Apr 25 23
Ace of Swords
38. Opposition
58. The Joyous, Lake
These first few lines are the general aphoristic returns for the week. They are raw and uninterpreted; there to use how you’d like. (The specific readings follow.)
From “R.L.” (Ralph Lauren!?): I’m currently struggling to find energy and momentum after my 9to5 to build a portfolio and finally move from my current job to start working on what I love. It’s pretty difficult. How can I find balance between delivering what I’m being paid for and developing extra juice to keep pushing through the rest of the day? Thanks.
If you are a young or young-ish artist “balance” may not be the right mode for overcoming obstacles.
There are a lot of illusions proffered about balance.
An example, often reading is encouraged if you want to be a good writer or an informed theorist. Simultaneously, people will frequently encourage one to be balanced in their pursuits. But… real reading, if nothing else, takes A LOT of time and A LOT of time to process those ideas. A good reader/writer/theorist is often out of balance with a lot in their life. (We are not saying that is necessarily a good thing, but a likely reality.)
Being an artist is something like engaging a medium, utilizing a talent, and struggling to give form to intellect or what might be called beauty, yes? Being a “successful artist” combines all that and being in control of your image and having good social/business instincts. That is a tall order.
Simply, it sounds like you need more time to do your art; obviously that takes more money. And you can’t work less and make more… so… maybe you are going to have to find an alternative source of income. There’s no shame in needing other people — we’re not talking about using other people (that is gross) — but maybe you know someone that can support your art practice a bit? Maybe form an alliance with other like-minded artists?
As said, perhaps “balance” is not the mode of the artist? Perhaps commitment is the mode of the artist?
You’ll have to decide whether to proceed with caution or without caution. ♥️
Complete Reading
This week we pulled the Ace of Swords. The suit of Swords relates to the intellect and reason (as opposed to say intuition). Aces indicate a potential state. So in combination, the Ace of Swords is a call-out, or is an opportunity, to predict the path of one’s reason and intellect. If a situation seems to need a critical, fine-toothed logic, get started, however if it seems that overthinking will only deform a scenario needing more flow, try to relax. Speculate the path of your logic and act accordingly!
Our first hexagram this week is #38, Opposition. “Opposition appears as an obstruction, but when it represents polarity within a comprehensive whole, it also has useful and important functions.” Opposing forces, when felt locally (small scale) often produce feelings of strife, but when looked at broadly, oppositions can be seen as absolutely foundational to life and universe. It is recommended then that one avoid the “baseness and vulgarity” of arguing or communing with purely topical concerns and “preserve your individuality.” There were two changes this week, of which the specific notes are: people of great value are often estranged in societies — if you find one “work with them” also, sometimes initial tensions caused by a misunderstanding can result in powerful friendships, as both sides share a kind of intimate education.
Our second hexagram, the one that suggests how best to meet the challenges (or the changes) is #58, The Joyous, Lake. Herein a few thoughts on “joy”:
- Develop a consistent, sincere and open relationship with yourself — risking triteness, do everything you can not to willingly lie to yourself (conscious lying to yourself degrades your abilities and verve over time).
- Joy is needed in life — for it to survive long term though, it must have healthy limits (intuited though these limitersmay need be).
- Speculate the path of your logic (its benefits and its biases) then act accordingly.
- Try to see opposing tensions in a favorable light; this is helped by taking a broader and more long term view.
From “R.L.” (Ralph Lauren!?): I’m currently struggling to find energy and momentum after my 9to5 to build a portfolio and finally move from my current job to start working on what I love. It’s pretty difficult. How can I find balance between delivering what I’m being paid for and developing extra juice to keep pushing through the rest of the day? Thanks.
If you are a young or young-ish artist “balance” may not be the right mode for overcoming obstacles.
There are a lot of illusions proffered about balance.
An example, often reading is encouraged if you want to be a good writer or an informed theorist. Simultaneously, people will frequently encourage one to be balanced in their pursuits. But… real reading, if nothing else, takes A LOT of time and A LOT of time to process those ideas. A good reader/writer/theorist is often out of balance with a lot in their life. (We are not saying that is necessarily a good thing, but a likely reality.)
Being an artist is something like engaging a medium, utilizing a talent, and struggling to give form to intellect or what might be called beauty, yes? Being a “successful artist” combines all that and being in control of your image and having good social/business instincts. That is a tall order.
Simply, it sounds like you need more time to do your art; obviously that takes more money. And you can’t work less and make more… so… maybe you are going to have to find an alternative source of income. There’s no shame in needing other people — we’re not talking about using other people (that is gross) — but maybe you know someone that can support your art practice a bit? Maybe form an alliance with other like-minded artists?
As said, perhaps “balance” is not the mode of the artist? Perhaps commitment is the mode of the artist?
You’ll have to decide whether to proceed with caution or without caution. ♥️
Complete Reading
This week we pulled the Ace of Swords. The suit of Swords relates to the intellect and reason (as opposed to say intuition). Aces indicate a potential state. So in combination, the Ace of Swords is a call-out, or is an opportunity, to predict the path of one’s reason and intellect. If a situation seems to need a critical, fine-toothed logic, get started, however if it seems that overthinking will only deform a scenario needing more flow, try to relax. Speculate the path of your logic and act accordingly!
Our first hexagram this week is #38, Opposition. “Opposition appears as an obstruction, but when it represents polarity within a comprehensive whole, it also has useful and important functions.” Opposing forces, when felt locally (small scale) often produce feelings of strife, but when looked at broadly, oppositions can be seen as absolutely foundational to life and universe. It is recommended then that one avoid the “baseness and vulgarity” of arguing or communing with purely topical concerns and “preserve your individuality.” There were two changes this week, of which the specific notes are: people of great value are often estranged in societies — if you find one “work with them” also, sometimes initial tensions caused by a misunderstanding can result in powerful friendships, as both sides share a kind of intimate education.
Our second hexagram, the one that suggests how best to meet the challenges (or the changes) is #58, The Joyous, Lake. Herein a few thoughts on “joy”:
- Joy comes from having a consistently sincere and open relationship with oneself in order to have a mellifluous relationship with the world. “True joy… therefore, rests on firmness and strength within, manifesting itself outwardly as yielding and gentle.”
- Joy must not be overdone. “The joyous mood is infectious… but joy must be based on steadfastness if it is not to degenerate into uncontrolled mirth.”
- Joy, to be durable over the long term must be stimulated by the opinions of respected friends/partners. “Only through stimulating intercourse with congenial friends with whom one holds discussion and practices application of the truths of life. In this way learning becomes many–sided and takes on a cheerful lightness, whereas there is always something ponderous and one–sided about the learning of the self–taught.”