Saturday, August 20, 2011

Does the I Ching have the answers I seek?

For his weekly Saturday Night Genealogy Fun Randy at GeneaMusings suggested we seek help from the Online IChing.
  • Go to IChingOnline.net and ask a question relating to your genealogy research. You can "throw the coins virtually" or "throw the coins by hand." You have to click the "throw" button six times, then click on "Read."   
I threw the coins virtually.
  • Report the question you asked and the answer you received, in the form of the Cast Hexagram (which explains the situation you are now in, or what has gone before), to your readers.
I decided to ask a specific question:

Where will I find the record of my great grandmother Bertha's birth?

The answer I received:

 45 - Forty-Five

Ts'ui / Gathering

The Lake rises by welcoming and receiving Earth's waters:
The King approaches his temple.
It is wise to seek audience with him there.

Success follows this course.
Making an offering will seal your good fortune.
A goal will be realized now.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is an important Convergence, and you must be part of it.
Look for the Center of this convergence.
Like waters running to the sea, like an astronomical convergence of planets revolving around the sun, you should let the gravity of this Center draw you near.
Others are also drawn to this Center, and among them you will find shared bonds and kindred spirits.
This tribal convergence will give you a clarity of purpose.
You will no longer be alone.
  • Does the answer make any sense to you? How do you interpret the answer? 
This makes some semblance of sense.  Bertha (Cruvant) Newmark referred to her father as Moshe Leyb the King.  It was a joke likely based at least in part on his initials (M-L-K) spelling the Hebrew word for King.  Is the I Ching telling me I need to figure out the synagogue my great great grandfather attended, and if it still exists, perhaps they might have some records?

What kind of offering do I need to make?

The Center of Convergence I should seek might refer to the local genealogical society.  Others are certainly drawn there.  I've been a member previously, but I have let my membership lapse.

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