An Available Man

Well, this post may not be exactly what it sounds like, but there is a connection. A play on words, there, connection, because as I have so often harped on, there is the need for a connection with a "superior man," in other words, with the higher self. Hexagram forty nine line two discusses this a bit. The commentary says, "There must be available a man who has the requisite abilities and who possesses public confidence." In receiving this line we must again determine who the speaker is, and then the subject. If the subject is we ourselves, then we are being described as the person who can bring order out of chaos; the one who "creates the new conditions, forms the revolution." Otherwise we are looking for someone we can follow who will do this for us, whom we can support. We find many hexagrams that describe to us the rules of following and leading. It is a main characteristic of the book.

In relationships we must find our place and how we interact with our partner. Do we want to be a leader? Or do we want to follow our partner's lead? If we are not a leader, will we lose the respect of our partner? Remember as in the last post, that hexagram eight teaches us that people have a natural desire to unite. But we must discover within ourselves whether it is our place to lead or to follow. If we are to follow have we found the right leader? If in our relationships we have a tendency to follow, is it the right person to lead us? All of these questions must be answered and we must discover our place in the whole.

But there is a case here where the higher self is the speaker, and it is speaking to us of itself. The commentary says, "To such a man we may well turn." In the same way, it is well that we turn to the I Ching, which is synonymous with the 'higher self." When we turn to the I Ching we are to get proper guidance. Whether we understand it or not is another thing, and the more we use it, the more we are likely to "properly divide the word." We are going to make mistakes. The I Ching cannot give us a point by point exact description of the actions we need to take. We need to divinely intuit it and work with it. When the I Ching says we must take action, we should take action, but the question is, What action? That we can only learn with experience. The I Ching is not a cure all for the average person. Only the "superior person" is able to consult the I Ching and get valuable, understandable information from it; and to do that we must first have "the proper inner attitude toward the new condition," (from the commentary on forty nine two). The text says, "To such a man we may well turn." To so many, it would never cross their mind to think that the I Ching would ever speak of itself. For them the idea of a real intelligence behind the I Ching is preposterous. Yet in every line, we hear it speaking of itself. And in terms of relationships, the exact same principles apply in a relationship with another as does a relationship with the I Ching itself. But, as the commentary says, "We have to go out and meet it, as it were. Only in this way can it be prepared for." In this way, we practice chariot driving daily.

There are only a few people that read these posts, but those that do, I think, are blessed, not because I am so great, but that they are willing to move up to the next spiritual level. If we can get this spiritual understanding, that there truly is a subconscious intelligence behind the I Ching, and that it is the force of the I Ching, the value, and that we should treat it with respect, then we can gain a wisdom far above those of the everyday crowd. Our lives will be blessed. We can see within its pages, truly the words of the "superior person," and be intrigued by the personalness of the message presented to us, so that we can grow in our daily lives. Most people do not want this, do not see this, or see any need for it, they simply call out for temporary answers in their anguish, never knowing that their anguish comes from an inner emptiness, not an outer unfairness, but my readers know, and are much happier as a consequence of understanding this. As the commentary says, "To such a man, we may well turn."