I Ching Time!

Those of you who read The Useless Tree on a regular basis know Sam Crane's weekly tradition of performing I Ching readings--divination based on the ancient Chinese book of wisdom. If you don't read The Useless Tree, you should definitely make Sam's gentle words of wisdom and insights from ancient Chinese philosophy a part of your daily reading. You'll be glad you did! Sam's I Ching predictions have been eerily accurate for the past few weeks, so I decided to ask the oracle my own question this week. The question is simple and direct:

"Will I pass my comprehensive exam that is coming up in eleven days?"

So I tossed three coins six times in order to create a hexagram--a diagram of six lines, each of which could be broken or unbroken. Some lines are "unstable", meaning that if they are broken they become unbroken and vice-versa, signifying movement from one hexagram to another. I received the following hexagram: "Sheng", meaning "Pushing upward". The I Ching commentary interprets it thus:

JUDGMENT:

PUSHING UPWARD has supreme success.
One must see the great man.
Fear not.
Departure toward the south
Brings good fortune.

THE IMAGE

Within the earth, wood grows:
The image of PUSHING UPWARD.
Thus the superior man of devoted character
Heaps up small things
In order to achieve something high and great.

One interpretation is that I must continue to make an effort in studying for the exam. Hard work will be rewarded and I will benefit from seeing those in authority, perhaps referring to the professors on my exam committee, perhaps referring to the scholars whose articles and books I am scouring right now. "Departure toward the south", according to the Wilhelm and Baynes translation of the I Ching, refers to activity. Success comes through activity.

This is not all, though. Two lines were unstable, leading to a stable hexagram called "Ta Chuang", or "The Power of the Great".

The I Ching reads,

JUDGMENT

THE POWER OF THE GREAT. Perseverance furthers.

THE IMAGE

Thunder in heaven above:
The image of THE POWER OF THE GREAT.
Thus the superior man does not tread upon paths
That do not accord with established order.

This is a tougher interpretation. Certainly it means that I must persist. Wilhelm and Baynes' commentary say that

The hexagram points to a time when inner worth mounts with great force and comes to power. But its strength has already passed beyond the median line, hence there is danger that one may rely entirely on one's own power and forget to ask what is right. There is danger too that, being intent on movement, we may not wait for the right time. Therefore the added statement that perseverance furthers. For that is truly great power which does not degenerate into mere force but remains inwardly united with the fundamental principles of right and of justice. When we understand this point--namely, that greatness and justice must be indissolubly united--we understand the true meaning of all that happens in heaven and on earth.

[...]

Thunder--electrical energy--mounts upward in the spring. The direction of this movement is in harmony with that of the movement of heaven. It is therefore a movement in accord with heaven, producing great power. However, true greatness depends on being in harmony with what is right. Therefore in times of great power the superior man avoids doing anything that is not in harmony with the established order.

So perhaps this means that I shouldn't try to advance any wacky ideas on the exam? That's pretty self-evident, I think. If we're talking about "fundamental principles of right and justice" then I'm not sure how this relates to the exam, which really isn't an ethical question. Does this refer to the temptation to sneak a peek at my notes during the exam? Well, I wasn't planning on doing that anyway...any ideas? This does seem to be a fairly auspicious divination. I feel a little better about this exam now.