A Sample Reading for Personal Development

I digress again here for just one day to give an example of a personal reading for spiritual development, since we have discussed that just a little lately anyway. It is important to realize how the lines and hexagrams fit together to make a story. In Carol Anthony's book she states that six hexagrams seem to make a full dialog. Here I only use three. The reading is as follows:

1. Hexagram three line five.

2. Hexagram forty with no changing lines.

3, Hexagram forty one line three.

The Wilhelm/Baynes commentary on hexagram three line five says, "...However, this influence is impaired in several ways." Since we are talking about a reading for development here, we must accept that in every line the I Ching is talking about its relationship to us. So we know that the influence that is impaired is that of the I Ching itself. Since the I Ching is perfect in every way, we must conclude that the problem is inherent in our own being. The lesson that the I Ching is trying to teach us is not being received fully. The message is somehow distorted. When we go into the rest of the reading we can get a clue to the problem.

The next hexagram may clue us into the problem. The commentary in hexagram forty says, "...At such times we must make our way back to ordinary conditions as soon as possible." It is very likely that somewhere along the line we have gotten off the path that is meant for us by being in some way distracted. At these times we must recall our path and return to it. (Hexagram twenty four). It is also possible under such conditions that we have allowed remorse and guilt to set in and are distracted by our own preoccupation with our personal ego problems or feelings of guilt. Therefore we must learn to forgive ourselves for any transgression, including getting distracted and off the path. The image says, "Therefore the superior man pardons mistakes and forgives misdeeds. Here the superior man first refers to the sage, the I Ching itself, and secondly to our own inner selves, who accepts us regardless of circumstances. Finally, hexagram forty teaches us that we must release anything that is not attuned to our highest good. That doesn't mean just bad deeds but even good deeds that keep us locked into an egoistic outlook on life and our nature.

The third hexagram wraps it all up. This is, granted, a very simple and basic reading but it is useful for instruction. The commentary on hexagram forty one line three says, "When there are three people together, jealousy arises. One of them will have to go. A very close bond is possible between only two people. But when one man is lonely, he is certain to find a companion who complements him." The lesson here parallels the lesson that Jesus taught his disciples when he said, "No one can serve two masters..." The I Ching is telling us that our loyalty must be first and foremost to our own spiritual development, Anything else is distracting and needs to be let go of, like the second master or the person or thing interfering with our love for the Sage. In effect, line three is saying, "Whatever is attached to us that is not truly ours must be released, only then can we have fellowship with our true master." The third line in hexagram forty one finds its true correlation with the nine in the sixth line, and lets the others go.

This is very basic but shows how patterns are developed.

Gene