Dec 17 24
The Empress
48. The Well
44. Coming to Meet
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 “M.S.”: From our (of course) specific vantage it seems there are two overwhelmingly dominant factors that have informed the current moment (over the past five or so years) — Covid/quarantine and the very recent (almost complete) adoption of corporate, predictive algorithms. (This is not meant as a statement of wow-ish revelation; likely common enough.)
It seems, Covid/quarantine made all comfortable with living through laptops/phones and working in isolation. Whereas the corporate predictive algorithms seem to be doing nothing short of creating a system of total dependence (absolute Munchausen by Proxy) — a la Bezos’ actualizing dream of transcendental AI logistics, Zuckerberg’s carefully regulated empire of social discontent, Google/Mohan’s world of fear-tainment, and most recently ChatGPT’s unctuous ability to bestow false/distorted intelligence (and confidence) onto its users (“I knew I was smart, but I didn’t know I was this smart...”) — these being some chief layers/players.
Since narcissism and fear have almost completely metastasized within the body-politic, how does one restore a fractured family, team or self to a more realistic, subtle, restrained, un-corporately-networked/informed and loving relation? Should it be by nothing short of a complete recapitulation of purpose of self/group? Or, is the situation just so far gone (and legion) that one should just let go and disappear into one’s own project(s) and turn their back to the world (collaborating in a like for-hire/mercenary way)?
The effects of Covid/quarantine, and these truly selfish platforms/“layers”/environments that you detail, are definitely overwhelming — and yes, “legion.” But if people didn’t fight against (what they perceive as) massive wrongs, even when doing so is at brutal odds with the status quo (all that is accepted and popular the world) — the world would be an absolute garbage heap — it may be a somewhat horrible place, but it is not an absolutely horrible place, for this reason.
Get yourself sorted (relatively speaking) that is, try not to be pretentious and presumptuous yourself. Then, address/lead/co-lead your family and your team(s) forwards with modesty and humbleness — but, with every ounce of focus, love, acumen and energy you have.
Complete Reading
This week we pulled The Empress. Here we have the fecund and healthy effects of spiritual understanding — not spiritual understanding itself; the harvest, not the sun. What you seek, will not be about the reward at the end of a journey (at all cost) but by being in accord with the processes/rhythms around you.
Our first hexagram this week is 48, The Well. The need for a well (a deep, endless source of water) is the same for all people. This general understanding should be the basis for working together as a group and concurrently learning to be a functional individual. As well, (no pun intended) the “depth” aspect of the “well metaphor” should not be ignored — if one doesn’t pursue the profounder depths one will “remain fixed in convention.”
There were two changes this week of which the specific note is: sometimes in the short term one must work on getting their own situation in order before lending a helping hand.
Our second hexagram or how best to meet the changes is #44, Coming to Meet. The coming together of big energies (of large groups of people, etc.) is important to get right — though, of course, rivers and mountains can be conquered, it can also bring ruinous warfare. It is hoped then, that the merging of massive elements be unpretentious and without presumptuousness. On a more local level, it is easy to be tricked by underhanded offers as they usual bait with something one wants. A good defense against being undermined by bad mergers (or a good way to insure proper mergers) is to not have ulterior motives yourself.
- Start planning for the next harvest.
- If there is a way out of a difficult situation it is by shrewdly working with the parameters/rhythms of one’s environment first — as opposed to immediately (and ultimately wastefully) trying to bust boundaries towards a non-existent utopia.
- Simultaneously address problems/difficulties with some convention and some experimental curiosity; never simply with one or the other.
- Sometimes it is important to get your own situation in order (relatively speaking) before lending a helping hand — just don’t take forever.
- If desiring healthy mergers (working on a team, etc.) do your best to constantly eschew your own pretense and presumptuousness.
From “M.S.”: From our (of course) specific vantage it seems there are two overwhelmingly dominant factors that have informed the current moment (over the past five or so years) — Covid/quarantine and the very recent (almost complete) adoption of corporate, predictive algorithms. (This is not meant as a statement of wow-ish revelation; likely common enough.)
It seems, Covid/quarantine made all comfortable with living through laptops/phones and working in isolation. Whereas the corporate predictive algorithms seem to be doing nothing short of creating a system of total dependence (absolute Munchausen by Proxy) — a la Bezos’ actualizing dream of transcendental AI logistics, Zuckerberg’s carefully regulated empire of social discontent, Google/Mohan’s world of fear-tainment, and most recently ChatGPT’s unctuous ability to bestow false/distorted intelligence (and confidence) onto its users (“I knew I was smart, but I didn’t know I was this smart...”) — these being some chief layers/players.
Since narcissism and fear have almost completely metastasized within the body-politic, how does one restore a fractured family, team or self to a more realistic, subtle, restrained, un-corporately-networked/informed and loving relation? Should it be by nothing short of a complete recapitulation of purpose of self/group? Or, is the situation just so far gone (and legion) that one should just let go and disappear into one’s own project(s) and turn their back to the world (collaborating in a like for-hire/mercenary way)?
The effects of Covid/quarantine, and these truly selfish platforms/“layers”/environments that you detail, are definitely overwhelming — and yes, “legion.” But if people didn’t fight against (what they perceive as) massive wrongs, even when doing so is at brutal odds with the status quo (all that is accepted and popular the world) — the world would be an absolute garbage heap — it may be a somewhat horrible place, but it is not an absolutely horrible place, for this reason.
Get yourself sorted (relatively speaking) that is, try not to be pretentious and presumptuous yourself. Then, address/lead/co-lead your family and your team(s) forwards with modesty and humbleness — but, with every ounce of focus, love, acumen and energy you have.
This week we pulled The Empress. Here we have the fecund and healthy effects of spiritual understanding — not spiritual understanding itself; the harvest, not the sun. What you seek, will not be about the reward at the end of a journey (at all cost) but by being in accord with the processes/rhythms around you.
Our first hexagram this week is 48, The Well. The need for a well (a deep, endless source of water) is the same for all people. This general understanding should be the basis for working together as a group and concurrently learning to be a functional individual. As well, (no pun intended) the “depth” aspect of the “well metaphor” should not be ignored — if one doesn’t pursue the profounder depths one will “remain fixed in convention.”
There were two changes this week of which the specific note is: sometimes in the short term one must work on getting their own situation in order before lending a helping hand.
Our second hexagram or how best to meet the changes is #44, Coming to Meet. The coming together of big energies (of large groups of people, etc.) is important to get right — though, of course, rivers and mountains can be conquered, it can also bring ruinous warfare. It is hoped then, that the merging of massive elements be unpretentious and without presumptuousness. On a more local level, it is easy to be tricked by underhanded offers as they usual bait with something one wants. A good defense against being undermined by bad mergers (or a good way to insure proper mergers) is to not have ulterior motives yourself.