Hi folks!
I am new to I Ching, but years ago I used to read Tarot with some confidence, so I'm not altogether new to the world of divination. My love for Eastern mysticism was recently rekindled, and I felt an urge to learn how to consult Yi, especially in regards to a difficult career situation I'm going through.
I did four readings over the course of four days, and I would be much obliged for any thoughts you'd be willing to share. I'll try to keep things concise, but I do think it would be helpful to provide some background first.
I've been working from home for an online company for the last five years. I've gone through various cycles of liking and disliking my work, but for the past year and a half or so, I've been very unhappy. A big part of this is because of my boss, who creates a toxic work environment with his temper, teasing, belittling employees in front of each other... I am not exaggerating when I say I've never been spoken to in my entire adult life the way he speaks to me and other employees. Other factors in my discontent are the nature of the work (it's related to marketing which just feels so soulless to me after my last job working for a non-profit), the high-pressure environment, my hours and then my pay being cut to try to stay afloat due to poor leadership, my classification as a freelancer (all the hours, but with no benefits, paid vacation, 401k, etc), and in the interest of brevity I'll stop there.
I finally decided I'd had enough when I realized that this job has been keeping me too stressed out to eat, to the degree that I lost 30 pounds last year. I've been looking for a new job since January, but so far have not had any luck. I'm looking for another work-from-home position due to anxiety and panic issues, so pickings are slim to begin with. In all this time I've had 3 bites, two of which were pyramid schemes. I feel like I found the I Ching in the nick of time.
Question 1: How best can I handle my job situation?
Answer: 14
Interpretation: I was hoping for an answer along the lines of "Keep looking" or "Try to win the lottery." This answer kind of took me by surprise. I took it to mean that what I should really be doing is making use of my assets -- my unique gifts, and that I should "rest in fate," confident that if I do so, everything should work out. Having just read the Suggested Questions page, I knew what I wanted to ask next.
Question 2: What are my unique gifts?
Answer: 22.3.5 to 42
Interpretation: I took this to mean that my gifts are around sight and insight, understanding appearances both in terms of using them to make my insights more receivable, and in seeing through false appearances, insight into the true nature of situations, seeing both sides to things, and using that to help others, mediation, conflict resolution, constantly trying to improve myself and using that experience to help others improve, and being able to talk to anyone. Line 5 encouraged me very much with the idea that even though these gifts may seem humble to others, they are promising. I also showed this to my partner, who is typically skeptical of all things mystical, and they were impressed by how much this all seemed to resonate with my character as they know it to be.
The relating hexagram reminded me that my gifts are worthless unless I'm actually using them, and I found the idea of it being worthwhile to proceed, have somewhere to go, and to "cross the river" to be encouraging me to take the plunge so to speak, and to set out to use them. As for how to use them, I again referred to the Suggested Questions for my next one.
Question 3: What is my calling?
Answer: 43
Interpretation: This seemed to go hand-in-hand with the previous question. I took it to mean that my calling is to probe out the truth and share it, simply and without ego or judgement, but with particular attention to when and how I say it. Naming problems can make them go away, truth needs little force behind it; these quotes made me think of a calling in counseling or something along those lines.
However, my initial question still felt unanswered. I don't have a degree, I can't just decide to be a counselor tomorrow and quit my job. I appreciate that sometimes paths are long, but I feel like I need immediate relief from this situation, so I asked a new question.
Question 4: How can I find a new job that makes use of my gifts and calling?
Answer: 56.1.4 to 22
Interpretation: My first thought was, "Wow! I ask what my gifts are and the answer is 22, then I ask how I can find a job that makes use of them, and the relating hexagrams is 22! That's incredible!" It really sort of solidified it for me that I'm in the right area.
What I get from this hexagram is that I definitely need to keep looking for a new job, but that job searching websites aren't the place to be doing it. I am needing something that doesn't fit in with the typical modern working world, something unique to me. The relating hexagrams tells me that I am trying to re-awaken my Qi that has been so badly treated in this job, which has lead to a great loss of mental, physical, and spiritual health. This new path may be a humble one, but it's better to be happy and live modestly than to be wealthy and miserable. This speaks so strongly to who I feel I am and what has made me happy in the past.
Line 1 stung at first. Am I just being a whiner? Should I buck up and soldier on in this job? Reading some traditional interpretations showed me that this line relates more to once the wandering has begun, being careful to make good first impressions and staying humble with strangers. Line 4 was like a warm hug, how good it felt to be understood that well. In this job I have found a temporary shelter, something that keeps my bills paid and my lights on, but my heart is not at peace and I was never meant to stay here.
So that's my story, and I thank you very much if you made it this far. I'm still not entirely sure how to proceed. If I could quit my job tomorrow and know that we would be able to stay afloat while I forge a new and unique career for myself, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But I am still just a little murky on the details of what I can specifically do with my gifts and how I can get there without going bankrupt. If anyone has any insight, alternate interpretations, advice, or anything else to share, I thank you wholeheartedly in advance.
I am new to I Ching, but years ago I used to read Tarot with some confidence, so I'm not altogether new to the world of divination. My love for Eastern mysticism was recently rekindled, and I felt an urge to learn how to consult Yi, especially in regards to a difficult career situation I'm going through.
I did four readings over the course of four days, and I would be much obliged for any thoughts you'd be willing to share. I'll try to keep things concise, but I do think it would be helpful to provide some background first.
I've been working from home for an online company for the last five years. I've gone through various cycles of liking and disliking my work, but for the past year and a half or so, I've been very unhappy. A big part of this is because of my boss, who creates a toxic work environment with his temper, teasing, belittling employees in front of each other... I am not exaggerating when I say I've never been spoken to in my entire adult life the way he speaks to me and other employees. Other factors in my discontent are the nature of the work (it's related to marketing which just feels so soulless to me after my last job working for a non-profit), the high-pressure environment, my hours and then my pay being cut to try to stay afloat due to poor leadership, my classification as a freelancer (all the hours, but with no benefits, paid vacation, 401k, etc), and in the interest of brevity I'll stop there.
I finally decided I'd had enough when I realized that this job has been keeping me too stressed out to eat, to the degree that I lost 30 pounds last year. I've been looking for a new job since January, but so far have not had any luck. I'm looking for another work-from-home position due to anxiety and panic issues, so pickings are slim to begin with. In all this time I've had 3 bites, two of which were pyramid schemes. I feel like I found the I Ching in the nick of time.
Question 1: How best can I handle my job situation?
Answer: 14
Interpretation: I was hoping for an answer along the lines of "Keep looking" or "Try to win the lottery." This answer kind of took me by surprise. I took it to mean that what I should really be doing is making use of my assets -- my unique gifts, and that I should "rest in fate," confident that if I do so, everything should work out. Having just read the Suggested Questions page, I knew what I wanted to ask next.
Question 2: What are my unique gifts?
Answer: 22.3.5 to 42
Interpretation: I took this to mean that my gifts are around sight and insight, understanding appearances both in terms of using them to make my insights more receivable, and in seeing through false appearances, insight into the true nature of situations, seeing both sides to things, and using that to help others, mediation, conflict resolution, constantly trying to improve myself and using that experience to help others improve, and being able to talk to anyone. Line 5 encouraged me very much with the idea that even though these gifts may seem humble to others, they are promising. I also showed this to my partner, who is typically skeptical of all things mystical, and they were impressed by how much this all seemed to resonate with my character as they know it to be.
The relating hexagram reminded me that my gifts are worthless unless I'm actually using them, and I found the idea of it being worthwhile to proceed, have somewhere to go, and to "cross the river" to be encouraging me to take the plunge so to speak, and to set out to use them. As for how to use them, I again referred to the Suggested Questions for my next one.
Question 3: What is my calling?
Answer: 43
Interpretation: This seemed to go hand-in-hand with the previous question. I took it to mean that my calling is to probe out the truth and share it, simply and without ego or judgement, but with particular attention to when and how I say it. Naming problems can make them go away, truth needs little force behind it; these quotes made me think of a calling in counseling or something along those lines.
However, my initial question still felt unanswered. I don't have a degree, I can't just decide to be a counselor tomorrow and quit my job. I appreciate that sometimes paths are long, but I feel like I need immediate relief from this situation, so I asked a new question.
Question 4: How can I find a new job that makes use of my gifts and calling?
Answer: 56.1.4 to 22
Interpretation: My first thought was, "Wow! I ask what my gifts are and the answer is 22, then I ask how I can find a job that makes use of them, and the relating hexagrams is 22! That's incredible!" It really sort of solidified it for me that I'm in the right area.
What I get from this hexagram is that I definitely need to keep looking for a new job, but that job searching websites aren't the place to be doing it. I am needing something that doesn't fit in with the typical modern working world, something unique to me. The relating hexagrams tells me that I am trying to re-awaken my Qi that has been so badly treated in this job, which has lead to a great loss of mental, physical, and spiritual health. This new path may be a humble one, but it's better to be happy and live modestly than to be wealthy and miserable. This speaks so strongly to who I feel I am and what has made me happy in the past.
Line 1 stung at first. Am I just being a whiner? Should I buck up and soldier on in this job? Reading some traditional interpretations showed me that this line relates more to once the wandering has begun, being careful to make good first impressions and staying humble with strangers. Line 4 was like a warm hug, how good it felt to be understood that well. In this job I have found a temporary shelter, something that keeps my bills paid and my lights on, but my heart is not at peace and I was never meant to stay here.
So that's my story, and I thank you very much if you made it this far. I'm still not entirely sure how to proceed. If I could quit my job tomorrow and know that we would be able to stay afloat while I forge a new and unique career for myself, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But I am still just a little murky on the details of what I can specifically do with my gifts and how I can get there without going bankrupt. If anyone has any insight, alternate interpretations, advice, or anything else to share, I thank you wholeheartedly in advance.
