Step by step

An annual reading, this time: the first thing Maria does on her birthday is to sit down and ask to be shown a reading for the coming year. Here's hers for 2023-24: Hexagram 36, Brightness Hiding, with no changing lines. Since this was an unchanging reading, we had the time and space to explore some of the hexagram's 'relations': its inverse and contrast, 35, Advancing - and its complement or opposite - the hexagram where every line is different - 6, Arguing: And not least, its hidden core, the nuclear hexagram, 40: ...which seemed to open everything out for her. https://livingchange.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/episode47.mp3

In this episode, Katarina and I discuss her reading about moving to a new part of the country - Hexagram 7, the Army, changing at line 2 to 2, Earth: changing to As we talk about her plans, you can hear the qualities of the hexagrams - that meeting of organised focus with openness to guidance that's found in the moving line, where the general must stay on the alert for new orders... 'Positioned in the centre of the army.Good fortune, no mistake.The king issues a mandate three times.' If you'd like to learn to read the I Ching for other people, the Reading for Others Class starts in September. Booking isn't open yet, but if you're interested, please make sure your name and email is on the notifications list so I can let you know! You'll find the sign-up form and all the details here.

A reading where we already knew the outcome - which really gives us a chance to learn from it! The reading's about a family argument, and pausing to find a new way to respond, and the advice was Hexagram 5, Waiting, changing at lines 2 and 3 to 3, Sprouting: changing to I hope you enjoy this one - and to benefit from the I Ching Community's shared hindsight, do join WikiWing!

Episode 44 of the I Ching with Clarity podcast is about an artist getting started with showing her art, one step at a time - Hexagram 46, Pushing Upward, changing to the Repeating Chasms of Hexagram 29, which made their presence felt as an emotional background. changing to I hope you enjoy this one! (There's a last-minute update right at the end.) If you'd like to discuss a reading of your own on the podcast, you can book a slot here.

A new listener's reading for this podcast episode: 'What to expect in this relationship?' And Yi's answer - changing to Hexagram 41, Decreasing, changing to 26, Great Tending (or Taming or Nurturing...), with changing line 3: 'Three people walking,Hence decreased by one person.One person walking,Hence gains a friend.' Hexagram 41, line 3 Who are the people walking, and what could this be about? (If you'd like some more listening/reading, here's an earlier episode that also started with Hexagram 41, and here's a post about how mountain works as outer trigram.)

Question: "What advice can be offered for more effectively providing meditative peace and healing through playing Shakuhachi flute music?" Answer: Great Vigour in Flow. changing to A Yeeky thing I mentioned during this reading: the idea of a dabagua, or 'big trigram' hexagram. If you take the trigram dui, lake... ...and double each of its lines individually, in turn - from yang, yang, yin to yang+yang, yang+yang, yin+yin - then you have Hexagram 34: In each hexagram formed this way - I mentioned this once before when I was writing about Hexagram 33 - it can help to think of it as a 'giant trigram' - and a giant lake seemed especially apt for a musician. You can find Ron's music at https://www.bracalemusic.com.

Question: 'What do I need to know as I prepare to finish this book and send it out into the world?' Answer: Hexagram 2, Earth, changing at lines 4 and 6 to 35, Advancing: changing to As Kat and I discussed this one in this latest podcast episode, we mentioned... The glorious Hyperbole and a Half 35 as relating hexagram Why dragons fight in Hexagram 2 line 6 ...and also the ancient form of a couple of words from the text: shi, 'power', as in the Image of Hexagram 2 - 'Power of the land: Earth.A noble one, with generous character, carries all the beings.' - has two components: 'strength', and this one, which is purely phonetic, showing a human figure about to plant a seedling: From Chinese etymology And then we also talked about yu, 'praise' - you can see early forms of that one here. Enjoy the episode! (And if you'd like to share a reading of your own on a future episode, you can book a reading here.)

This episode of the podcast could also be entitled 'light dawns in the end,' as it took a while for me to join all the dots between the querent's situation and the reading. It's a great example of how Yi talks to the whole person, though, as well as answering the question. Mukul asked, 'What would be a good next step towards getting a new source of regular income?' and Yi answered with Hexagram 13, People in Harmony, changing at line 5 to Hexagram 30, Clarity: changing to

The listener's reading for this episode has an unusual premise: Beebee was trying to work out why what she was trying to manifest in her life wasn't happening. Where was the block? She asked, "What actions are needed from me in order to achieve my desires?" And Yi responded with Hexagram 29, the Repeating Chasms, changing at lines 2, 3 and 6 to 53, Gradual Progress: changing to Not an easy one to hear...

A new podcast reading: how to find more fulfillment in life? Not (in this reading) by doing stuff - more by feeling your way deeply into experience. The answer was Hexagram 57, changing at lines 2 and 3 to 20, Seeing: changing to I quoted from LiSe Heyboer's page on Hexagram 57 during this one (because I love it). You can read the whole thing here.