The joyous, lake; oppression

True joy is experienced by those who are strong within and gentle without.

Today's I Ching was Tui (the joyous, lake); reversed was oppression. This hexagram tells us that true happiness and success comes to those who practice innocence, acceptance, and detachment. What progress or success that is won by the desirous, ambitious, demanding manipulations of the ego will be easily lost. Joy and success are achieved by relating correctly to others and to Higher Power. Steadfastly practice innocence, modesty, acceptance, detachment, and gentleness. This hexagram is of two lakes joined together to keep from drying up. Now is the time to join with like minded friends in discussion and contemplation of higher things. In detachment there is freedom and contentment. Empty oneself of all desires and find true joy.

Of oppression, the book describes now as a time of unavoidable adversity, and instructs that quiet strength now will insure greater success later. Now is a time of exhaustion; meet oppression (lack of forward progress) with cheerful bending. This will allow one to meet with success later. Inferior elements restrain the superior person.

Root out and remove any idea or attitude which causes negative feelings. Open the mind, quiet the heart, calmly hold to proper principles, thereby making it possible for the Creative to eliminate the oppression that currently exists.

I'm reminded again that adopting softer, gentler, feminine qualities will be an avenue to finding balance and putting my trust in something higher, something outside myself. I'm not so good at putting my trust in anything outside of me. I have always been much more focused on affecting my own change, of being my own source of strength and power and affirmation. Perhaps that is why I feel so depleted.

I'm also extremely lacking in anything resembling modesty; putting my desires away is foreign to me, feels completely unknown to my personality. I'm a hedonist at heart; treating social and personal considerations with regard, my basic philosophy about comparative morality is: if it feels good, do it. If it doesn't feel good, don't do it. The idea of putting away immodest desires doesn't seem like my own path to finding joy. It's a lovely concept, but I don't think I can pull it off. I think I'll just focus on accepting the Feminine for now, because that seems like a big enough job without trying to turn off all my desires and not acting like a wanton, over-sexed girl.