I was recently contacted by Judy, who for many years has taught Qigong in high-security prisons. Now she’s starting to do the same with the I Ching, and she got in touch with me for help. I’ve been able to provide her with some materials and suggestions, and if you scroll down her ‘about’ page, you’ll find a list of ways you can help on the left. Have a look at her ‘From misunderstanding to possession in great measure’ entry, too.
Thanks Hilary,
I haven’t spent much time on my blog since my trip, my computer time has been swallowed up in photos…
Yes… I would like to ask for help understanding the reading we got yesterday…It was the inauguration of our I-Ching Study group…I arrived at the prison chapel with a cart of translations and commentaries, plans for meditations, discussions on helpers and asking questions.
I had gotten a “feel good” reading of 30 changing to 27 the night before as I ask about my own preparation for class.
Plans rarely manifest as planned in the prison. I was not allowed to call in my class due to what the guard tower decided was conflicting religious services in the chapel at the same time, despite the fact that I had the Inman’s encouragement and support. The Inman was going to take the discussion up a level at his chaplains meeting that afternoon and if that gave no result he wanted me to go to the Warden.
Three of us were in the chapel anyway and began without the others. Our meditation time was cut off as others needed to use the phone in our room, A man (a student who was interested in I-Ching) who had been in the “hole” for a year and a half saw me and wanted my attention. Still we persevered and offered up our intentions, prayerfully opened to this ancient source of support, and learned of each others beliefs. Caught unawares of the time and closeness of the end of our class, I abruptly had us shift from talking to asking a question and doing a reading. We asked the I-Ching to “guide us in our initiation of this group.” We got 63 changing with the 5th line to 36.
We had to officially end class after a quick look at Wilhelm, but two of us were able to sit with the other books while we waited (an hour and a half) for the other students to be released for my moving meditation (QiGong) class.
It was hard for us to understand the relationship between our initial class and the Completion energy of 63. We could hear the warnings of the watching the boiling water carefully and keeping our activities modest and quiet (underground) (36). Keep your wits about you.
Prison is such a hyper vigilant place, and so full of fundamentalists of all faiths. The guards quickly link QiGong or anything Chinese with martial arts and “The Art of War”.
Searching for what I wanted to hear … “good start, pay attention, small offering accepted, take care of details, keep quiet”. I don’t think I should be barging into the wardens office.
So now I am sitting mostly with uncertainly which Anthony says is the problem. When I arrived home my Al Huang’s translation had arrived. Now I understand your recommendations, what compliments! Still its not an easy reading for us to understand.
I would be grateful for comments from anyone with insight.
Hi Judy,
Thanks for sharing this here where all can see. 🙂
The ‘completion’ energy of Hexagram 63 is tempered by the words,
‘…Beginnings, good fortune.
Completion, disorder.’
There’s more than one way to translate this, of course, but I see it as a warning against losing momentum. When your mindset is one of beginning, starting something new, with all the clarity (30!) and enthusiasm that comes with this, you do well. If you imagined you’d ‘arrived’ and rested on your laurels, you’d lose the path and it’d all fall apart.
In other words – you’ve crossed one great big river in deciding to do this and getting it underway. On the other side of this river, ‘already across’, you arrive at your first class – and find this was actually the beginning of the journey. Just as you said, the key is staying awake: you have things in place and working here, and this is a delicate balance, it won’t just run itself.
I don’t think there’s anything here you hadn’t already understood.
Agreed, Hexagram 36 does not mark a good time for barging into the warden’s office.
‘Brightness enters the earth’s centre. Brightness hidden.
Thus the noble one, overseeing the crowds, uses darkness and light.’
You can exercise your own discretion in how you represent your class. You don’t have to broadcast the whole truth to everyone all the time. More important to keep the light shining than to have everyone recognise it.
As for the moving line –
‘The Eastern people slaughter an ox.
This is not the way of the Western people’s sincere Spring offering.
Genuinely accepting their blessing.’
I think this is blessing and reassurance for you. You don’t have to do anything spectacular for which you don’t have the resources. No need for 30 minutes of meditative silence, incense and yarrow stalks. Perhaps no need for a tremendously sophisticated syllabus that wrings out every last drop of interpretive wisdom, either. People, oracle, reading, the experience of connection. Anything else is optional paraphernalia.