The Gate of Recalibration
Other Names: Provocation, Obstruction/Obstacles
Biology: adrenal glands
Archetypal Insight from the I Ching, by Ma Deva Padma; when this description resonates, a shift from novice expression to wisdom is likely imminent:
The media presents countless images of a flawless, streamlined life that never sweats the small stuff. It’s the glamour of the movers and shakers – a façade that sends the message that it’s all under control, that those who have made it can do whatever they want, whenever they want. They have enough clout to gain entry anywhere, anytime. They are never questioned, never frustrated or disappointed.
The reality is that we never meet such modern-day myths on the streets where we live. There are no guarantees in life – we humans do not have ultimate control over its unfolding lessons and ups and downs. No matter what our achievements may be, each and every one of us can be faced at any time with obstructions that appear insurmountable and seem to prevent all progress.
Unfortunate events that occur completely out of the blue can be devastating to your sense of security. Suddenly you find that the crisis demands your whole attention at a time when it is difficult enough just to keep your head above water. If the deteriorating conditions persist you can begin to panic at the prospect of a severe setback that might have long-term consequences, or even be impossible to overcome. But once you succumb to panic, then helplessness and confusion are sure to follow with a stranglehold on clear thinking that promptly sends all your efforts to keep it together straight down the drain. Struggling against what is happening will just compound your frustration as all your strategies seem to lead nowhere or, worse, increase your difficulties.
You can bemoan the unfairness of fate, but all that really does is indulge the victim mentality, which further weakens you by draining your potential for empowered action. To work creatively with what the present circumstances are bringing, you must heed your gut intuition, and bypass anything that threatens to divert you from its guidance.
Honestly ask yourself if you have become too fixated on progress at the expense of harmony with others, and your own inner balance. When things reach such a state, the whole point is that you have missed the point… that whatever you’re clinging to is the very thing you’re meant to let go of. As soon as you begin to relax the viselike grip of fear and stop struggling to keep it all together, the situation will start to feel less overwhelming.
The big picture is dispassionate; it is never fixed, it is an ongoing, balancing dynamic that works to reduce excess and fill emptiness. Tuning in to that “bigger picture” is essential now. Choose to keep your energy moving, even though just at this moment it might not make sense to you, rather than to roll over belly-up in defeat. Work with what arises in the moment, in the best way you can; if you’re willing to persevere by rolling with the current, rather than resisting it, you will not only survive but you will succeed. By taking responsibility for the choices you make, the apparently insurmountable can be conquered,
The Changes (additional insight for applying the Line of an activated Gate)
Line 1 – Investigator/Information
If you haven’t yet measured the height and width of that big boulder in your path, don’t be too quick to unpack your hiking boots and climbing gear. Better to take a look around and see if there are any alternative trails you might have missed. Even if scaling the boulder is the only option, it’s probably not a bad idea to sit down by the side of the road and have a little snack first to build up your strength.
Line 2 – Responder/Hermit
Navigating your way through the darkness requires heightened alertness and sensitivity that makes A it possible to “see” through all the senses. The fear that is caused by uncertainty, however, can interfere with the very sharpness of the senses that is needed. If your goal is larger than merely serving your own individual interests, you can proceed even in the darkest night without fear. You will be supported in many visible and invisible ways.
Line 3 – Explorer
Abandoning all your everyday routines in order to deal with difficulties and obstructions can have the unintended consequence of leaving others around you off balance and feeling threatened. Slow down, come back to your center, and look for a middle way out of the present impasse.
Line 4 – Stabilizer
Don’t be afraid to expose your vulnerability and seek whatever guidance may help you strengthen your intuitive sense of what is needed. Trying times happen to every living thing. To be alive means to be vulnerable. Misfortune can be strengthening and empowering; it all depends on your perspective. Your awareness can become much sharper under challenging circumstances, and your capacity to deal with obstacles can be strengthened by the knowledge that you have support from others.
Line 5 – Visionary Leader
To live in uncertainty is to live in tune with what is. To live in uncertainty is to live in trust. To squeeze every drop from all of life’s experiences, not just the sweet but the bitter, too, means you are continuously nurtured by the Great Mother.
Line 6 – Adept/Role Model
When you are faced with obstacles, it makes little difference whether they are due to a change in someone’s emotional climate, the sociopolitical climate, or global climate change. All difficulties are reminders that no matter how hard we work to secure our place in the world, the possibility exists that we can suffer a loss or opposition from any number of sources. You can’t escape the reality; you can only adjust your inner response to the outer circumstances.
Other aspects
Astrological Sign: Cancer
Dynamics: Keeping Still (mountain) + Abysmal (water)
Color: dark green + blue
Attributes: rest, meditation, stillness, enduring + facing danger, difficult, emotional, obstructing
Action(s): to limit and risk
Developmental: maturity + fetal