Routinely after my morning prayers I consult the “Book of Change,” the I Ching, and ask it “how the Tao will express itself in my life today?” Today brought hexagram 8, Unity, which mandated that I consult the oracle again for a “great and lasting omen.”

Literally a “great and lasting omen” would be a “big picture” reading, disclosing information regarding causes and conditions occurring in the macrocosm. The omen was hexagram 51, Thunder, and my notes directly quoting the Blofeld translation follow.

Thunder: Success! Thunder comes with a terrible noise, laughing and shouting in awesome glee and frightening people for a hundred miles around. The sacrificial wine is not spilt.

This suggests that the holder of the sacrificial vessel is not easily alarmed, or else that he is very wise and able to distinguish between the apparently dangerous and the really dangerous.

Thunder’s terrible roar is frightening, but this leads to happiness.

Fear is often a good mentor; by causing us to change our ways it leads to happiness.

That the sacrificial wine is not spilt indicates that someone now appears who is capable of guarding the temple of the ancestors and the shrines of the harvest gods, one qualified to be the leader of the sacrifices. This hexagram symbolizes continuous thunder. The Superior Man in fear and trembling seeks to improve himself. Transformative line: Thunder comes with a mighty roar which changes to noisy glee – good fortune! Its frightening roar causes fear which leads to happiness.

Fear is often a good mentor; by causing us to change our ways it leads to happiness.

Its noisy glee is followed by good order.

Transformative Line: Thunderous impetuosity – to emulate it at this time will not give rise to harm.

The Superior Man usually acts calmly and carefully, but there are times when impetuosity serves a good purpose or, at the very least does no particular harm.