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The rain whispered against the temple windows as Mystical Summoner approached the ancient cedar table. Upon it rested three weathered coins and a copy of the I Ching whose pages had yellowed with age. "You seek knowledge of the path ahead," I said. Mystical Summoner nodded, his eyes fixed upon the book. Without another word, the coins were cast six times. Each fall echoed through the chamber like a distant bell. Line by line, a hexagram emerged. At last, I opened the book. "You have drawn Hexagram 49: Revolution." A silence settled between us."Many fear this hexagram," I continued, tracing the ancient characters with my finger. "They mistake revolution for destruction. But the I Ching speaks not of chaos. It speaks of transformation that arrives when the old skin can no longer contain the living spirit within." The candles flickered."The Oracle says that your present path has reached a turning point. Something you have long carried ? an identity, a duty, perhaps even a belief ? has fulfilled its purpose. The time approaches when it must be released." Mystical Summoner frowned."What if I resist?" I turned a page and revealed the changing lines."The moving lines answer that question. Resistance will delay the change, but not prevent it. The river does not ask the mountain for permission before it carves a new valley." The room grew colder. I continued reading."The transformed hexagram is Hexagram 55: Feng, or Abundance." Mystical Summoner's eyes widened."Then the future is favorable?" "The future is full," I replied. "But abundance is not the same as comfort. This hexagram appears when destiny gathers momentum. Opportunities arrive. Responsibilities grow. Visibility increases. Others will look to you for guidance." Outside, thunder rolled across the heavens."The Oracle shows a path where your influence expands, but only after you release what no longer serves your purpose. Revolution gives birth to abundance." Mystical Summoner sat quietly, absorbing the words. Finally he asked, "What is the lesson?" I closed the ancient book."The lesson is simple. Do not cling to the person you were when the person you are becoming is already knocking at the door." For a moment neither of us spoke.Then a beam of moonlight broke through the storm clouds and illuminated the table.The reading was complete. And somewhere beyond the temple walls, unseen wheels of fate had already begun to turn. ~Lenny* | |