“Hi Hilary

Your Christmas I Ching reading is one I heartily agree with.

Not so long ago I was studying the temptations of Jesus (Matthew’s Gospel) and recognised that the three matched 3 areas of need in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The hierarchy has six levels of need building from the basic up to the 6th just like the building of a hexagram. To cut the story short, I worked at this using my background in Christian Theology and found that when I had finished I had built the hexagram 11.

The temptations tested Jesus on basic needs (line 1) and safety and security (line 2) and actualisation (line 5). You’ll already know about line 2 and 5 as rulers of the hexagram.

I noticed also that Jesus response matched the TAO of the changing line of that temptation.

When I read in Karcher’s I Ching - The Classic Chinese Oracle of Change 2002; Vega I was astounded at the complete description.

Hexagram is about heaven and earth coming together.

In the lower temptations, Jesus refers to Heaven as his source matching the yang nature of the lines and resisting change to yin which would have taken him on the tao of those changing hexagrams.

In the Actualisation temptation, when asked to bow down and worship the evil one (dark force etc.) he is open (as in yin) to heaven’s establishment and does not bow down and worship satan (as that would have involved him being in a yang change of outward expression towards satan instead of an inner openness and humility towards heaven = yin).

To me hexagram 11 encapsulates the Gospel in terms of the kingdom of God and Jesus as coming prince. Couldn’t think of a closer archetype.

Hope this makes sense to you. I am very pleased at you sharing your findings on Hexagram 11 in relation to such. It was a surprise as I have not shared with anyone else my findings on Hex 11 re. the kingdom of God and the Gospel.

All well to you!

John Turton”

and a follow-up explaining more about the Maslow hierarchy:

“Hi Hilary

There was something I forgot to tell you and I only thought of it AFTER I’d replied and share my experience of Hexagram 11. You mentioned that you got hexagram 60 as the transforming hexagram, now bearing in mind that you were asking about the nativity this is very important.

In the Book of Colossians the Apostle Paul explains that Jesus “emptied himself” and took on our limitations, e.g. became human just like us. I.e. to become human he “limited” himself. Which also supports the life lived as one where he was as open to temptation and the potential of choosing incorrectly as any other human being was. The remarkable outcome is that he did not choose incorrectly even to the point of resisting his natural human instinct for survival to offer himself (as Karcher’s description of Hexagram 11 says) as the prince on the sacred hill.

So that’s my extra note on #60 as the transforming hexagram from within the context of my training in theology.

Maslow’s 6 line hierarchy (for a general counselling help: Try using yin — – to represent needs satisfied and yang —– as needs not satisfied and you will have a rule of thumb to generate a hexagram map of most general situations where you feel hard pressed or a bit upset. You interpret the context in which you are upset using the hexagram as a filter to see through. If you want to include changing lines then use changing yin to represent where your needs are not going to be met but not quite yet; use changing yang to represent where your needs are going to be met but not quite yet.)

6 Spirituality - Meta needs
5 Actualisation needs
4 Self-Worth or Self-Acceptance needs

3 Love and Belonging
2. Safety and Security
1 Basic Needs

You’ll see that lines 3 and 5 which were changing in the hexagram given to you by the Sage to depict #60 were the areas of actualisation (or purpose fulfilled) linked with Love and Belonging manifesting as his limiting himself to come as the redeeming prince.

I don’t expect everyone to jump in on this or get excited or necessarily agree, but the structure of the hexagram follows the historical account given in the Gospels. For me? Quite interesting and helpful!”

Happy belated holidays and new year!

This is an incredible reading; very inspiring. It’s very in sync with where I am at as the goddess. I will continue to mull it over as I haven’t been studying the iching.

Thank you.
And wishing you many blessings.
Lynett Durgin

P.S. Find a concordance, and locate “silver,” “gold,” and “precious” gems (or jewels, can’t recall exactly right now) in one of Paul’s epistles, then compare that to the description of the bride in Revelation 21, and look up the white garment of the bride near the end of Revelation.