Here is what to watch for:
* The 52nd hexagram of the I Ching is called “The Mountain,” and it is a picture of keeping still, of meditation, silence, passivity, or quiet strength and observation.
* However, the second line, when changing, reads, “Keeping his calves still, he cannot rescue the one he follows. His heart is not glad.”
* In the description of this line, a number of commentators mention the idea of a master/servant or student/teacher dynamic that has turned sour.
* The student or servant recognizes that he can no longer follow a master or teacher due to some fault of character, and so he stops following him, but because the master is more powerful, the master’s fate cannot be changed by the servant. The servant may stop, but the master cannot be convinced to stop or change his ways.
* Similarly, the second line depicts the way in which if one is running in forward motion and then realizes one shouldn’t be running, even if the legs suddenly stop, the forward momentum will be too strong and will cause one to fall.
* Try it! Try running really fast in one direction. Then try stopping your legs fully and immediately. You’ll topple forward and fall.
* The legs are the servant, trying to stop the master in this image.
* When the second line changes it leads to hexagram 18, called “Repairing the Damage.”
* That’s easy enough to understand. If we fall down, or if something we are in service to falls down, then the next logical step is to begin repairing whatever damage has been done.
* This is a “pride comes before a fall” kind of transit.
* We have to be careful that we are serving the right master, whether that is something within us, or some literal person or teacher or teaching or “path.” With Mercury simultaneously retrograde and backing right into Jupiter and the Sun, it’s a good time to get clear about who or what we should be following and who or what we shouldn’t.
* However, even if we have the wherewithal to withdraw or stop something in its tracks before it’s too late, the deal may be done or there may be unavoidable consequences anyway. In which case, we should gladly accept the work of “repairing the damage,” and feel nothing but gratitude because we know, “had I done nothing at all, it could have been worse.”
* The student/teacher or master/servant dynamic may also be understood in terms of the ego/soul relationship. To the extent that our ego is the puffed up master, the ego could be ready for a bit of a fall right now, if we aren’t careful.
* When the ego falls, the good news is that there is always an opportunity to realign ourselves with our higher self, or the soul, who the ego is actually always in service to.
* At the same time, this hexagram sequence in relation to today’s astrological transits reminds us to be good teachers, good leaders, or good “kings and queens.” We should remember that we are all servants, no matter what our status or position, and that our truest joy comes when we find a way to use our gifts and abilities in service to the divine, craving no great fame or acclaim for ourselves but always being excited to give more of whatever we are in possession of for the sake of lifting others up and spreading the love of God through the world.
On this note, I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve all of you with astrology day in and day out, year round, for so many years. As you know, the last 40 days of the year I fundraise and go into a period of concentrated prayer for the year ahead. During this time I ask that all my readers donate to support my work if they can, and I pray that God would purify my heart, cleanse my intentions, and focus my work in service to others for another year to come.
Thank you! I can’t do this work without you!
Prayer: Catch us when we fall, humble us with good humor, and call us back to the enthusiasm and joy of being your servants.
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