ASK ROASTIE

BAD ADVICE. GOOD TIMING.

HEXAGRAM 21 OF 64 FIRE OVER THUNDER

BITING THROUGH

噬嗑 Shì Kè

biting through, justice, punishment, clearing an obstacle, decisiveness

ROASTIE

Biting Through. Thunder and Fire, the jaws snapping shut, the law and the punishment. The book wants something cut through decisively. You've been chewing the same problem since the spring with a mouth full of excuses. Bite through means stop gumming it, honey. You're not a judge, you're a goldfish with a grudge. Ya roasted!

THE JUDGMENT

Success. It is a good time to make use of the law and punishment.

THE LINES, BOTTOM TO TOP

  1. Line 1 Feet in the stocks so the toes disappear; no mistake.
  2. Line 2 Biting through soft flesh so deep the nose disappears; no mistake.
  3. Line 3 Biting on dried meat and meeting something poisonous; small regret, no mistake.
  4. Line 4 Biting on dried gristly meat and finding a metal arrowhead; firm through hardship, good fortune.
  5. Line 5 Biting on dried meat and finding yellow gold; stay firm, aware of danger; no mistake.
  6. Line 6 Wearing the wooden collar so heavy that the ears disappear; misfortune.
THROW YOUR OWN ALL SIXTY-FOUR

Text: the I Ching, after James Legge's 1882 translation, public domain, trimmed into plain English. The take: a coffee bean, licensed in nothing.