Union and Misunderstandings

In the last post it was related that a relationship with a significant other is not unsimilar to a relationship with our own Higher Self or the I Ching, and pretty much the Higher Self and the I Ching are the same thing. The I Ching is merely the medium the higher self uses to communicate with us. Pretty much the same principles apply. Therefore, in our approach to the I Ching, we are really approaching a deeper aspect of our own being, and as such are having a relationship with that deeper aspect. Often in our relationships, misunderstandings are created because non of us see the world through the same eyes, or have the same understandings of given things. We become all too often like "the teamhorse that goes astray." If we really care about our relationships however, we attempt to look beyond the misunderstandings and find a common ground for attempting reconciliation. Sometimes differences are irreconcilable of course, at least with a significant other, not with our higher self. Nevertheless, it is often possible to maintain a relationship if things have not become too poisoned. In order for things not to become too poisoned, it is essential that we look at the world through other lenses, and not  just our own. It is imperative that we gain a broader view of the world so that we can see someone else's point of view. We do not want to see the world through "the crack of the door" as it is said in hexagram twenty line two. We must have a broader view. In the same way, it is necessary to gain a broader view of ourselves, and of our relationships with the world. In fact, by "Observing," in hexagram twenty, we come to understand things we would not otherwise understand. And the "commands" (directives) of our higher self and how to relate to it become more clear.

Sometimes it is simply not possible in our present state of development to find a way to reconcile, but our Higher Self can clear up the differences in its own way, if we are "receptive" (hexagram two) to the impulses that can be received from the Higher Self. This situation is depicted in hexagram thirty eight line two. Here it says, "One meets his lord in a narrow street." This meeting may be "accidental" by our standards, but by the standards of the Higher Self it is not. For it is the Higher Self that plans out our "accidental meetings," which refers to a place where we come face to face with a truth in such a way that we cannot deny it or lie to ourselves. We will be forced to look in the mirror to see ourselves the way we really are no longer with self deception. The meeting can be startling. We meet in "a narrow street" where we cannot get away from the truth of the matter. This can be arranged by the "Higher Self" as well for situations which are fated or destined for us, or for relationships that were intended for us. We come face to face with the reality of the situation as unpleasant as that might be, and we cannot get around it because the "street is too narrow" to allow for escape. This may be very uncomfortable but it is not a bad thing, for therein do we learn who we really are. And relationships are often a necessity for us to see a mirror image of oneself, and come to terms with the reality of our condition. Then as in hexagram twenty line five and six we come to contemplate our life and find where we have failed and where we have succeeded, and the reason for each.

Often, as in line six of hexagram thirty eight, we see our companions, (including our Higher Self) "As a pig covered with dirt. As a wagon full of devils." We are ready to fight. But in time, thanks often to the meddling of the Higher Self, to "meeting our Lord in a narrow street." we come to realize that the partner comes with good intentions. We have the same problem in hexagram thirteen line three where we "hide weapons in the thicket." There is always a tendency within ourselves to project onto others the faults that we ourselves are burdened with. However, as in line four of hexagram thirteen, "he climbs up upon the wall, (where he has a better view) and realizes that either "he cannot attack" or that there is no need to attack, and reconciliation draws nearer. It is important that we try our best to reconcile with those we can reconcile with, and infinitely more important that we reconcile with our own Higher Self, and in the same way, with the same meaning, the I Ching.