A DANGEROUS WOMAN. Hexagram 17: Following, line 5.

HEX 17 I Ching: Richard Wilhelm Translation (wisdomportal.com)

A DANGEROUS WOMAN. Hexagram 17: Following, line 5.

Here is another example of why one must be very careful to check the traditional against empirical reality to establish the correct context.

Many years ago, I was staying with a girlfriend who became increasingly irrational and jealous. We had a big row, and she left. I was glad to see the back of her, as she was getting positively dangerous. I didn’t expect her to return. The place I was staying was chosen by her, and it was a bad choice. I decided to move. I consulted the I Ching about renting a house not too far away. I received hex 17: line 5 and thought that was good. I knew that it was a pleasant place and owned by a nice family.

I stayed there happily for a couple of months, and then my ex turned up and forced her way into my house. She said she had been searching for me for some time and had been asking around until she found me.  She was worse than ever; she threatened me and actually threw some solvent in my face, which caused a rash and made my eyes sore. She refused to leave, and as I did not want to get into a messy fight with her, I had to wait till she went to sleep and sneak out with just what I could carry of my possessions. If I moved to another city altogether. I could easily have moved somewhere further off in the first place and saved myself this unpleasantness.

Analysis

The Judgment Wilhelm/Baynes: Following has supreme success. Perseverance furthers. No blame

°Nine in the fifth place means: Sincere in the good. Good fortune. Every man must have something he follows— something that serves him as a lodestar. He who follows with conviction the beautiful and the good may feel himself strengthened by this saying.

My interpretation.

When you receive this oracle, it usually means you are about to make a bad choice. However, you have the power to make a better one and should do so. 

If you follow the course you planned, all will go well for a while, but then a serious problem will arise. 

Especially avoid apparently easy options. You should consider the long-term benefit rather than to short-term expedience.

The traditional text is correct except by omission. The subject has the power to accomplish something good. They should show due diligence and follow the right course; that is perfectly correct. What it omits is that the path the consultee has initially chosen to follow is incorrect and will lead to misfortune.

As with many of the hexagrams, the truth is easy to see once you know the empirical meaning. Trying to do it the other way around by seeking the truth in the text before knowing the practical meaning is impossible. I know this for sure because I banged my head against this particular wall for decades!

These examples show that whoever wrote the I Ching in the first place knew very well what they were doing. Over time and for all manner of reasons, the truth of the matter has been corrupted or lost. This is not surprising, as you can see, and to this day, no one takes the trouble to check the meanings against reality.

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SEE ALSO THAILAND, A DANGEROUS WOMAN