The Money Hexagram

Money and my job were one big reason I started throwing the coins.

When the I Ching was written, people didn't have jobs in the modern sense and money had not yet been invented. The word money is a catchall concept for deeper relationships of which we are usually unaware. A toss of the coins can reveal these deeper relationships.

Hexagram 27, The Hungry Mouth, is directly related to our livelihood and making money. It reveals to us how our ideas and expectations determine every word we say and everything we do, including whether or not we engage in the struggle for existence and how we choose to earn our daily bread. The lines at the bottom of hexagram 27 are concerned with supporting ourselves, and the lines in the upper trigram deal with learning how to support others, too.

Line 6 moving in hexagram 27 is said to be the line of all those whose encouragement nourishes and sustains ("feeds") other people. This could also be the line of an experienced chef looking for a job in a good restaurant!

But hexagram 27 is not the only money hexagram. Many other hexagrams pertain to money matters. Here is a brief run-through of the obvious ones. [Please note: I am writing in broad generalizations about the hexagram you cast as your primary hexagram. You will need to read about your own hexagram and moving lines very carefully in order to decide matters for yourself.]

Hexagram 8, Union. If you asked about money and line 1 is moving, expect a windfall.

Hexagram 11, Peace and Prosperity. The "haves" are willing to employ the "have-nots." The "have-nots" have taken a good attitude toward working for the "haves." Everybody will prosper as long as this balanced state of affairs is preserved.

If you have been asking the I Ching a lot of questions about job prospects and it suddenly answers one question with hexagram 11 with no changing lines, you have just gotten that elusive green light you were hoping for! Go for it!

Hexagram 14, Great Possessions, refers to the wealth we already possess. This could also mean a body of knowledge and experience we already possess, not money.

Hexagram 19, Approach, is said to mean a promotion. It really means that a critical moment is approaching. Maybe you will soon hear from an important person who can benefit you. I hope so, but be aware that it could just as easily mean that an illness is approaching. It is undoubtedly true that something or someone large and significant is approaching. You may be asked to step up the overall level of your participation and performance.

If you get hexagram 22 when asking about a job prospect, the pay will never be sufficient to pay your bills. This is a volunteer job. Perhaps you don't really need the money as much as you need to get out of the house and do productive work. Sometimes we take a job like this because we think it will look good on our resume.

If you get hexagram 25, it means to stop all that strategizing. Instead of thinking so much about your money, become more innocent and good. We cannot plan for every contingency. Life is full of unexpected surprises.

Hexagram 28, Excess, is often connected with self-employment. So much to do! Good luck!

If you get hexagram 33, Retreat, it means to withdraw mentally and emotionally from the job temporarily, in order to recoup one's energies. If you consistently get line 6 moving in hexagram 33, then it is probably time for you to think about retiring from the world of work completely. It is said that you will have excellent health in retirement.

If you get hexagram 35, Easy Progress, it is because you are using your resources to benefit others in your circle. You have the right ideas and your influence will spread.

If you get line 4 moving in hexagram 35 in response to your money question, you are getting close to someone who will uncover and reveal financial information that you usually prefer to keep private. For example, your letter will be read by someone you never knew would see it. Surprise!

[Remember what I said about reading what has been written about your own particular moving lines! Read between the lines!]

Hexagram 41, Decrease, Reduction, or Sacrifice, means to reduce your interest in the subject under inquiry. It could mean that there is something else that needs to be cleared up before the action you inquired about can be taken.

Hexagram 42, Increase, Gain, or Benefit, means to devote more energy to the subject under inquiry. Perhaps you are being asked to benefit someone else. That will turn out to be fortunate for you, too. It is said that benevolent forces surround the person who receives this hexagram.

If you get hexagram 44 with no moving lines in response to your question about whether or not to go to a certain job interview—-Go! If you are sincere, this job could mean the start of a whole new life for you.

Hexagram 45, Assembling, demonstrates the Law of Attraction at work. In building a group for business purposes, everyone involved needs to be working for the good of the group as a whole if it is to succeed.

Hexagram 46, Advancement, means we are making step-by-step progress in a very favorable direction. This one takes time and effort, but it will be worth it. It goes without saying that we cannot leap from the bottom to the top. Third line moving means that the subject of your inquiry is not worth pursuing. It's a dead end.

Getting hexagram 47, fifth line moving, may mean you are oppressed by the struggle for existence, for money, to the point of exhaustion. Put your plans on hold for a time. In the end, all will go well.

Hexagram 50, The Cauldron, is like the container for your hopes, plans, and dreams. If you receive hexagram 50, your ideas and capacities are said to be in good alignment with the Cosmos and you might flourish and prosper. However, there is no guarantee. You'll need to stay in harmony with the flow of the forces around you. Otherwise you could just as easily fall flat on your face.

Hexagram 51, Shocking, is the overall hexagram for all the bad news in the financial arena these days: plunging stock values, lay offs, worldwide credit crisis, and all the rest of it.

Hexagram 55, Zenith, means a large quantity. In terms of work, it can mean too much of something or a crisis. It can also mean the high point of your work activity.

Getting line 3 moving in hexagram 55 means that your "right arm" is broken. That implies the uselessness of someone on whom you have been depending, your assistant. Or perhaps it means you yourself can do nothing. Perhaps line 3 moving means that other people are supposed to do that kind of work now, not you.

Getting line 6 moving in hexagram 55 means the peak of prosperity in terms of sheer quantity, but the person in question has isolated himself. Perhaps he has alienated everyone, even his own family members, by keeping himself so hidden away.

In hexagram 57, Penetrating, getting line 6 moving indicates that if you continue to dither your time away in being too introspective and indecisive, you will lose the money necessary for your travel expenses. This can mean something as simple as having to pay for a taxicab to get somewhere, because you didn't leave your apartment on time!

Hexagram 60 means to be thrifty and set limits to expenditures.

Hexagram 62 means to be very conscientious. Keep your checkbook balanced! Count your change!

Hexagram 62, second line moving, means you didn't get that job you applied for, but this was through no fault of your own.

Even though 62, third line moving, speaks of being slain by a subordinate, it can often just be interpreted as a warning not to overextend yourself. Don't "kill" yourself bending over backwards for anybody, even your best friend!

As you can see, any hexagram can come up when we inquire about our money or our job. There is no such thing as the money hexagram!

"I Ching, what is the most important thing I personally need to know about money?" is a good question to ask, if you're concerned about this subject. You might really be surprised by the answer.

Things that Upend Us

There are things that can happen to us in life which can dismantle us, psychologically, emotionally - and, of course, physically. As one of my spiritual mentors used to say, "There are events that can transpire in our lives that can totally break us." This is true, I believe. Some common upenders include the death of a loved one, major illness and divorce.

Humility is important. It's real easy for us to criticize another person when they fail to cope well with misfortune. "Don't fee that way!" "Snap out of it!" "Get over it already!" "Be positive!" These are a few oft-heard retorts we hurl at people who are really hurting. The problem with such statements is that they lack a base level empathy that only humility can bring. Such statements really are a form of violence.

If we are truly humble, we will realize that we are no better. To condescend from an illusory mount of moral superiority is a form of sin. It is a form of casting judgment upon the other. Here I am reimnded of the wisdom of St. Augustine, who said, "I cannot judge another because his soul lacks translucence." In other words, "How you gone know where I'm at, less you been where I been? Understand where I'm comin' from?"

It is vital for those of us in the helping professions, called to be healers, to heed this truth. That the soul lacks transparency means that I cannot crawl inside your flesh to experience the world as you experience it, to perceive, hear and feel what it is that you see, hear and feel. Therefore, I really am in no position to judge you.

More than mere sympathy, we ned to show forth empathy for our friends and loved ones who are upended by tragedy or misfortune. We need to be quick to listen, slow to speak and quick to show compassion. A feigned compassion sometimes does more than a geniune harshness.

Not Participating, Hexagram 27.3 > 22

Something shifted inside my body when I was simply standing in my kitchen ten years ago. Maybe this is what they call making a decision. I cannot tell you what I decided. It wasn't in words.

Ten years ago, my life was unraveling. My husband was in the hospital and I thought he was dying. Or maybe I wished him dead. No, I don’t recall ever wishing him dead, even though I was angry with him. Also, my business, after a slow eight-year decline, had just failed completely.

I was a woman suddenly alone without money. I had been panic-stricken every day for over a week. My personal and work relationships had left my life a twisted wreck. I needed to forget my vulnerable body with all its needs—money, a place to live, safety, food, and sex. These insoluble problems no longer had anything to do with me.

After that, I noticed I was no longer participating. For example, I was invited to help cook a meal, but I did not cook. I stood and watched the others cook. A kindly woman asked me to prepare the salad, but I just stood and watched as someone else took a knife to cut up the lettuce, tomatoes and peppers. It was odd, the way my hands would not pick up the kitchen tools to do the work. I had never been a lazy person.

My world had collapsed, and so had I.

I want to discuss the upshot of all this with you. As I said, it is now ten years later.

I have gained 100 pounds. Eating is perhaps the most important thing in life to me now. The concept "healthy food" eludes me. I used to know about nutrition, but the knowledge is now hidden from me.

When I count money I make mistakes. I don’t go into stores to buy things, except for a quick trip to the deli across the street every night for my cookie and my piece of chocolate.

My husband buys the clothes that cover my bulky body. He recovered from his physical illness before I recovered from my breakdown. He stepped in and started taking care of me years ago. He took up where I left off. He is very industrious. Maybe he is getting tired of it. I don’t know. He never complains, or hardly ever.

My husband does repairs to the apartment, because I do not wield tools anymore. I look at the broken thing and it disgusts or repels me.

The curtains are hanging in shreds at the windows. I used to make curtains on the sewing machine from yards of nice fabric.

The bathroom needs cleaning. I never do any cleaning. The opportunity never arises. No chores get done. I would rather let time stream by.

I would rather lie down, because my head often hurts or my neck hurts. I am so tired. I wake up every day around 11 o’clock, feeling exhausted.

I do not sleep well. I am awake and asleep all night, back and forth to the kitchen, eating, sleeping—back and forth all night.

Could I do work for money anymore? Let those who still sleep soundly through the night, who wake up refreshed, work for a living. Let them take the painful and nerve-wracking responsibility of providing for themselves into their capable, unknowing hands. This is what they don't know: That we are living in a world that could fall apart at any time without warning.

The most perplexing but best advice has come to me from the I Ching, the ancient Chinese Book of Changes, as I have been repeatedly challenged to understand the meaning of hexagram 27. This hexagram, formed in the shape of an open mouth, means everything from what we eat to what we take in intellectually. It means every word we speak. It means providing for ourselves our daily bread. It is also the hexagram of psychotherapy, the support of others through words.

Hexagram 27 is often called Nourishment, Cheeks, Corners of the Mouth, Jaws, or the Hungry Mouth. It asks me to consider what it is that really nourishes people, what is the source of all nourishment. It asks me to consider what I am nourishing.

I have cast this hexagram repeatedly, but I still don’t know what it is driving at. Eat less food? Adopt an ascetic diet in order to lose weight? Stop talking so much, because the right words going out of my mouth cannot compensate for the wrong food going into my mouth? Watch whom I associate with and what influences I take in? Stop eating for pleasure or out of habit? The I Ching says: "Seek out the source of what goes in and out of your mouth and the mouths of others. The answer to your question lies there."

What is the source of my nourishment? The source of my nourishment is the deli across the street where I buy my cookies and my chocolate.

Why has it taken ten years for me to sit down to consider this question of the source of my nourishment? I have been pondering hexagram 27 for years. Perhaps it is like a koan, a life-puzzle, to me.

Isn’t the source of my nourishment money? Don’t I buy food with money? Before my collapse, I earned my own money and supported myself.

The jaws that chew the food are juxtaposed in hexagram 27 with the transcendental awareness that our life is of divine origin. How do our hungers, our bodily appetites, connect with our spirituality? What a puzzle!

So, now it is ten years later, and maybe I am beginning to understand something. What am I beginning to understand?

I understand that Stone Age pygmies living in a rainforest have more stability, security, and peace of mind than we have! Everything in the modern world pivots on money. And sometimes we are deprived of all access to money, through no fault of our own!

I thought of committing suicide when it seemed I must soon join the ranks of the homeless, those unbathed, partially unclothed bodies sleeping in doorways during the daytime. How terrified, alone, alienated, and angry I was, when I had lost my source of income.

I remember approaching my neighbor. I have lived across the hall from her for decades. She said, "I have my own problems," as she shut her door in my face. I have bad memories like this.

I am writing to tell you that if you lose your job, it does not follow logically that you have to lose your mind as well. Just because the world is crazy, we don't have to be crazy, too.

About line 27.3, the I Ching says, "Rejecting the Jaws. You won't be able to act for ten years. Your idea goes against the Way. Direction: Beautify things. Release bound energy. Deliver yourself. The situation is already changing."

In re-reading what I wrote to you, I see I have exaggerated. People like me, who have had disillusioning experiences, often distort things, seeing the situation worse than it really is. For example, my curtains were never "hanging in shreds at the windows." Some of them were simply old and faded.

I helped to install a new fan in the kitchen window last week. I guess I have not lost all my practical abilities.

In counting money I probably make no more than an average number of mistakes. I know how to keep my checkbook balanced. After I pay the bills, I file the papers away.

I water and tend the plants. I am planning to purchase a new refrigerator.

I'm sure I do not need to go on justifying my domestic habits. While it is true that my husband does housework, that is not a reason for me to feel guilty.

Four psychotherapists later, only the I Ching is still with me. My first psychotherapist died. My second therapist decided to transition into a different career. My third therapist suffered a stroke. My fourth therapist was elderly and retired from practice. I thank them for all their help. I miss them very much. It was always my mistake, to become dependent upon people who wouldn't be with me forever. Actually, I still put a lot of faith in people and things that are by their very nature disappearing or in the process of passing away.

These days I prefer the I Ching as a source of guidance most of the time. Thank you, I Ching, for never giving up on me!

NOTE: The words of the I Ching quoted here are from Stephen Karcher’s translation, entitled Total I Ching: Myths for Change, published by Time Warner Books in 2003.

Written anonymously in 2004

Is Michael Jackson Really Dead?

Ok, I am not trying to turn this into another Tupac Shakur, "he's still alive" mystery. But I was surprisingly saddened to hear the alleged rumor that Michael Jackson had died yesterday. As a product of the 80s, Michael meant so much to me and my peers. To us, he was and is the greatest pop performer of all time.

So, of course I was a bit heartbroken when I logged into my YMail and there it was, the AP News wire - "Michael Jackson Is Dead." Naturally, I sent out the news on my Twitter and Facebook profiles, to update friends and followers.

It is a curious phenomenon, but now I totally get it how so many of the youth of the 60s could weep over John Lennon's death. I had no idea that Michael's passing would actually throw me into a slight depression. Hearing of other famous celebs passing never made me feel this way. This is an emotional first for me.

We're in a strange time, to use a I Ching expression. I'll have to do some I Ching meditation to shed some light on it. Between the cataclysmic lack of sunspots causing the abnormal New Jersey summer rains; the sudden dramatic collapse of the economy; the historic election of America's first African-American president and Michael's mysterious death, something really important (perhaps apocalyptic?) is definitely happening.

Reminds me of the lyrics of that old 60s song, "There's something happening here. What it is ain't exactly clear."

Michael's passing also makes me realize just how powerful an influence the rich and famous actually possess over us. They are, as one philosopher put it, "The Greek gods of the postmodern era." It's scary to think that the death odd someone you don't even know could impact you as much as the death of a parent.

News updates I received today are now hinting that Michael's death may be only a rumor. So, I guess we'll all have to wait and see how the story develops.

British Author Anthony Peake Lecture and Reception

clipped from events.nydailynews.com Gnosis Arts Multimedia is hosting a lecture and author's reception for Mr. Anthony Peake at the Roosevelt Hotel, in The Broadway Suite. Peake is the author of "Is There Life After Death?: The Extraordinary Science of What Happens When We Die" and "The Daemon". In July 2009 he is honored platform lecturer at the National Theatre in London. read more

Gnosis Arts Multimedia Presents British Author Anthony Peake at the Roosevelt Hotel

Peake is a binary mind and human consciousness theorist who will be lecturing on his "Cheating the Ferryman" theory, which uses 21st century quantum science, cognitive psychology, neuro-science, and philosophy to reveal a Secret Self within every individual, which makes it possible for us to cheat death.

clipped from annualeventpost.com City of Event:  New York City Events Specific Location:  Roosevelt Hotel: 45 East 45 St and Madison Ave Date of Event:  08/03/2009 - 6:00pm Gnosis Arts Multimedia presents British Author Anthony Peake at the Roosevelt Hotel, Mon., Aug 3 6-9 p.m. : Second Floor conference mezzanine ; The Broadway Suite

Freedom, Responsibility and Redemption

Last night my fiancee and I watched two of our favorite movies: "The Devil Wears Prada," and "Sea Biscuit." We like these two movies because they provide much fodder for discussion of applied philosophy. The movies deal with universal moral themes of freedom, responsibility and redemption.

"Prada" - starring New Jersey favorite, Anne Hathaway - is about a young woman striving to get ahead in the Big City (New York). Wanting to be a professional journalist, Andrea (played by Hathaway) applies for a job at a fashion magazine. To her dismay, Andrea realizes that the job is turning her into the very person she never wanted to become, leading her to make choices which jeopardize her relationships and, more importantly, her value system.

In doing a character study of Andie, my fiancee made a point that I hadn't really picked up on. She said that Andie is a paradigmatic example of Sartrean inauthenticity. She sees her life as being "swept away" in an undesirable direction against her will. What she fails to realize is that her life is the direct result of her own choices.

Sartre talked about this phenomenon: namely, that of irresponsibility due to self-deception. He argued that this denial of one's "absolute freedom" is the direct result of self-deception and, if unchecked, produces an inauthentic (or insincere) life.

Because of her unconsciousness of her freedom of choice, Andie makes "irresponsible" decisions which rupture her relationships and mar her self-concept and esteem. In Freudian fashion, the painful truth she is really unconscious of (deceived about) is the fact that some part of her really wants that kind of inauthentic life. Much of the plot revolves around her coming to terms with this unpalatable truth.

§ Redemption
"Sea Biscuit" treats of wholly different moral themes. In essence it is a redemption story. One of the main characters states the theme in clear terms: "You don't throw away a whole life just because he's banged up a little." This theme rings throughout the movie as a motif of hope that we can all relate to.

The very human need to know and believe that there is redemption from a "banged up" life is great. It informs the teachings of the great religions and provides much needed fuel for the soul during trying times.