From No. 57, The Gentle, Penetrating Wind:

Line 1:

“In advancing and in retreating,

The perseverance of a warrior furthers."

    In case you were thinking that by receiving The Gentle, Penetrating Wind, the Yi was telling us to change course from the advice it gave in The Army  -  think again.

    Receiving Line 1 as a Changing Line says that this wind is not to be a light, changeable breeze that blows here and there. As Wilhelm cautions, "Inborn gentleness is often carried to the point of indecisiveness. . . . A thousand doubts crop up; one .  . . drifts indecisively to and fro."

    The Yi is telling you,  "Get a plan for moving in the direction you want.   Issue your own personal marching orders.  And them follow them, like a warrior."

. . . . . . . . .

    This was the first of four changing lines we received in connection with this message.  We'll look at Line 2 tomorrow.

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Some advice from Julia Cameron's Walking in This World; The Practical Art of Creativity:

    "Most artists get blocked not because they have too few ideas but because they have too many. Our competing ideas create a sort of logjam - and that is why we feel stuck. When we think about a project, we think, I could try this and this and this and maybe I could try this and this and, oh I could try that and then and what if and oh, dear!" 

    Is that not a comforting thought?  That you are suffering from too many good ideas, instead of too few?! 

    Here's one of her suggestions for breaking the logjam:

    "You are too full of creative energy and you need to gently siphon some off.  Take a walk and remind yourself:

1. I do have good ideas.

2. I have many good ideas.

3. Slowly and gently, one at a time, I can execute them.

    ". . . If your head is awhirl and you 'cannot think straight,' then start by straightening something up. Fold your laundry. Sort your drawers. . . . often when, we are engaged in such small, homely tasks, a sense of being 'at home' will steal over us. When we take the time to husband the details of our lives, we may encounter a sense of grace."

    And Grace, if I may remind you, was the main message we have been discussing. 

  Changing the four changing lines received with the main message of

Grace, we receive as our future message hexagram No. 7, The Army.

No. 7, The Army:

“The Army.  The army needs perseverance

And a strong man.

Good fortune without blame."

The translation of The Image adds:

"In the middle of the earth is water:

The image of The Army.

Thus the superior man increases his masses.

By generosity toward the people."

            The Army tells you where you need to be taking the Grace of artistic self-_expression you have been enjoying:   to organization and discipline.

    The "water in the middle of the earth" represents a force that is always present, needing only the gathering and channeling to make it powerful.  So it is with your self-_expression:  after letting it flower, your next step is to give it more definite form and direction.

    Be strong and consistent in your pursuit of your art, and generous with the amount of time you devote to it, and it will flourish.

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    As I was getting ready to write about this hexagram, I was reading the chapter "Discovering a Sense of Momentum" from Julia Cameron's Walking in This World, The Practical Art of Creativity. It has some great tips on how to keep your creativity going that I'd like to share.  I'll be posting some of them on the blog at the website,   bookofchanges.org   (sorry, still can't do links you can click) tomorrow.