The following is a I-Ching casting with the following intention:
Describe the nature of Barbelith
The result was hexagram 19 - Lin, with nines in the first and second place and six in the fourth place, transforming into 16 - Yu. In this analysis I have used Richard Wilhelm's translation (with the relevant lines copied in their entirety), combined with Steven Karcher's text where appropriate. The two translations offer differing emphases; the former has sometimes been criticised for a bias in favour of a psychological and philosophical (likely due to Wilhelm's Anglican upbringing); the latter has been observed to place too much emphasis on the operations of the spirits behind the Oracle. Both are informed by Jung's approach to psychotherapy. It is therefore hoped that the two will be complementary, compensating for each other.
I have taken the liberty of ignoring the non-relevant (non-transforming) lines in the first hexagram, and all the lines in the second. Opinions on interpreting the Oracle differ: I have chosen the most popular approach. This contrasts with Jung's view in the Introduction to Wilhelm's translation. You would be more than welcome to offer a commentary on the remaining lines if you feel they are relevant. However, they do not appear to hold apparent meaning when related to the intention of this casting.
This analysis is not intended to be exhaustive. There is plenty of material in both translations that I have not used. Other contributors are welcome to offer their own thoughts based on any translation.
NOTE TO MODERATORS: please assist me in fixing broken HTML tags should there be any. Transcribing Karcher's text involved faithful reproduction of bold and italics wherever possible. It has been difficult to keep track, thereby filling this post with many potential areas for mistakes.
WILHELM'S TRANSLATION IN FULL
19 Lin: Approach
Kun, the receptive, earth is over
Tui, the joyous, lake.
The Chinese word lin has a range of meanings that are not exhausted by any single word of another language. The ancient explanations in the Yi Jing give as its first meaning, "becoming great." What becomes great are the two strong lines growing into the hexagram from below; the light-giving power expands with them. The meaning is then further extended to include the concept of approach, especially the approach of what is strong and highly placed in relation to what is lower. Finally the meaning includes the attitude of condescension of a man in high position toward the people, and in general the setting to work on affairs. This hexagram is linked with the twelfth month (January-February), when after the winter solstice, the light power begins to ascend again.
The judgement
APPROACH has supreme success.
Perseverance furthers.
When the eighth month comes,
There will be misfortune.
The hexagram as a whole points to a time of joyous, hopeful progress. Spring is approaching. Joy and forbearance bring high and low nearer together. Success is certain. But we must work with determination and perseverance to make full use of the propitiousness of the time. And one thing more: spring doesn't last forever. In the eighth month the aspects are reversed. Then only two strong, light lines are left; these do not advance but are in retreat (see next hexagram). We must take heed of this change in good time. If we meet evil before it becomes reality - before it has even begun to stir - we can master it.
The image
The earth above the lake:
The image of APPROACH.
Thus the superior man is inexhaustible
In his will to teach,
And without limits
In his tolerance and protection of the people.
The earth borders on the lake from above. This symbolises the approach and condescension of the man of higher position to those beneath him. The two parts of the image indicate what his attitude toward these people will be. Just as the lake is inexhaustible in depth, so the sage is inexhaustible in his readiness to teach mankind, and just as the earth is boundlessly wide, sustaining and caring for all creatures on it, so the sage sustains and cares for all people and excludes no part of humanity.
The lines
Nine at the beginning means:
Joint approach.
Perseverance brings good fortune.
The good begins to prevail and to find response in influential circles. This in turn is an incentive to men of ability. It is well to join this upward trend, but we must not let ourselves be carried away by the current of the time; we must adhere perseveringly to what is right. This bring good fortune.
Nine in the second place means:
Joint approach.
Good fortune.
Everything furthers.
When the stimulus to approach comes from a high place, and when a man has the inner strength and consistency that need no admonition, good fortune will ensue. Nor need the future cause any concern. He is well aware that everything earthly is transitory, and that a descent follows on every rise, but need not be confused by this universal law of fate. Everything serves to further. Therefore he will travel the paths of life swiftly, honestly, and valiantly.
Six in the fourth place means:
Complete approach.
No blame.
While the three lower lines indicate rise to power and influence, the three upper lines show the attitude of persons in higher position toward those of lower rank for whom they procure influence. Here is shown the open- minded approach of a person of high rank to a man of ability whom he draws in to his own circle, regardless of class prejudice. This is very favourable.
16 Yü: Enthusiasm
Cheng, the arousing, thunder is over
Kun, the receptive, earth.
The strong line in the fourth place, that of the leading official, meets with response and obedience from all the other lines, which are all weak. The attribute of the upper trigram, Cheng, is movement; the attributes of Kun, the lower, are obedience and devotion. This begins a movement that meets with devotion and therefore inspires enthusiasm, carrying all with it. Of great importance, furthermore, is the law of movement along the line of least resistance, which in this hexagram is enunciated as the law for natural events and for human life.
The judgement
ENTHUSIASM. It furthers one to install helpers
And to set armies marching.
The time of ENTHUSIASM derives from the fact that there is at hand an eminent man who's in sympathy with the spirit of the people and acts in accord with it. Hence he finds universal and willing obedience. To arouse enthusiasm it is necessary for a man to adjust himself and his ordinances to the character of those whom he has to lead. The inviolability of natural laws rests on this principle of movement along the line of least resistance. These laws are not forces external to things but represent the harmony of movement immanent in them. That is why the celestial bodies do not deviate from their orbits and why all events in nature occur with fixed regularity. It is the same with human society: only such laws as are rooted in popular sentiment can be enforced, while laws violating this sentiment merely arouse resentment.
Again, it is enthusiasm that enables us to install helpers for the completion of an undertaking without fear of secret opposition. It is enthusiasm too that can unify mass movements, as in war, so that they achieve victory.
The image
Thunder comes resounding out of the earth:
The image of ENTHUSIASM.
Thus the ancient kings made music
In order to honour merit,
And offered it with splendour
To the Supreme Deity,
Inviting their ancestors to be present.
When, at the beginning of summer, thunder - electrical energy - comes rushing forth from the earth again, and the first thunderstorm refreshes nature, a prolonged state of tension is resolved. Joy and relief make themselves felt. So too, music has power to ease tension within the heart and to loosen the grip of obscure emotions. The enthusiasm of the heart expresses itself involuntarily in a burst of song, in dance and rhythmic movement of the body. From immemorial times the inspiring effect of the invisible sound that moves all hearts, and draws them together, has mystified mankind.
Rulers have made use of this natural taste for music; they elevated and regulated it. Music was looked on as something serious and holy, designed to purify the feelings of men. It fell to music to glorify the virtues of heroes and thus to construct a bridge to the world of the unseen. In the temple men drew near to God with music and pantomimes (out of this later the theatre developed). Religious feeling for the Creator of the world was united with the most sacred of human feelings, that of reverence for the ancestors. The ancestors were invited to these divine services as guests of the Ruler of Heaven and as representatives of humanity in the higher regions. This uniting of the human past with the Divinity in solemn moments of religious inspiration established the bond between God and man. The ruler who revered the Divinity in revering his ancestors became thereby the Son of Heaven, in whom the heavenly and the earthly world met in mystical contact.
These ideas are the final summation of Chinese culture. Confucius has said of the great sacrifice at which these rites were performed: "He who could wholly comprehend this sacrifice could rule the world as though it were spinning on his hand."
ANALYSIS, INCLUDING EXCERPTS FROM KARCHER'S TRANSLATION
The first observation apparent from a comparison of the two texts is the reference to ancestral forces. It is peculiar that Wilhelm only mentions this in the text for Yu, where Karcher feels it is of importance to both Lin and Yu. Karcher translates the nineteenth hexagram as "Nearing," writing:
"Arrival of the new; approach of something powerful and meaningful; welcome, draw nearer and closer; spirit and meaning emerge from sadness.
Nearing describes your situation in terms of something great approaching. Its symbol is the arrival of a powerful ancestor spirit. This is the first arrival and point of new contact. The way to deal with it is to move towards what is approaching without expecting to get what you want immediately. Look at things with care and sympathy. Welcome the approach of others. Keep your expectations modest. This contact opens a whole new cycle of time. It is particularly favourable for what is growing. So beware. Trying to rush to completion and an early harvest will cut you off from the spirits and leave you open to danger."
It is reasonable to suggest that the arriving power is Barbelith itself. This is because; 1. The intention of the casting was to describe Barbelith; and 2. The connection to ancestral forces has already been tentatively established (see the above post analysing the earlier shamanic journey). Furthermore, the objective of this first stage of the working is to establish contact: here we have clear reference to the joining of what is heavenly to what is earthly. This is expanded upon in Wilhelm's "the attitude of condescension of a man in high position toward the people," "the approach and condescension of the man of higher position to those beneath him," etc.
It is interesting that Wilhelm mentions January and February in connecting with Lin. While these are clear symbols of the spring and the beginning of new life (initiation, rebirth after death, Spring after Winter), they are synchronous with the first phase of the working, beginning 14 January and ending 14 February. Wilhelm's passage mentions the eighth month, possibly a symbol of harvest and preparation for winter. The hexgram seems concerned with the cycle of life in general, confirmed by Karcher's text:
"Image of the Situation
Nearing, Source of Success: Advantageous Trial.
Culminating in the eighth moon: possessing a pitfall.
Associated Contexts: Near, LIN: approach, behold with care, look down on sympathetically; condescend; bless or curse by coming nearer; a superior visiting an inferior. Source ... Trial, lit. Spring Growing Harvesting Trial: Spring: YUAN; Grow: HENG; Harvest: LI; and Trial: CHEN, are the four stages of the Time Cycle, the model for all dynamic processes. They indicate that your question is connected to the cycle as a whole, rather than just part of it, and that the origin (Spring) of a favourable result (Harvesting Trial) is an offering to the spirits (Growing).
Culminate, CHIH: bring to the highest degree; arrive at the end or summit; superlative. Reach(to), HU, actually arriving. Eight, PA: number of highly valued essentials: eight trigrams, eight immortals, eight compass points; eight. Moon, YUEH: actual moon and moon-month; yin, the sun being yang. Possess, YU: in possession of, have, own; opposite of lack, WU. Pitfall, HSIUNG: leads away from the experience of meaning; stuck and exposed to danger, unable to take in the situation; flow of life and spirit is blocked; unfortunate, baleful; keyword."
Wilhelm believes that the misfortune can be averted: "If we meet evil before it becomes reality - before it has even begun to stir - we can master it." Karcher seems to indicate that there is an essential process at work, but offers no indication that the pitfall can be avoided. Both translations emphasize the need to pay close attention to the times, to work diligently and watch carefully, without rushing ahead. My proposed solution to the differences in translation would be to draw in all these qualities, and suggest that Karcher's Time Cycle is the process of ongoing initiation, symbolised by the turning of the Seasons. Wilhelm's observation that misfortune can be avoided is a matter of the perspective of the initiate: if ze pays close attention to the changing seasons, the coming tribulation will be interpreted correctly as a symbolic death, leading into an experience of rebirth with the coming spring. If the initiate does not pay attention to their place within the cycle of initiation then they will be caught unprepared: the death that would otherwise contain the seeds of their ongoing transformation will be death indeed. Furthermore, the cycle is an ongoing process, working death and rebirth into the life of the initiate until their final literal death (and possibly beyond).
I am aware that this is only my interpretation. I encourage any contributor with better knowledge fo the I-Ching to correct any mistakes in this analysis.
Wilhelm's Image and Karcher's Outer and Inner Aspects and Image Tradition both contain material that confirms existing speculation as to Barbelith's qualities. The latter writes:
Outer and Inner Aspects:
"K'un, Field: The field of earth yields and sustains, serving in order to produce. Field is the equalising point between yin and yang where things labour and serve.
Connection to the outer: the common labour of sowing and hoarding, the earthly moment. Field produces concreate results through serving.
Tui, Open: Vapour rishing from the marsh's open surface stimulates and fertilizes; stimulating words cheer and inspire. Open begins the yin hemicycle by initiating the formative process.
Connection to the inner: liquifying, casting, skinning off the mold, the Metallic Moment beginning. Open stimulates, cheers, and reveals innate form.
Inner stimulation combined with an outer willingness to serve invites nearing."
The comparison of the two translations suggests that Barbelith is a powerful teacher and has the capacity to nourish and care for all mankind, operating to serve and inspire us, forming us in the same manner as steel is forged, revealing our true character and purpose. These qualities reveal the meaning of Barbelith's appearance to McGowan as Christ, the Servant/Creator/Teacher/King, symbol of the perfected man and the transformative process. Karcher also mentions "success through sacrifice" his commentary on the Image Tradition.
There are three transforming lines in this hexagram. The first is the lowermost line, of which Karcher writes:
"Initial nine
a) Conjunction Nearing, Trial: auspicious.
b) Conjunction Nearing, Trial: auspicious.
Purpose moving, connecting indeed.
What is approaching belongs with you like parts of a previously separated whole. This is a marriage made in heaven. It will stimulate and inspire you. Have no doubts. The way is open.
Associated Contexts:
a) Conjoin, HSIEN: come into contact with, influence; reach, join together; put together as parts of a previously separated whole; come into conjunction, as the celestial bodies; totally, completely; lit.: broken piece of pottery, the halves of which join to identify partners. Image of hexagram 31. Trial, CHEN: inquiry by divination and its result; righteous, firm; separating wheat from chaff; the kernal, the proven core; forth stage of the Time Cycle. The ideogram: pearl and divination. Auspicious, CHI: leads to the experience of meaning; favourable, propotious, advantageous, appropriate; keyword. The ideogram: scholar and mouth, wise words of a sage.
b) Purpose, CHIH: focus of mind and heart; will, inclination, resolve. The ideogram: heart and scholar, high inner resolve, or heart and go, inner determination. Move, MSING: move or move something; motivate, emotionally moving; walk, act, do. The ideogram: stepping left then right."
Both translations are extremely positive, although Wilhelm encourages caution. This would seem to refer to the future tribulation, a suggestion to enter into an experience wholly, while keeping ones eyes open for signs of change. Karcher even suggests that this is more than a meeting between Barbelith and the initiate: that they share a similar essence, which again would seem to reinforce the supposition that at least an aspect of Barbelith contains an ancestral presence. The mention of the winnowing process is again reminiscent of the tempering of the individual and the revelation of inner purpose ("the kernal, the proven core"). The overall impression is that the experience of approaching Barbelith and establishing contact or union is one that requires will and resolve, but will cause an overwhelmingly positive result. However, the initiate is encouraged to stay alert to changes in the seasons, in order that they are not caught unprepared by circumstances to come.
The second transforming line is the second from the lowermost. Karcher's translates this as:
"Nine at second
a) Conjunction Nearing: auspicious.
Nothing not advantageous.
b) Conjunction Nearing: auspicious.
Nothing not advantageous.
Not yet yielding to fate indeed."
His commentary is identical to that of the first changing line, except the final two sentences have been replaced by, "There is nothing that will not benefit from this connection. You are not the victim of fate." Wilhelm's translation offers the most insight here; the "stimulus to approaching... from a high place" referring to Barbelith; the cautious positivity of an initiate with strong character, or "man (with) inner strength and consistency" meaning that the tribulation in the future need not cause concern, the impermanence of all things being known. Karcher's commenatry of section b offers confirmation:
"b) Not yet, WEI: temporal negative; something will but has not yet occurred; contrary of already, CHI. Image of hexagram 64. Fate, MING: idividual destiny; birth and death as limits of life; issue orders with authority; consult the gods. The ideogram: mouth and order, words with heavenly authority."
This site, suggested by Mr Illmatic, offers the perspective that the second changing line, being the middle of the three, offers the most insight into understanding the meaning of this hexagram. The line is certainly most explicit of the central message of the hexagram, to join with Barbelith while maintaining awareness of the mutability of circumstances and how they may be working wisdom and understanding into one's life despite their apparent harshness.
The final changing line is the fourth from the lowermost. The Karcher translates this as follows:
"Six at fourth
a) Culmination Nearing.
Without fault.
b) Culmination Nearing, without fault.
Situation appropriate indeed.
This is the climax. Don't hold back. Give yourself fully. This is not a mistake.
Associated Contexts:
a) Without fault, WU CHIU: no error or harm in the situation.
b) Situation, WEI: place or seat according to rank; post, position, command; right, proper, established, arranged. The ideogram: person and stand, servants in their places. Appropriate, TANG: suitable; opportune, convenient, adequate, competent; equal to; whole lines in uneven places and opened lines in even places."
I find it disappointing that Karcher offers no perspective on "culminate," although he may hold it as self-evident given the postion of this line within the hexagram (a yielding line in a yielding position). His commentary on the line seems particularly poor to me given the associated contexts, and it is Wilhelm's translation clearly encompasses more of the meaning. Barbelith is here depicted as without prejudice, embracing all individuals as equals, regardless of the petty judgements we may place on each other (due to social class, race, gender, sexual orientation, etc). It is also interesting that Wilhelm uses the phrase "draws into his own circle:" the notions of circles and cycles holding special relevance to the shamanic journey detailed above.
These lines transform the hexagram into Yu, which is also translated differently by the two texts. Wilhelm uses "enthusiasm," Karcher opts for "providing for/provision." The latter writes:
"Prepare, collect what you need to meet the future; spontaneous, direct response, enthusiastic; enjoy, take pleasure.
Providing for describes you situation in terms of gathering what is needed to meet and enjoy the future. Its symbol is a child riding an elephant. You can deal with it by accumulating strength and resources so you can respond spontaneously and fully when the time comes. Prepare things. Take precautions. Think things through so you can move smoothly with the flow of events. Get rid of negative attitudes. It is like riding an elephant that you have previously tamed, a creature of great grace and power. Establish and empower helpers, so your forces can be easily mobilized to respond to any situation. That brings profit and insight."
Again, the texts bring out different qualities in a complementary manner. This time it is Wilhelm who offers the most unconditional response, and seems clear that a community undertaking is necessary, in which all will be united by the shared enthusiasm. Karcher echoes this, but also includes a clear message of hoarding reserves that will make one equal to the tasks ahead. This again seems to confirm the theory that the coming "misfortune" or "pitfall" can be weathered well by those who have prepared wisely, becoming formative rather than destructive forces. This is further confirmed by Karcher's comments on the "Hidden Possibility" or nuclear trigrams (K'an and Ken): "Building up reserves to provide for the future lets you re-imagine a difficult situation."
The activity described seems to refer to this working specifically, in whatever form it may take. Of specific importance is Wilhelm's repeated "line of least resistance." This synchronous significance to me, as I wrote it to another contributor to this working only a couple of days before this casting. I referred to the future phases of the working, and how they may require revision now that the first phase is revealing a rather greater entity than I had anticipated. It is not a phrase that I use often, if at all. This concept of the working moving in its own natural direction will be explored in a different sense below. For now, I will simply mention that the suggestions made for further phases of this work may be signigicantly different to what has been written above. This work has developed a life and character of its own.
It is Wilhelm's text that offers the most focus in his commentary on the Judgement. The "eminent man who is in sympathy with the spirit of the people and acts in accord with it" is clearly Barbelith. This passage is confirmation of the supposition that Barbelith communicates to each initiate through their own language and ontology. Just as "only such laws that are rooted in popular sentiment can be enforced," so too Barbelith seems to choose methods of communication suitable to the initiate, resisting methods that cannot be interpreted or processed. Again, this is movement along the lines of least resistance, although there is nothing lazy about its character. Water works its way downhill, filling up cracks and moving around obstacles, exploring all avenues in its path until it finds the one most suitable.
The relevant excerpts from Karcher's translation:
"Image of the Situation
Providing-for, advantageous to install feudatories to move legions. Harvesting.
Associated Contexts Provide(-for)/provision, YU: ready, prepared for; prearrange, take precaution, think beforehand; satisfied, contented, at ease. The ideogram: son and elephant, careful, reverent and very strong. Advantageous/Harvest, LI: advantageous, profitable; acute, insightful; benefit, nourish; third stage of the Time Cycle. Install, CHIEN: set up, establish; confirm a position or law. Feudatory, HOU: nobles entrusted with governing the provinces; active in daily life rather than governing from the centre; contrasts with prince, KUNG, executives at the court. Move, HSING: move or move something; motivate, emotionally moving; walk, act, do. The ideogram: stepping left then right. Legions/leading, SHIH: troops; an organized unit, a metropolis; leader, general, model, master; organise, make functional; take as a model, imitate. The ideogram: organize confusion into funcitonal units. Image of Hexagram 7."
Again, this seems to refer to the future of the working, in whatever shape it becomes. Both speak of the institution of leaders or helpers, those capable of uniting the people in shared enthusiasm, in accordance with the aims of Barbelith. If this is the case, it could indicate that the following phases of the working could involve the practical decisions of those involved with the working to procure positions of influence as much as engage with Barbelith to work with people on a personal, magical level. Of course, "positions of influence" need not always entail a leadership role: returning to the model of Barbelith as Servant-Teacher, it may be that influence is found by humbly facilitating the development of others, in a manner that does not elevate oneself.
It is clear from the casting that any movement forward must entail a careful and steadfast alertness, a willingness to communicate with people on their level, and a set of guidelines for future working that does not exclude anyone. The exact shape of the future operations of Barbelith is potentially to be left undescribed, the "functional units" being ideological precepts or characteristics held by those that would do this work. Seen in this light, enthusiasm, preparation, adaptability and unity of purpose are reconciled. This seems confirmed by Karcher's commentary on the "Inner and Outer Aspects:"
"Chen, Shake: Thunder rises from below, shaking and stirring things up. Shake begins the yang hemicycle by germinating new action.
Connection to the outer: sprouting energies thrusting from below, the Woody Moment beginning. Shake stirs things up to issue forth."
I-CHINGSLASHPATROLGO!
"K'un, Field: The field of earth yields and sustains, serving in order to produce. Field is the equalizing point between yin and yang where things labour and serve.
Connection to the inner: the common labour or sowing and hoarding, the Earthy Moment. Field produces concrete results through serving.
Inner sowing and hoarding provides-for a rousing summons to action that comes from outside."
Finally we come to Wilhelm's "Image" and Karcher's "Symbol Tradition." Here is the latter in full:
Thunder issuing forth from earth impetuously. Providing for.
The Earlier Kings used arousing delight to extol actualizing-tao,
Exalting worship of the Supreme Above
Used to equal the grandfathers and predecessors.
Associated Contexts Thunder, LEI: rising, arousing power; the Symbol of the trigram Shake, CHEN. Issue forth(from), CH'U: emerge from, come out of, proceed from, spring from; the Action of the trigram Shake, CHEN; contrary of enter, JU. The ideogram: stem with branches and leaves emerging. Earth, TI: ground on which the human world rests; basis of al things, nourishes all things; the Symbol of the trigram Field, K'UN. Impetuous, FEN: sudden energy; lively, spirited, impulsive; excite, arouse; press on.
Earlier Kings HSIEN WANG: ideal rulers of old; the golden age, primal time, power in harmony with nature; model for the chun tzu. Arouse, TSO: stir up, stimulate, rouse from inactivity; generate; appear, arise. The ideogram: person and beginning. Delight, LO: take joy or pleasure in; pleasant, relaxed; also: music as harmony, elegance and pleasure. Extol, CH'UNG: praise, honour, magnify, revere; eminent, lofty; worthy of worship. Actualize-tao, TE: realize tao in action; power, virtue; ability to follow the course traced by the ongoing process of the cosmos; keyword. The ideogram; to go, straight, and heart. Linked with acquire, TE: acquiring that which makes a being become what it is meant to be.
Exalting worship, YIN CHIEN: superlative of worship; glorify; intensify feelings of praise and awe. 's/have(-it)/it/them, CHIH: expresses possession, directly or as an object pronoun. Supreme Above, SHANG TI: highest power in the universe, lord of all.
Equal, P'EI: on the same level; pair, husband or wife; together. Grandfather, TSU: second ancestor generation; deceased grandfather, honoured more than actual father. Predecessor, K'AO: deceased ancestor; the ancients; aged, long-lived; consult, verify. The ideogram: old and ingenious, the old wise man."
Here we see a natural consolidation and conclusion to the casting. The energy released from the working rejuvenates and energises those who come into contact with it, sustaining their requirements. This follows the pattern of rulers and wise men going back to antiquity: the capacity for releasing such power that transforms, heals, and enables. Karcher's reference to Tao offers greater insight here: "Acquiring that which makes a being become what it is meant to be>"
Much emphasis is placed upon worship, veneration and sacrifice. This may cause some trepidation to those who use magic without a direct formative influence from religion. I offer my own experience by means of explanation: when I was involved in training for congregational worship, it was emphasised that the public worship rituals were only one small aspect of one's worship as an individual. The teaching stated that the highest form of worship was self-transformation, the becoming of the perfected self, symbolised by Christ. The sacrifice therefore continues the theme of death and rebirth, of sacrificing the parts of one's identity that are no longer aligned to the path of the developing self. Of course, this is still a difficult aspect of the working to come to terms with, and is certainly not something that should be taken lightly.
Here we also return to Barbelith's ancestral dimension, here seemingly referred to as equal its divinity ("Exalting worship of the Supreme Above used to equal the grandfathers and predecessors"). We see divinity and human heritage intertwined, married together in Karcher's translation. One contributor sent me an email that linked these conceptions to Grant Morrison's thoughts on the biota (see the Barbelith Interviews link), and speculated that the human race since the beginning of time has been one long tree-like creature viewed in cross-section. In this respect working with Barbelith may serve to reinforce the existence of the human race from a perspective external to time, as the living World Tree stretching back to our eariest origins, merging with other species into one organism. Barbelith has chosen to apear as a map or model of these conceptions.
It is worth contemplating the Confucius quote incuded in Wilhelm's translation. Barbelith appears to be showing itself as the guiding principle for the entire human race at any point in time, perpetually in a state of service and self-sacrifice so that we can realise our full potential. Wilhelm seems to use the quote to imply that devoting oneself to understanding these concepts allows places one within the active stream of Mankind's development - and positions one to claim the inheritance of ages. I invite anyone to offer their perspectives.
--- One more note to any readers with limited prior experience of the I-Ching: this casting was done at random from the sixty-four hexagrams using three coins, thrown six times. It was not decided upon by myself, but left to the forces behind chance. I trust that those who are unfamiliar with the Oracle will therefore seek out both translations at the earliest opportunity.  --- |
Maybe I can make someone else think.......