither, only those friends on whom he fixes
his conscious thoughts will follow.” This is
a very intriguing idea. It implies that
willfulness in the expression of, or the seeking
of, an association can result in a
short-circuiting of the natural processes that
bring together mutually beneficent influences.
Confucius said something remarkable in this
respect, with regard to this verse. He said,
“What need has nature of thought and care?
In nature all things return to their common
source and are distributed along different paths;
through one action, the fruits of a hundred
thoughts are realized. What need has nature of
thought, of care?” This reminds us of the
sermon that Jesus delivered on the subject of the
lilies of the field. But rather than referring
you to it, I think that under the circumstances
it will be better to quote again from our Tao of
Organization.
It says:
“The Way of correct sensing is all-pervasive
– if there is any private entanglement, that
adversely affects the power of sensitivity, that
will lead to regret. Sages sense and move the
hearts of all people, just as cold and heat and
rain and sun reach everywhere and respond
everywhere. This too is just a matter of
correctness. Correctness means being empty within
and having no ego. If you come and go with
unsettled mind, friends follow your thoughts. If
you are true and single-minded, then the feeling
you will convey will reach everywhere. If you
come and go with an uneasy mind, using your
personal feelings to influence others, then those
touched by your thoughts will be moved, while
those who are not touched will not be moved. That
means that it is your friends who will follow
your thoughts. If you move people with personal
attitudes, what they sense will be narrow. There
is only one truth; though the roads may be
different, the goal is the same, and though there
may be many plans, the aim is the same. Though
people are different and things change, take them
in as one and you cannot go wrong. Therefore if
you make your intent correct, then it will be
sensed by everyone in the world. Enlightened
people plunge their minds into subtle principles
and enter into spiritual wonders. This is how
they bring about their function. When what you do
is in accord with truth, your affairs are in
order and you are personally at rest. This is
what sages do.”
When the
oracle advises perseverance in its Judgment for
Influence, it tells you that the moment for
decisive action has NOT YET arrived. It tells you
to keep following your path. In the sincerity of
your purpose, your influence is spreading
invisibly far and wide. You success does NOT
depend on any single individual or entity. The
influence that you have already sown in the world
is much more far-reaching than that narrow focus
of intent. Perseverance means NOT giving up, and
NOT giving in. In this regard, one of the verses
from the Judgment associated with the image of
The Well is worth meditating on: it says,
“If one goes down almost to the water and
the rope does not go all the way, or the jug
breaks, it brings misfortune.” The danger in
your situation arises from one thing alone: a
failure of perseverance.
There may
be ways in which you can restructure an
association between yourself and the person in
question. We do NOT see him in a negative light
in today’s Reading. However, as things will
stand during the week ahead, the influence will
NOT be correct, and moving forward on that basis
will NOT be wise. Be cautious, then, and remember
the words of the verse, “Tarrying bring good
fortune.”
More on Influence
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