Mar 07 23
Six of Swords
36. Darkening of the light
46. Pushing Upward
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.)
“A” and “K” ask: How does one continue to believe in her art when there are so many reasons to doubt? How to believe in the work — that it will go places and enrich?
Does one make art for certainty? Is art something? It seems, that “art” if anything at all, is a process. Sure there are tangible videos or sculptures or paintings, exhibited at certain times for more or less money — but the reason for makingis to conceive, to think, and to feel one’s inner and outer worlds, no? And that’s not an undertaking stable in any real way — so wide and variagated is every moment. Its not a process of surety, it is perhaps a process of learning to love the process of the world.
It is soooo perfect that #46 came up as your “advice” hexagram — as there is really no better guidance for the sincere, creative person: “Adapting itself to obstacles and bending around them, wood in the earth grows upward without haste and without rest. Thus too the superior person is devoted in character and never pauses in their progress.”
… love, without haste and without rest… love, without haste and without rest… love, without haste and without rest… love, without haste and without rest… love, without haste and without rest… love, without haste and without rest…
Complete Reading
This week we pulled the Six of Swords. The suit of swords in tarot deal with our conscious mental powers, like reason and logic. Sixes in tarot, indicate transitions, primarily those going from conflict or chaos to balance and harmony. So in combination, we have something like a conflict or conception that is in a state of transformation. It is wise to remember, that transitions are not breaks or rests, but journeys, that will cause additional new details.
Our first hexagram this week is #36, Darkening of the Light. “In a time of darkness it is essential to be cautious and reserved.” Darkness, because it is a situation inherently lacking clarity and detail, should foster caution — that is, it would be best to wait for more favorable circumstances to perform any important actions. As well, know that this is not a permanent situation. So, in this interim period, don’t reveal, or introduce, rather, bide your time whilst being “outwardly yielding and tractable.” There were two changes this week, of which the specific notes are: it is a time of difficulty due to the failure of a grandiose goal (there will be much misunderstanding from family and close associates) also, in times of darkness it is best to follow one’s duties (as opposed to being improvisational with topical matters).
Our second hexagram, the one that suggests how best to meet the challenges (or the changes) is #46, Pushing Upward. Along with hexagram #1 (which is the supreme statement of the I Ching) and hexagram #42, which contains the maxim: “to rule truly is to serve,” #46 is the most meaningful to us at Cargo. It contains the dictum: “wood in the earth grows upward without haste and without rest.” The full quote is: “Adapting itself to obstacles and bending around them, wood in the earth grows upward without haste and without rest. Thus too the superior person is devoted in character and never pauses in their progress.” The hexagram’s whole text is about proper, healthy, and durable growth — and beautifully it states that this type of flourishing “is made possible not by violence but by modesty and adaptability.”
- a conflict or conception is in a state of transformation
- times of transition are not breaks or rests
- there is a situation where knowledge of detail is lacking, be cautious
- it is a time of difficulty due to the failure of a grandiose goal
- there will be much misunderstanding from family and close associates as regards your goals and prospects
- keeping in mind the above notions, keep it simple
- without violence, but with modesty and adaptability, make progress without haste and without rest
“A” and “K” ask: How does one continue to believe in her art when there are so many reasons to doubt? How to believe in the work — that it will go places and enrich?
Does one make art for certainty? Is art something? It seems, that “art” if anything at all, is a process. Sure there are tangible videos or sculptures or paintings, exhibited at certain times for more or less money — but the reason for makingis to conceive, to think, and to feel one’s inner and outer worlds, no? And that’s not an undertaking stable in any real way — so wide and variagated is every moment. Its not a process of surety, it is perhaps a process of learning to love the process of the world.
It is soooo perfect that #46 came up as your “advice” hexagram — as there is really no better guidance for the sincere, creative person: “Adapting itself to obstacles and bending around them, wood in the earth grows upward without haste and without rest. Thus too the superior person is devoted in character and never pauses in their progress.”
… love, without haste and without rest… love, without haste and without rest… love, without haste and without rest… love, without haste and without rest… love, without haste and without rest… love, without haste and without rest…
Complete Reading
This week we pulled the Six of Swords. The suit of swords in tarot deal with our conscious mental powers, like reason and logic. Sixes in tarot, indicate transitions, primarily those going from conflict or chaos to balance and harmony. So in combination, we have something like a conflict or conception that is in a state of transformation. It is wise to remember, that transitions are not breaks or rests, but journeys, that will cause additional new details.
Our first hexagram this week is #36, Darkening of the Light. “In a time of darkness it is essential to be cautious and reserved.” Darkness, because it is a situation inherently lacking clarity and detail, should foster caution — that is, it would be best to wait for more favorable circumstances to perform any important actions. As well, know that this is not a permanent situation. So, in this interim period, don’t reveal, or introduce, rather, bide your time whilst being “outwardly yielding and tractable.” There were two changes this week, of which the specific notes are: it is a time of difficulty due to the failure of a grandiose goal (there will be much misunderstanding from family and close associates) also, in times of darkness it is best to follow one’s duties (as opposed to being improvisational with topical matters).
Our second hexagram, the one that suggests how best to meet the challenges (or the changes) is #46, Pushing Upward. Along with hexagram #1 (which is the supreme statement of the I Ching) and hexagram #42, which contains the maxim: “to rule truly is to serve,” #46 is the most meaningful to us at Cargo. It contains the dictum: “wood in the earth grows upward without haste and without rest.” The full quote is: “Adapting itself to obstacles and bending around them, wood in the earth grows upward without haste and without rest. Thus too the superior person is devoted in character and never pauses in their progress.” The hexagram’s whole text is about proper, healthy, and durable growth — and beautifully it states that this type of flourishing “is made possible not by violence but by modesty and adaptability.”