Phrases like “slow productivity” and “unambitious goals” are popping up more frequently during my perusals of the internet and podcasts. That came to mind when pondering Hexagram 19: Approach of the I Ching, which is our hexagram host for this next week of Aquarius.
This hexagram speaks to situations that demand tangible results too quickly. Or those that focus exclusively on results rather than on patience and process. When expectations are unrealistic, then there is misfortune. If you have ever worked in the business world, you have probably experienced situations when an intense focus on data, goals, and KPIs has been detrimental and resulted in missed opportunities.
As Hilary Barrett says in her translation of Hexagram 19:
Having something to show for a process of growth doesn’t mean you’ve arrived at its outcome: harvest is not the end. As each harvest is gathered in and stored, the seasonal cycle of growth continues; you need to stay present to its ongoing changes, wherever they might lead.”
The image of the hexagram is of the earth above the lake. This alchemical combination represents a noble leader instructing, protecting, and being accepting of their people. As Barrett says,
A noble one has the inner reflective depths of the lake, contained within the protective, accepting qualities of the earth. She is the one with endless capacity to reflect, interact, and explain, to shelter and nurture people as a parent protects a child. She has the strength and maturity, and so naturally she becomes responsible.
And speaking of earth, I love how James Hillman describes earth:
Our heads are alreays reaching up and out to the celestial earth. And the problem of head trips is not that they are trips or that they are heady, but that they are not grounded. To ground these flights of fancy and ideational excursions, psychology sends the head down again to the material earth, insisting it bow down to the dark madonna of tangible concrete existence.
If you work with clients as a therapist, astrologer, coach, or in any other capacity – or simply in our everyday one-on-one interactions with others – we can also think of this as trying to “keep the soul in the middle,” as astrologer Clare Martin so eloquently states:
One of the main tasks of alchemy is to keep the soul in the middle, not allowing it to disappear either in the ethereal heights of spirit or in the dense materialism and overwhelming atractions of the body and its world.
Embracing the energy of Hexagram 19: Approach during Aquarius season invites us to navigate life with open-minded curiosity and innovative thinking. Approach situations with flexibility and adaptabilitly; Aquarius encourages us to break free from conventional norms. Keep the soul in the middle as you approach with sincerity and let authenticity be your compass as you shape yourself to the contours of change.
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REFERENCES:
I Ching: Walking Your Path, Creating Your Future by Hilary Barrett
Alchemical Psychology by James Hillman
Alchemy: The Soul of Astrology by Clare Martin
