Hexagram 46 Pushing Upward

Buddha

My consultation today focused on overcoming obstacles.  Often, as you will find with other readings referencing similar lessons, the Universe (Sage) teaches us in many different ways about the battle of ego dominance vs. Higher Self guidance.

Lessons designed to get your attention are sometimes humbling and even shocking when one is not receiving the message. When I  imply “shocking” I mean, “I have tried every other way to reach you now you leave me no choice but to hit you over the head with this very important lesson”!      LISTEN and comply.

The ego is very sophisticated at mimicking the voice of the Higher Self, causing us to seek change through aggressive action.    How often in your life has aggressive action healed a difficult problem or helped you overcome a challenging obstacle?  How do we train our minds to discern between the persuasive voice of ego vs. the higher self or voice of the Sage?  A good start is to get to know your mind and how it works through regular, routine meditation practice. Mantra meditation is often a good start toward clearing the mind of negative thought patterns, limiting beliefs, and cognitive ruts.  It is advisable to seek a qualified meditation instructor prior to utilizing any form of spiritual meditation.

It is an important foundational tenet (teaching) of Buddhism and/or the Practice of Yoga that our mind is the universal ordering principle. What does this mean? Your mind or thought patterns and or lack thereof form your perception of the external world.  Your inner world reflects the outer world.  Clear mind, clarity in the external world.  Does this mean a life free of suffering or free of the causes of suffering? No.  Our inner clarity allows us to negotiate life’s inherent difficulties with greater awareness. It provides us with the best tool to abide in the world with equanimity and humility.

Recitation of the Guru Rinpoche mantra is a good start.

Hexagram 46 is a favorable opportunity to practice proper humility, conscientiousness, and adaptability principles.

It is a time when great progress can be made through the effort of will. However, all your activities must be characterized by humility, conscientiousness, and adaptability.   Progress as a tree does, bending around obstacles rather than confronting them, pushing steadily but gently.

There is nothing to be feared by others now.  Feel free to ask for help from those who are in a position to give help. Be neither subservient nor forceful with those you encounter; meet everyone with tolerance and gentle goodwill. Those who look for the good in others will find it there.

I have included (below) an excerpt from the Pathfinder website for Hexagram 46:

“The model of the moment: A major ( and perhaps unexpected ) move may be in the offing. However, be wary of accepting posts that demand more skill than you possess. The course is usually recommended for such times: You may need the help of a superior to achieve your goals, child, but you have a good chance of receiving it. Your success will continue if you remain diligent in your efforts and modest in your claims and proposals”.

The first line counsels what a universal lesson of the Oracle is:  As above, so below. The confidence needed to push upward is found in our egos and our relationship with the Sage.

This Hexagram changes to Hexagram 11 (Peace) with line one changing.

Heaven exists on earth for those who maintain correct thoughts and actions.

This hexagram signifies a time similar to spring, with a strong energy flow. Harmony and prosperity are the rewards of correctly balancing their higher and lower natures.  By remaining aware of our inferior self while ensuring that the superior self governs our conduct, we arrive at a state of peace.

Again the advice of Seeing yourself as a young tree now.   The ground around you is fertile; sun, water, and wind are plentiful.  You can reach great heights by maintaining your focus on moving upward toward light, clarity, and purity.  If you become entangled in inferior things, you will not enjoy the full benefit of this gracious hour. Stay balanced, innocent, and correct, and good fortune is assured.

James Dekorne’s website  Gnostic book of changes insight into Hexagram 11 is very helpful.

COMMENTARY

Confucius/Legge: Harmony shows the union of heaven and earth, and all things consequently united — high and low, superior and inferior are all in accord. The lower trigram is made up of dynamic lines, and the upper of magnetic lines: strength is within, devotion is without; the superior man is inside and increasing, and the inferior man is outside and decreasing.

Legge: The Judgment refers to the hexagram’s structure, with the three dynamic lines below and the three magnetic lines above. The former is “the great,” active and vigorous; the latter is “the inferior,” passive and yielding. In many editions of the I Ching, beneath the hexagram of Harmony, there appears hexagram number fifty-four, Propriety, which becomes Harmony if the third and fourth lines exchange places. A situation in which the motive forces are represented by three dynamic, and the opposing by three magnetic lines, must be progressive and successful. Harmony is called the hexagram of the first month of the natural spring when for six months the forces of growth are in ascendance.

Canon McClatchie translates: “The Image means that heaven and earth have now conjugal intercourse with each other, and the upper and lower classes unite together.”

Ch’eng-Tzu says in the Image that a ruler should frame his laws to operate like the seasons so that the people exist within the structure of a natural rather than an arbitrary order.

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