Oct 07 25
King of Swords
33. Retreat
35. Progress
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.)
Question from “R.G.B.”: The following is a kind of analog, followed by a related question... The frenzied pain of a person amidst a horrible accident (like a compound fracture, or some such vital hysteria) is in a very different frame of mind from the person who fixes such problems (a doctor or whatever). The latter needs to be calm — understanding their own position AND the position of the pained subject (a broad inclusive view) AND needs to have been even-tempered enough to put up with years of stressful training/education — the former is mostly (and understandably) narcissistic (having a very narrow view). The question: how do we keep ourself and others to realize that current moments are temporary, horrific as they may be — that hysterical alarm is not all that is (all is subject to change) — AND THEN how do we develop respect, care and praise for those that are calm enough, and experienced/educated enough to bring us out of all consuming painful presentness?
Oracle reply: Here we have Retreat and Progress under the serious eye of justice — diplomacy... A professional caretaker or healer knows that it is no good battling the wounded. They understand that aggressively confronting those in the painful (even if indulgent) throws of mania would only inflame things further. There is no reasoning with the unreasonable directly, only the execution of good diplomatic training. If you want to be an influence on others to be more calm, caring, broader-viewed, and mindful, you will have to embody those qualities yourself.
Vault diplomacy (chic, sophisticated, brave, loving compromise) above all else.
Complete Reading:
This week we pulled the King of Swords. Here, judgment and justice backed by true penalty and consequence. The appearance of this card should straighten one’s back and push one to take seriously the advice that is coming from within or without. There will be repercussions.
Our first hexagram this week is #33, Retreat. “Conditions are such that the hostile forces favored by the time are advancing.” Dark periods such as this, are obviously not of great outward (or forward) advancement — but can lead to powerful understanding(s). Healthy retreat is one of the greatest skills to possess. Perseverance, in one direction, at any cost, does not guarantee an outcome — and certainly you must know a limitation before you can transcend it. So yes, if success is not an option, persisting would be a loss. So it is wise to take oneself out of the equation — to wait for a more favorable time, to recalibrate, to train or to prepare oneself for another attempt. Appropriate retreating is strength. Also, “the superior person shows strength in that they bring the inferior person to a standstill, by dignified reserve.”
There were two changes of which the specific notes are: often retreating is messy, but once understood the situation to get out of trouble must be followed through — accept the messiness and the retreat with TOTAL commitment.
Our second hexagram, the one that suggests how best to meet the challenges (or the changes) is #35, Progress. In short, “the superior person brightens their bright virtue.” In detail, “the light of the sun as it rises over the earth is by nature clear. The higher the sun rises, the more it emerges from the dark mists, spreading the pristine purity of its rays over an ever widening area. The real nature of humanity is likewise originally good, but it becomes clouded by contact with earthly things and therefore needs purification before it can shine forth in its native clarity.” Do not be cynical; if you do something virtuous do it in the open air and stay there. The light of good work is not an avatar so as the true body can return to the dark to do dark things. A good work should be accompanied by those that did it — ultimately to learn how to successfully stay/live in the bright part of the work (which is not easy).
- There will be repercussions.
- Advance and retreat require full commitment — both can be messy and confusing. However, it can seem more confusing when a retreat becomes muddled — fight through this. A poorly executed retreat can be really disastrous.
- Vault diplomacy (chic, sophisticated, brave, loving compromise) above all else.
Question from “R.G.B.”: The following is a kind of analog, followed by a related question... The frenzied pain of a person amidst a horrible accident (like a compound fracture, or some such vital hysteria) is in a very different frame of mind from the person who fixes such problems (a doctor or whatever). The latter needs to be calm — understanding their own position AND the position of the pained subject (a broad inclusive view) AND needs to have been even-tempered enough to put up with years of stressful training/education — the former is mostly (and understandably) narcissistic (having a very narrow view). The question: how do we keep ourself and others to realize that current moments are temporary, horrific as they may be — that hysterical alarm is not all that is (all is subject to change) — AND THEN how do we develop respect, care and praise for those that are calm enough, and experienced/educated enough to bring us out of all consuming painful presentness?
Oracle reply: Here we have Retreat and Progress under the serious eye of justice — diplomacy... A professional caretaker or healer knows that it is no good battling the wounded. They understand that aggressively confronting those in the painful (even if indulgent) throws of mania would only inflame things further. There is no reasoning with the unreasonable directly, only the execution of good diplomatic training. If you want to be an influence on others to be more calm, caring, broader-viewed, and mindful, you will have to embody those qualities yourself.
Vault diplomacy (chic, sophisticated, brave, loving compromise) above all else.
Complete Reading:
This week we pulled the King of Swords. Here, judgment and justice backed by true penalty and consequence. The appearance of this card should straighten one’s back and push one to take seriously the advice that is coming from within or without. There will be repercussions.
Our first hexagram this week is #33, Retreat. “Conditions are such that the hostile forces favored by the time are advancing.” Dark periods such as this, are obviously not of great outward (or forward) advancement — but can lead to powerful understanding(s). Healthy retreat is one of the greatest skills to possess. Perseverance, in one direction, at any cost, does not guarantee an outcome — and certainly you must know a limitation before you can transcend it. So yes, if success is not an option, persisting would be a loss. So it is wise to take oneself out of the equation — to wait for a more favorable time, to recalibrate, to train or to prepare oneself for another attempt. Appropriate retreating is strength. Also, “the superior person shows strength in that they bring the inferior person to a standstill, by dignified reserve.”
There were two changes of which the specific notes are: often retreating is messy, but once understood the situation to get out of trouble must be followed through — accept the messiness and the retreat with TOTAL commitment.
Our second hexagram, the one that suggests how best to meet the challenges (or the changes) is #35, Progress. In short, “the superior person brightens their bright virtue.” In detail, “the light of the sun as it rises over the earth is by nature clear. The higher the sun rises, the more it emerges from the dark mists, spreading the pristine purity of its rays over an ever widening area. The real nature of humanity is likewise originally good, but it becomes clouded by contact with earthly things and therefore needs purification before it can shine forth in its native clarity.” Do not be cynical; if you do something virtuous do it in the open air and stay there. The light of good work is not an avatar so as the true body can return to the dark to do dark things. A good work should be accompanied by those that did it — ultimately to learn how to successfully stay/live in the bright part of the work (which is not easy).