Oracles (11)

The other morning my sister-in-law Patty came downstairs and said, "I think we should consult an oracle." She had just been at a weeklong manuscript workshop and had gotten feedback indicating that she needed to tear her manuscript apart and put it back together again in a different way. She was game: she likes revision. But she thought maybe some "guidance" could be useful at this juncture in her process.

It just so happens, I have oracles! The I Ching, Tarot cards (two versions), Nordic runes, Hawaiian mana cards, and Native American medicine cards. I think that sort of thing is fun. I put absolutely no stock in it, short of the generic wisdom that is offered up. But it is amusing.

The coins we used, from 1831 (Lady
Liberty), 2010 (an uncirculated
Lincoln dollar), and 1965 (the JFK
silver half dollar)

We started that morning with the I Ching, tossing three coins: heads get 3 points, tails 2. You add them up, and odds render a solid line, evens a broken one; 6s and 9s are "changing" lines. Repeat six times. You then use a table to arrive at a specific hexagram/meaning. The changing lines render a second hexagram, to fill out the oracle's advice.

And I was very pleased with my result: all solid lines! Translating to (1) 乾 qián, the Creative. (The following is a quote from the book I use.)

This hexagram signals a time when the fundamental creative power of the universe is available to you. An unrestricted outpouring of benevolent energy from the heavens makes possible profound progress for those who are conscientiously following proper principles.
     Frantic activity is not in order. Your responsibility instead is to be open and receptive to the Higher Power, allowing it to guide your actions. By allowing inferior thoughts and habits to pass away, you make room for an expansion of your superior qualities, which leads inevitably to good fortune. . . .
     Your attitude toward the Sage is most important. Alertness and receptiveness are paramount. To receive the powerful assistance of the Creative, remain humble, patient, accepting, and responsive. Careful attention to truth brings vast rewards at this time. 

Resisting "the compulsions of the ego," following that which flows naturally from your attention, and letting go of preconceived notions about your proper path—these are key. (All this sounds like play to me.)

The two changing lines in my throws led to (50) 鼎 ding, the Caldron, which also instructs one to give up the incessant demands of the ego—fears, desires, strategies to control—and, rather than resisting life, enter into a conversation with the Sage (which I choose to interpret as the creative forces around us). Basically, remain open.

So yeah, okay: remain open and play! That's good advice any day.

Alastair Crowley's Fool

The next day, I chose a simple Tarot spread. A central card there, corresponding to "the future, or that which is just beginning," was one of my favorites: the Fool—the first (or 0th) card in the deck. And what does he signify? The open mind of innocence. Beginner's mind. The freedom to explore without preconceived notions. "Give in, dare to leap, even if fear attempts to hold you back. Trust the voice from within your heart."

It's a theme! And one I am very happy to pursue.

Patty's, meanwhile, was about flowing water, a spring transforming into a creek, then a river, carving a mountain. Also very apt.

And so: onward!