My personal ‘hexagram for the week’: 23, unchanging.
Eek.
Not so long ago, this wouldn’t have bothered me in the least. I know many people are nervous of the ‘bad’ hexagrams and anticipate disasters whenever they receive hexagrams 23, 44 or 12 (the three most often labelled as ‘bad’). I’ve never believed in this easy categorisation. The hexagrams describe a process; we, according to our particular attitude to that process, decide whether the experience is ‘bad’ or ‘good’.
Hexagram 44 is an obvious case in point: the arrival of a strong, alluring energy, one that’s liable to turn your regular way of living upside down. For a lot of people, a lot of the time, this is distressing, something they would try to withstand in order to stay on an even keel. For an artist awaiting inspiration, the ‘powerful woman’ could be the Muse.
And Hexagram 23? Something is stripped away. Generally something old, ‘rotten’ according to the Zagua, no longer viable. The experience doesn’t have to be so bad, does it, if you can let whatever-it-is go? The Image makes it clear that Stripping Away can happen peacefully:
‘Mountain rests on the earth. Stripping Away.
With generosity from above, creating tranquil places below.’
Erosion, a constant natural process, creating fertile valleys where people can build homes.
All this is still true, but the last time I received Hexagram 23 unchanging, was just over a year ago, when I had asked how best to help Mum. She died a few days later.
It was a beautiful reading for me at the time, a true help. It freed me from mental ‘planning’ clutter and let me simply be present. But it does make it a little harder to be philosophical about Hexagram 23 unchanging – in fact (euphemisms apart), when I first saw it I felt afraid. My weekly reading is generally a pattern to look out for and something to live by. How to process this one?
Well, if further inspiration strikes I’ll post it. So far I’ve got as far as affirming to myself that I’m glad to let go of whatever isn’t vital and viable in my life. (Which includes a wardrobe-full of clothes that, unaccountably, still haven’t expanded to fit me.) And I also found myself with a Vaughan Williams song going round in my head, the one that sets these words:
“The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve;
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.”
 ~~~~
Update the next day…
I tackled that wardrobe-full of clothes, and found myself sorting the unwanted ones into two stacks: those I’ve worn into holes, and those still fit for a charity shop to resell. Of course, this time last year I spent a couple of days sorting all Mum’s clothes in exactly the same way. So this was a small reminder of how one hexagram’s patterns of experience can show up on all kinds of different scales.
One I-Ching translation deals with static hexagrams, the R.L. Wing I-ching. Can’t quite remember if it was his workbook or the “Illustrated I-Ching.” He always has a paragraph on how to take it with no changing lines.
I don’t have a current e-mail address but I do check your site regularly.
It’s better to have some sort of question as a starting point when you cast a hexagram, I discovered. Cheers, John
Hi John,
Thank you – always good to know someone is reading. 🙂
RL Wing says for 23 unchanging,
“When Deterioration is received without changing lines, it implies a situation for which there is little hope. It is not in your control, and therefore your interests are not considered. Reaffirm and support your position by being benevolent towards others. If there is a way out, it lies in a submissive attitude.”
Hm… it seems to me that some of this would sometimes be accurate if you were asking the oracle for a prediction, but it doesn’t contribute so much when you ask for advice.
About questions – I’m all in favour of clear, specific questions. But on occasion, the best of these is, ‘What should I be attuned to now?’ or ‘How should I be?’ I find that this way I can allow Yi to point my attention in a good, fruitful direction. It’s my way of setting aside my personal agenda for a few minutes at least, and showing a willingness to see what’s there to be seen.
Well I tried that once, asking “What’s going on?” and the answer was fairly clear but without specifics it’s hard to get a handle on the answer’s meaning.
It may be answering another, more pressing question while also indirectly answering the original question. It’s more polite that way.
Also, I find it helpful not to ask too many questions but to be more sparing.
We don’t want to bother them too much. Cheers, John
The Art of Mercaptan
Sometime ago, whilst camping on the Scottish highlands I had a most unusual dream which I recorded at the time, and now see as very much related to hexagram 23.
In the dream I was in the presence of a man whom, from previous dream appearances, I knew to be some kind of a teacher. In this particular dream, this man was telling me about the importance of being able to recognise the true essence of things, and of being able to differentiate that essence from that which merely adorns it. He started the lesson by showing me a painted portrait of a man’s face. He said: “Within the complexity of this painting, there are only two or three lines which hold the essence of this face.†He then started, as if by magic, to erase one by one, all the painting’s lines until only two were left. He then said: “there!! That is the essence of this face; the rest is unimportant, just mere adornment. “I’ll show you with another example!†We then heard a full and vibrant orchestra playing a most beautiful and haunting piece of music. He said: “Just as with the painting, only a few notes hold the essence of the whole. To show you, this time we will instead just take away those few notes so that we can hear how the rest sounds without them.†Suddenly, the beauty of the melody turned into a most dissonant and unrecognisable sound. He then said, “See? It is the same with every thing in life.†The dream then came to an end with him saying “that which we have been doing today is what we call MERCAPTAN.” I then awoke with this strange word resonating in my mind. A word I had never heard before nor could associate with anything. I quickly wrote it down on a scrap of paper. I few days later, upon arriving home, I took my Oxford dictionary wondering in disbelief whether there could be an entry for ‘Mercaptan’. To my surprise there it was. Oddly enough the definition was first given in Latin: Mercaptan: ‘Mercurium Captans’ (capturing mercury). Further reading, revealed that in modern chemistry Mercaptan refers to a group of chemical compounds which have a strong affinity for mercury. Nothing particularly revealing there. However, following a hunch I had, I soon found myself browsing and reading, for the first time in my life, historical accounts on medieval alchemy. I soon learned however, that in its most mystical and esoterical rendering the alchemical quest to turn base metals into gold constituted a metaphor for the spiritual transformation of man. I found that one of the central themes to European, Indian and Chinese alchemy was the belief that, as a symbol, mercury constituted an essence permeating all matter, and that which made the process of transformation possible. So there you go: Stripping away= Mercaptan.
Capturing the essence that makes change possible. It makes all kinds of sense – there’s a fine line, responding to Hexagram 23, between dread and anticipation. When I’m made lighter by all the stuff that is in-essential, what will I become aware of, and where might it go in all that cleared space?
Thank you for sharing that remarkable dream. The Highlands would be the perfect place to dream it.
Why is Hexagram 44 perceived as one of the ‘bad’ Hexagrams? This is one which comes up for me quite frequently and I must admit I have very little understanding of its true meaning. I have even experienced all 6 lines changing so goodness only knows what that represents! Now I feel quite nervous!!
Basically – I think – because it means the arrival of something unpredictable, out of our control, and way outside the comfort zone. We tend not enjoy this kind of thing (!), and so we label it as ‘bad’.
So where Yi simply talks about a ‘strong woman’ who’s not to be married (or literally not to be ‘taken’), you get commentary talking about subversive influence, insidious seduction, harmless-looking evils, etc, etc. For a more interesting view, have a look at LiSe’s page on hexagram 44.
Thanks for pointing me in the direction of an alternative description of Hexagram 44 – the interpretations are all so different depending on the individual authors!
I think it means an aggressive woman who goes after a guy she likes. I’ve gotten it in static form and with changing lines more than once yet I haven’t met her yet. Ha!
It also has the idea of predestined elements being joined together, as long as it’s a feminine element and not an actual woman. It can also mean a bad influence worming its way in which must be stopped. Like a slithery snake coming out of the woodwork.
The I-ching translation by Huang doesn’t see anything wrong with the woman approaching the man for sex. He also has the interpretation of a queen meeting the king with her lady-in-waiting.
John
Thanks for this John – the question was relating to my ex husband so your interpretation of a bad influence worming its way in certainly makes sense!
This was very funny and comforting. You are a good writer and I would love to read more. Very touching.
hi,
I got a hex 23 for my relation with my lady love…very painful with line 3 moving ..
but may be yi is helping me by saying –get ready she is gonna leave soon…
thanks for sharing your insight
viky
Well, line 3 speaks of stripping away that is not a mistake – a loss that actually leaves you stronger and more solid in yourself. I had this one over Christmas, a time when much of what I’m used to and comfortable with is ‘stripped away’ to make room for family and their needs. It can feel like discovering a lower centre of gravity, hence becoming more balanced.
Maybe she will leave, maybe old features of the relationship will be stripped away – but it’s still not a mistake.
Inspired by Mauricio`s comment “The art of Mercaptan” on hex.23
Since the word “man” (noun coming from ancient Sanskrit word “Manu”, related with the first man on Earth – meaning a matter with the spirit, with the discerning qualities – “manas” – mind, “buddhi”- higher intelligence) represents the spirit closed in the matter; in order the matter (material, form, earth, shape, mother that gives body, lunar quality of change, birth and death) gains the qualities of gold – which refers to Aurum – the only element that doesn`t change and is not submitted to oxidation and decay, representing the human ‘aura’ the golden arc above saint`s head – ALCHEMY is needed! Esoteric meaning of the alchemy is the process where the finite, the framed, the changing and mortal becomes the infinite, unchanging – eternal; where the ore, the mineral is transformed to something with solar qualities – gold. What is the character of this process? The ore has to be submitted to highest warmth, in order to melt and split-apart from the attachment to the other substances that don`t have the golden, unchanging qualities. It`s like going to the dentist, or chirurgic operation – it hurts, but you are free of the painful part that was not useful any more. What the Mercury, or the ‘Mercaptan’ has with it? The Mercury or Hermes is referred in mythology and astrology as the one ruling the mind. He has wings on his legs and can reach the heavens and the earth, going everywhere – he is exchanging information and goods – he is the cosmic merc-ator. He is the key (the mind). If we turn it (the key) toward material, changing and decaying things – he is leading to limitation – death. We are locked. If we turn it towards the spiritual, infinite things – he leads to the higher realms – liberation. Thus 23 is about separation of the limited in order to reach unlimited. Thank you Mauricio!
Sorry for my English, I hope you understand me.
Joty