While dining you are the subject of gossip; have no care

Today very little will happen.  You are waiting for things to pick up.  You may dine with friends or family.  You may be the subject of gossip.  However, you have inner strength and it is of no concern to you and, besides, it is of a minor consequence.  This may lead to the conclusion of an affair or business once the waiting has ended.  You are in the right.

Waiting 5, the creative strength within, danger without; the 2nd line changing: waiting in the sand.  You are in a central, strong position so even if there is gossip it does not amount to much. Hexagram 63, After the End, results.

A day to meet a soul mate or reunite with someone distant

Today marks a day that has been a long time in coming.  You could meet a soul mate.  Or you could be reunited with someone from whom you have been separated.  Any sadness you had about this old state of affairs could be ended today.  Whether you meet someone new or re-light an old flame, you could have many happy days together.

Fellowship with men 13, fifth line changing, resulting in 30, Fire or the Clinging.  Fellowship with men suggests success, organizing social relations, and crossing the great water.  Its image is a fire that flames under heaven -- like a camp fire that attracts people to sit near it.  The fifth line belongs with the 2nd line for which it is the perfect mate -- however they were separated by the 3rd and 4th lines, hence the sadness of separation.  The resulting hexagram, 30, Fire or the Clinging, indicates the day following the day in succession.  

Stay home; maybe hide under the blanket, too.

Today would be a good day to stay home.  You might want to hide under the blanket, too. Even if you did these things, you might still have a disaster.  It could even be a personal disaster like a fall or injury.  Look for danger under the bed.  You might be able to forestall bad luck by giving generously to those below -- like the dead ancestors: light a candle for them, give them something to drink, maybe share some of your food with them -- ask for their help -- they might be able to give it if you give something to them.  The result is progress -- perhaps a quickly passing storm brings a beautiful day in its wake.

Hexagram 23, Splitting Apart: Misfortune, it does not further one to go anywhere, the arrogant ruler tries to draw upward but is undermined from below; the image is of a too narrow mountain that topples over; the fourth line says the bed is split apart -- danger cannot be averted and it touches the person directly; the result is Progress 35, the prince receives many horses; the ruler grants an audience three times; it means expansion and the day.

Watch for the beginnings of evil and return to the path in time

In this situation, Hexagram 2, the Receptive, indicates the receptive dark principle in its pure form.  The 1st line changing has the saying, 'when hoarfrost is underfoot, ice cannot be far off.' This saying means that when death or evil or darkness starts out it has a slight force like when the first frost of the fall comes.  In time, however, winter in its fullness is inevitable.  The saying indicates that we are at the beginning of a time when evil increases but we have the means to turn back to the way of good if we take it before the trend is too strong to oppose.  The resulting hexagram, 24, Returning, tells us that the light is never completely vanquished and returns to us humbly at the bottom.  Returning indicates 'the stem of character,' that part of character that helps us choose the right path and avoid danger by turning away from evil.

Marrying Maiden (54) to Before the End (64)

The Marrying Maiden(54) with 1st and 6th line changing.  The Marrying Maiden has a simpler meaning of the woman who chooses whom to marry.  This action was not held in high regard in Chinese society so it is associated with misfortune.  It also implies a woman who has to wait a long time to marry.  It has an additional cosmic meaning because of the arrangement of trigrams: Tui, below, indicate fall and west, or death; Chen, above, indicates spring and east, or birth; Li, the lower nuclear trigram, indicates summer and south; Kan, the upper nuclear trigram, indicates winter and north.  Thus the whole of existence is encapsulated in this hexagram and suggests that the marriage is between the microcosm or man and macrocosm or universe.  

The first changing line indicates the foot: A lame man is able to tread.  The marrying maiden as concubine. Undertakings bring good fortune.  This means that due to ones social position, a background, unofficial position is necessary, which is kind of lame, but that you have influence with the ruler anyway and that means undertakings bring good fortune.

The sixth line changing indicates that you are just going through the motions, preserving the forms but not the heart or meaning of your actions.  Like showing up but being absent minded.

The result is Before the End -- that means that you have not seen the end of your affairs merely a transition.  However, this is a transition from disorder to order, and it is fraught with danger, as the contending forces tend to separate from each other, so caution is advised for success.

The Creative (1) to Nourishing or Waiting (5)

The Creative indicates the movement of heaven in time and beyond.  This unending motion indicates an enduring state of power.  The fourth line changing asks us to choose between an existence in the open, a public role or to withdraw into the role of the sage -- like the image of the old man in a cave on a mountain top -- someone whose opinion is sought but is distant from everyday life.  Or we can choose the way of the hero, rise up to the heights, really grapple with the world. We are at a time where free choice can be made. This choice has to be made by each individual as it suites his or her character.  The sixth line changing tells us that excessive withdrawal from the world causes failure, too.  The arrogant dragon that flies too high loses touch with mankind and has reason to repent.  

These changes lead to Nourishing or Waiting, 5.  It indicates a time when we are confronted with danger in our external circumstances but we are strong inside and can avoid falling into trouble.  So we wait -- when at last heaven is replete with rain, it will fall and provide nourishment for everything.

Biting Through (21) to Inner Truth (61)

Biting through means removing obstacles.  It also means punishing the guilty like with imprisonment.   The 2nd and 4th lines suggest degrees of punishment; the 5th line, the ruler who punishes, suggests that leniency can provide justice if handled correctly.  When the 2nd, 4th and 5th lines change, Inner Truth results -- it says to discuss criminal cases to delay executions.  

When the I Ching refers to criminal cases it can mean thoughts we have about people or situations that 'execute' them -- keep them in a mental box so that we cannot interact with them in spontaneous, unconditioned ways.  These inner conditions can prevent our external circumstances from improving.

Retreat (33) to Preponderance of the Small

Retreat indicates that the great withdraws from the inferior man, just as heaven rises up from the mountain, which cannot pursue.  Success in small things.  Here the 5th and 6th lines change: the 5th indicates that it is important for the superior man to recognize when it is time to withdraw and to do so promptly; the 6th line indicates a time when doubt vanishes and the way ahead opens up, lightening the heart and bringing cheerfulness.  The resulting hexagram is 62, Preponderance of the Small, a time that recommends thrift, conscientiousness and feeling appropriate to the occasion.  The superior man is recommended to side with the lowly and to consider the action of birds.

A good time to travel, I would think.  Or doubts about someone or a situation are unequivocally cleared up allowing for definite choices to be made.  A time for the heart to grow wings.

Progress -- Go Out and Play

The sun rises over the earth with no changing lines.  A period of enduring progress is possible. Go out and play, enjoy the day.

Gradual Progress bears fruit, leads to a Journey

Outer circumstances change completely.  Inside, stillness is unchanged.  After a long wait, today a wish comes true.  You may be able to leave every day cares aside.  You are not entirely suited to a new surrounding but you are adaptable enough to make it work.  The example is that of a goose landing in a tree.  The image given is picturesque but odd: the goose does not have feet to make tree habitation effective but if it finds a flat place in the tree branches it can alight.  

These changes in outer circumstances could lead to a journey or wandering.

Help others without injuring yourself (Decrease to Nourishing)

If you are called on to help another, especially one who is a superior, such as a boss, it will bring misfortune if you lose your dignity in the process.  This situation generally means misfortune. Someone who has inner strength and perseverance does not have the means to help the superior without injuring themselves.  Reflect carefully on ways to provide assistance while keeping your self-worth.  

Decrease suggests that in times of material scarcity attention to inner values will be rewarded. The resulting hexagram, Nourishing, asks us to examine what we feed ourselves on: actual food and spiritual food or thoughts. 

Darkening of the Light to Deliverance

Darkening of the Light indicates a time when the light is underground, and is 'injured' by the dark element.  The third line changing indicates the dark has injured the light only a little, a hindrance really, and that you still have strength to save many more people in your care, and to do so is meritorious.  The fifth line changing indicates the example of Prince Chi who was very near the heart of darkness and the only way to keep from being killed was to pretend to be mad.  The result is Deliverance -- the storm breaks and washes things clean.

This divination indicates that in a difficult time you have more strength than you may realize. You can save others as well as yourself because you are not as badly hurt as you think.  If you also find yourself in a situation you can't escape from due to obligations or duty, you can use cunning to save yourself.

Innocence turns to Joy

25, Innocence, or the Unexpected, depicts movement within and heaven without.  It means that acting instinctually is only right when it is inspired by heaven.  Without the blessing of heaven, taking action will lead to misfortune.  The second line indicates not counting the harvest while plowing -- do not seek wealth -- then one can undertake something worthwhile.  The sixth line is on the outside of hexagram and has missed its moment to act: 'innocent action brings misfortune; nothing furthers.'  Action without reflection leads to bewilderment.  These change lead to 58, Joy, which is lake or water doubled.   

This means that something unexpected might happen today but it is important to stay in the moment and not look to future benefits to motivate your activity.  It also says that you need to be aware of when the time for action has passed -- that misfortune can be forestalled by keeping still at the right time.

A Tense Moment and Awaiting the Right Time

A tension is present due to a very difficult situation.  One is in a lowly, powerless place and there is a choice: accept the first bond available to allow one to escape from this place, thereby risking enslavement, or wait, possibly for a very long time, for the situation to change, and in the movement of time, to allow a more suitable bond to be made.  Peace may result from the resolution of this matter.

54, Marrying Maiden, with third and fourth line changing, resulting in 11, Peace.

Temptation (43) changing to The Cauldron

44, Temptation or 'Coming to Meet', indicates the young girl, who gives the appearance of weakness and powerlessness, offering herself to the strong man.  Wind under heaven also means that the prince disseminates his commands to the four corners of the world.  It indicates the time just after the summer solstice around June 21, when the dark forces are on the rise and the days shorten.  In human society, it is not advisable to marry a woman who associates with five men. But in spiritual meaning it indicates that when the dark principle comes to meet the light, there is so much light, as symbolized by the five light lines above, that the light cannot be injured by the dark, so the meeting is successful and productive.  

The fifth line is changing; it indicates that 'a fruit,' the dark first line, is hidden from us, left to ripen on its own, and falls to our lot, not by contrived actions on our part but by acceptance of fate.  

The resulting hexagram is 50, the Cauldron, which indicates a hearth fire, with wood below, and fire above.  The Cauldron, or Ting, indicates a vessel to cook food.  It means cooking for God and spirits and for worthy or holy people.  It means taking up the new.  It also indicates that just as fire requires wood to keep alight so life itself must be kept alight so that the conditions of life are perpetually renewed.  This is true for the individual, family, community or state. Fate is consolidated in this sign, rulership is established by the decree of fate.

The general meaning is to allow the force of good character to indirectly discipline the inferior self and as if by a miracle these dark forces will conduct themselves well, and a favorable fate is indicated.  When the forces of dark and light meet, they need to be free of dishonest motives to have a good influence on each other.  

As the first entry of daily divination, this indicates a favorable outcome for the blog.  I am, indeed, taking up the new, and hope to give it the proper fuel to allow it to endure.  The dark force is coming to assist me and if my motives are honest no harm will be done.  This dark force could be spirit helpers or unconscious elements that allow divination to be meaningful.

Welcome to Daily Divination

Looking for guidance?  We all are!  Come to this blog for a free daily divination.  Various forms of divination will be used from Tarot to I Ching to geomancy and others.  As time passes, I will periodically review the divinations and include comments regarding their accuracy.  This is where you may contribute if you wish -- if you found a particular divination helpful (or heaven forbid, harmful) please post a comment.  Respectful comments will be welcome.