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I Ching

Another thought on Hexagram 14

The name of Hexagram 14 is Great Possession, and the character for ‘possessing’ also means ‘offering’ – suggesting that the two ideas are not so far apart as they might seem.

Interpreting this one, I’m often reminded of Molière’s play, The Miser. (Or was this in Plautus’s original, The Pot of Gold?) The miser has kept a pot of gold buried in his garden for years, sneaking off to gloat over it when no-one’s looking. Of course one day someone is looking, and the hoard is stolen, and he bewails his fate. Some witty character offers the consolation that he still has a dank hole in the ground to gaze down, so what has he really lost?

Back to basics

I write a lot about trying to recover the original meanings of some of the I Ching’s key phrases. Which may be of academic interest, but why bother with China circa 1000BC when asking about Western life in 2005 AD?

Well, not to get to the One True Authentic Original Oracle. That doesn’t exist, and any claims otherwise deserve short shrift. No – it’s about trying for an imaginative grasp on the ideas and interrelationships in the old text.

The Useless Tree: Friday I Ching Blogging: Reversal of Verdict on June 4th Massacre?

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Webinars or teleseminars?

Which is a better format for I Ching gatherings – online, or over the phone? I’ve just set up a quick poll – please give me your advice on this!

I Ching Community: 2.6, dueling dragons

I Ching Community Discussion Forum: 2.6 dueling dragons A great thread on hexagram 2, line 6: ‘Dragons battling in the fields, Their blood indigo and gold.’

Update from Brad

Brad Hatcher writes: ‘Hi everybody- I’m announcing some more updates at www.hermetica.info Section C, the Translation /Commentary has been completely updated, thanks to one of our list members, who donated his sharp eye and lots of time to produce a 12 page list of typos and recommendations. Sorry to anyone… Read more »Update from Brad