Sep 08 26
Justice
23. Splitting apart
42. Increase
42. Increase
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 “J.P.L.”: Suicide is ever present to me. Thoughts? Note: My feeling for suicide is something like mercy (finally) — but it is obviously also transcendentally selfish — and possibly not as “final” as I might think (being that we humans know almost nothing about what things actually are and what is actually happening, death or otherwise).
Oracle reply: There is no way to remove, or lessen, forces that are more powerful than you. You cannot (really) alter the past. You cannot physically overcome a flood. You cannot understand what the mind is not capable of understanding. We humans are often mere corks bouncing around rough seas.
This is not debatable.
However, there is advice here, and it is clear: wait it out. Wait what out?! Life [or what we call “life” — which is certainly a transcendental continuation (and needs no dogmatic embroidering)]. All things change; so when opportunities arise, in the waiting, like a simple good mood, or some sort of clear path, take deep advantage of them — do not be casual about how you treat your opportunities.
That is what the to lead is to serve means— waiting is leading/serving in this context — you must help yourself to edit the data of life with dignity and modesty (no dramatics simply to feel something).
If all this is too unclear; feel free to ask a followup question. We’re ready.
Complete Reading:
This week we pulled Justice. “The sense of the world must lie outside the world. In the world everything is as it is, and everything happens as it does; in it no value exists — and if it did exist, it would have no value.” We understand that this quote might seem dense for a card who’s meaning should be straightforward. All we can say is that human justice is downstream from what might be called general justice — and it would not be great to conflate them. What happens is what happens, we are barred from meaning, justice for a human then has something to do with acceptance and the dignity therein.
Our first hexagram this week is #23, Splitting apart. “This pictures a time when inferior people are pushing forward and are about to crowd out the few remaining strong and superior people. Under these circumstances, which are due to the time, it is not favorable for superior people to undertake anything.” The tone here is that certain bad times are unavoidable; when darkness truly can’t be helped, it is recommended to remain quiet and inwardly devotional to all that brings peace and dignity. To wait for a time of action. In general, that is, experiencing the regularity of unavoidably bad times, one can make preparations — it is wise to be one who doesn’t act proud and narcisstic but lives for self and other’s dignity. Living like this lessens the severity of inevitable bad times, and promotes more dignity in the middle and long term.
There were two changes this week of which the specific notes are: in some dark times there is nothing to do but wait... Also, knowing the order of things can help with depression.
Our second hexagram is #42, Increase. Here we have the clearest advice to increase the strength of the group and then the self. To strengthen/nurture a group of people (a team, a country, a family, etc.) all one really need know is this: “to rule truly is to serve.” As for strengthening/improving oneself, the counsel is equally clear and plain: “When a person discovers good in others, they should imitate it… if a person perceives something bad in themself, let them rid themself of it… these ethical changes represent the most important increases to personality.” That’s it.
- Justice is acceptance; acceptance of (non-human) forces wildly more powerful than oneself.
- “Bad times” are best seen as times of preparation.
- To lead is to serve.
- Modesty and dignity over all else.
- “When a person discovers good in others, they should imitate it… if a person perceives something bad in themself, let them rid themself of it.”
- Understanding one’s place in the order of things can help with depression.
Question from “J.P.L.”: Suicide is ever present to me. Thoughts? Note: My feeling for suicide is something like mercy (finally) — but it is obviously also transcendentally selfish — and possibly not as “final” as I might think (being that we humans know almost nothing about what things actually are and what is actually happening, death or otherwise).
Oracle reply: There is no way to remove, or lessen, forces that are more powerful than you. You cannot (really) alter the past. You cannot physically overcome a flood. You cannot understand what the mind is not capable of understanding. We humans are often mere corks bouncing around rough seas.
This is not debatable.
However, there is advice here, and it is clear: wait it out. Wait what out?! Life [or what we call “life” — which is certainly a transcendental continuation (and needs no dogmatic embroidering)]. All things change; so when opportunities arise, in the waiting, like a simple good mood, or some sort of clear path, take deep advantage of them — do not be casual about how you treat your opportunities.
That is what the to lead is to serve means— waiting is leading/serving in this context — you must help yourself to edit the data of life with dignity and modesty (no dramatics simply to feel something).
If all this is too unclear; feel free to ask a followup question. We’re ready.
Complete Reading:
This week we pulled Justice. “The sense of the world must lie outside the world. In the world everything is as it is, and everything happens as it does; in it no value exists — and if it did exist, it would have no value.” We understand that this quote might seem dense for a card who’s meaning should be straightforward. All we can say is that human justice is downstream from what might be called general justice — and it would not be great to conflate them. What happens is what happens, we are barred from meaning, justice for a human then has something to do with acceptance and the dignity therein.
Our first hexagram this week is #23, Splitting apart. “This pictures a time when inferior people are pushing forward and are about to crowd out the few remaining strong and superior people. Under these circumstances, which are due to the time, it is not favorable for superior people to undertake anything.” The tone here is that certain bad times are unavoidable; when darkness truly can’t be helped, it is recommended to remain quiet and inwardly devotional to all that brings peace and dignity. To wait for a time of action. In general, that is, experiencing the regularity of unavoidably bad times, one can make preparations — it is wise to be one who doesn’t act proud and narcisstic but lives for self and other’s dignity. Living like this lessens the severity of inevitable bad times, and promotes more dignity in the middle and long term.
There were two changes this week of which the specific notes are: in some dark times there is nothing to do but wait... Also, knowing the order of things can help with depression.
Our second hexagram is #42, Increase. Here we have the clearest advice to increase the strength of the group and then the self. To strengthen/nurture a group of people (a team, a country, a family, etc.) all one really need know is this: “to rule truly is to serve.” As for strengthening/improving oneself, the counsel is equally clear and plain: “When a person discovers good in others, they should imitate it… if a person perceives something bad in themself, let them rid themself of it… these ethical changes represent the most important increases to personality.” That’s it.