Answers from the I Ching

By guest blogger Jill Robinson with Greenheart Transforms



On a beautiful summer evening, July 23, Greenheart Transforms presented the second installment of Emanuel Kuntzelman’s I Ching workshop

Circled around the Adler Planetarium’s Spiral Sculpture, those in attendance enjoyed their picnic dinners while Emanuel opened the evening’s gathering with discussion on spiral formations, synchronicity and the cosmic evolution that has brought us to this singular moment.

Will society move into a state of collective higher consciousness, into a world of the holistic human or will it be a time of perpetual struggle and material breakdown? These were the types of questions the participants inquired about, and Emanuel felt that now was the perfect time to consult the I Ching on such big questions. Participants took turns tossing the coins as they meditated on the question, while Emanuel constructed the hexagram that would lead to our answer.

The I Ching’s responses did not sugar coat the sense of urgency we have in taking action to shift our global community to one of sustainability and peace.

Here are the answers the I Ching presented in response to the question:

“What are the implications of the Dec. 21, 2012 end date as told by the Mayan calendar?”5

#39 Obstruction

According to the book: “The hexagram pictures a dangerous abyss lying before us and a steep, inaccessible mountain rising behind us. We are surrounded by obstacles; at the same time, since the mountain has the attribute of keeping still, there is implicit a hint as to how we can extricate ourselves. The hexagram represents obstructions that appear in the course of time but that can and should be overcome. Therefore all the instruction given is directed to overcoming them.

The southwest is the region of retreat, the northeast that of advance. Here an individual is confronted by obstacles that cannot be overcome directly. In such a situation it is wise to pause in view of the danger and to retreat. However, this is merely a preparation for overcoming the obstructions. One must join forces with friends of like mind and put himself under the leadership of a man equal to the situation: then one will succeed in removing the obstacles. This requires the will to persevere just when one apparently must do something that leads away from his goal. This unswerving inner purpose brings good fortune in the end. An obstruction that only lasts for a time is useful for self-development. This is the value of adversity.”

The solution to this obstruction evolves into…

#28 Preponderance of the Great

According to the book: “This hexagram consists of four strong lines inside and two weak lines outside. When the strong are outside and the weak inside, all is well and there is nothing out of balance, nothing extraordinary in the situation. Here, however, the opposite is the case. The hexagram represents a beam that is thick and heavy in the middle but too weak at the ends. This is a condition that cannot last; it must be changed, must pass, or misfortune will result…

It is an exceptional time and situation; therefore extraordinary measures are demanded. It is necessary to find a way of transition as quickly as possible, and to take action. This promises success. For although the strong element is in excess, it is in the middle, that is, at the center of gravity, so that a revolution is not to be feared. Nothing is to be achieved by forcible measures. The problem must be solved by gentle penetration to the meaning of the situation; then the change-over to other conditions will be successful. It demands real superiority; therefore the time when the great preponderates is a momentous time.”

The group asked a second question in response to the initial answers:

“What action should we take as like-minded individuals to find a greater cause?”

#38 Opposition

“When people live in opposition and estrangement they cannot carry out a great undertaking in common; their points of view diverge too widely. In such circumstances one should above all not proceed brusquely, for that would only increase the existing opposition; instead, one should limit oneself to producing gradual effects in small matters. Here success can still be expected, because the situation is such that the opposition does not preclude all agreement.

In general, opposition appears as an obstruction, but when it represents polarity within a comprehensive whole, it has also its useful and important functions. The oppositions of heaven and earth, spirit and nature, man and woman, when reconciled, bring about the creation and reproduction of life. In the world of visible things, the principle of the opposites makes possible the differentiations by categories through which order is brought into the world.”

Have you consulted the I Ching with questions of your own? What are your thoughts on the answers given in regards to our global community post-2012?