Okay, so today I decided to mess around with I Ching, specifically hexagram 34, “Da Zhuang,” which is all about great power or strength. I’ve dabbled in I Ching before, but never really focused on a single hexagram like this.
First, I grabbed my trusty old Wilhelm/Baynes translation. You know, the one with the yellowing pages and that slightly musty smell? Yeah, that one. I flipped through it until I found Hexagram 34. I read through the main text, the Image, and the Judgment. It talks about the importance of using power correctly, not just for brute force, but with integrity and perseverance. Sounds good, right?
Then, I decided I needed some more perspectives. So I went online and found a few different interpretations. Some were super dense and philosophical, others were more practical. I skimmed a bunch of them, trying to get a feel for the different ways people understand this hexagram.
My Little Experiment
But reading wasn’t enough. I wanted to actually do something with it. So, I thought, “Okay, how can I apply this ‘great power’ concept to my day?” It’s not like I’m going to go out and conquer the world, you know? I needed something small, something manageable.
I decided to focus on a project I’ve been putting off – cleaning out my cluttered storage room. It’s been a mess for months, and it’s been a constant source of, well, not-so-great power in my life. More like a drain of power, actually.
- I set a timer for just one hour. That felt like a manageable chunk of “great power” time.
- I put on some upbeat music. Gotta have the right soundtrack for conquering clutter!
- I started sorting. Ruthlessly. Throwing things away, organizing what was left, making piles for donations.
The Result
Honestly, after that hour, I was surprised. I didn’t finish the whole room, not even close. But I made significant progress. And more importantly, I felt…lighter. Like I’d actually accomplished something. It wasn’t about the brute force of cleaning the entire room in one go, it was about the sustained, focused effort – that “perseverance” the I Ching talked about.
So, my takeaway from today’s I Ching 34 experiment? Great power isn’t always about huge, dramatic gestures. It’s often about the consistent application of effort, the perseverance to keep going, even when it’s a little messy and not very glamorous. And sometimes, it’s just about finally cleaning out that darn storage room.
