The obstacle is the way, as the Stoics say.
It’s good that we stilled ourselves, because now there is an obstacle to face. Such is the cadence of life. We have now arrived at the Hexagram 39: Obstacles section of Cancer*.
Many of our external obstacles are generated internally. We are blocking our own progress, yet we tend to blame other people, circumstances, genes, the environment, and more. This is what is known as projection.
Even if the obstacle is self-inflicted, the work on getting through it need not be done alone. Other people can help us look at the problem from a new angle. You are never alone.
Here are a few questions that Hilary Barret invites us to ponder regarding this hexagram and an obstacle you may be facing:
*Where can you find help?
*How could you see the obstacles differently?
*Can you imagine going a different way?
I’ll close with a quote from Ryan Holiday’s book The Obstacle is the Way:
It’s an infinitely elastic formula: In every situation, that which blocks our path actually presents a new path with a new part of us. If someone you love hurts you, there is a chance to practice forgiveness. If your business fails, now you can practice acceptance. If there is nothing else you can do for yourself, at least you can try to help others. Problems, as Duke Ellington once said, are a chance for us to do our best. Just our best, that’s it. Not the impossible.
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*The 64 hexagrams of the I Ching are arranged along the ecliptic (the celestial equator) in Human Design. In astrology there are 12 zodiac signs along the ecliptic, so there are 5.3 hexagrams per zodiac sign. I’m contemplating these hexagrams as a way to engage with astrology, the I Ching, and Jungian psychology.
References:
I Ching: Walking Your Path, Creating Your Future by H ilary Barrett
The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday
