Today I’m going to tell you a story about a lovely lady, the Marrying Maiden, and the movie she’s staring in, right now. It’s not a short story, but it’s a good one.
(And no, this isn’t about the Brady Bunch, though I suppose, it could be.)
Today – or rather, right now – the moon is in Human Design Gate 54. The gates are originally based on the I Ching, and in this case, Hexagram 54 – “The Marrying Maiden.”
DUDE. WTF Sonja?
Yeah I know. Okay. This is gonna get boring for a hot hiccup so bear with me. Read these next 5 definitions in Morgan Freeman’s voice, and it’ll automatically be more interesting:
🔮🔮🔮
Human design = modern day type of Astrology that blends influences from Astrology, I Ching, Kabbalah, Chakras… basically it’s a big stew of some of the most common methods of talking about “who you are” from a predeterministic kinda way.Gates = elements in human design that help “define” a person
I Ching = Ancient Chinese divination tool / text, throwing sticks on the ground and seeing the truth of the world, pretty cool shit really
Hexagram = element of I Ching, different arrangements of lines, 54 for example looks like this: ䷵
“Moon is in” = The Hexagrams were given astrological correspondence in Human Design, so it’s similar to whatever it means when someone says “the moon is in Capricorn” … only there’s no actual hexagrams (that I know of) in the sky, it’s representational on the chart. The idea being that there are subtle (and sometimes, not so subtle) energetic influences that impact us humans, coming from planetary positions as we thunder through the Universe on our little ball of mostly water.
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And with that **Shakes off Morgan Freeman voice**
Right. So. Today I’m looking up Hexagram 54, because here we are, in it.
And oh, what a difference an author makes.
The first, Brian Browne Walker, talks about the importance of proper conduct in relationships. That it’s easy to fall into ambition, greed, retribution, when we’re not treated the way we would like by others. And ultimately, that discipline and balance come from within, and we must not fall victim to ego.
So, okay.
But what’s up with the name … “The Marrying Maiden”?
Something was pulling at my toes on this one, that there was more to be said about this here Hexagram 54.
So I cracked open Ma Deva Padma’s book on the I Ching. Her interpretations take a different turn, often into a more flowing, soulful characterization, while leaving behind the more direct translations at times.
And there’s a little asterisk in hers, to a footnote, that I had never read before today:
“*The term ‘Marrying Maiden’ is a metaphor. Chinese custom accepted that a man could take an additional ‘wife’ for his pleasure. She had no real status in the household, and her position was contingent upon her usefulness to her husband.”
😲 HEYO, what now? 🧐
It’s no surprise, then, that her take on “The Marrying Maiden” is wildly different from Brian Browne Walker’s. To her, this hexagram is about a relationship not being what you thought, that you unexpectedly find yourself in a subordinate or inferior position to others, and you feel like shit about it. “Dealing with the feeling of having been used, or understanding that you have compromised what is truly important to you, requires absolute honesty with yourself. … Finding out that you have been a pawn in someone else’s game is such a rude awakening that it’s impossible to ignore it or brush it aside.”
I mean, hot damn.
So at this point, I’m fully enamored with what’s happening in this hexagram, and I skipped on over to one of the classic I Ching translations, by Richard Wilhelm. And it did not disappoint.
Here we have an expansion on the story of the maiden. She’s brought into the home of the man of “her choosing,” and her role must be kept subservient, quiet in the background. She must recognize her position, not step out of line, etc etc. And “if she understands how to fit herself into the pattern of things, her position will be entirely satisfactory, and she will feel sheltered in the love of the husband to whom she bears children.”
**Takes a hot minute to recover from that little gem**
The translation continues on to outline how this relationship plays itself out regularly. The trusted advisor and friend to the Prince, must also make himself fade into the background under the public eye, and could not be seen as having too much direct influence … but the potential for influence, when handled correctly, was immense.
And then, leap forward a few thousand years, Human Design has Gate 54 as “Drive.” It’s about ambition, it’s about success, about a drive to transform. In it’s darker moments, it’s about blindly chasing greed, how one can be by a blind lust for money. Some authors still discuss the relational nature of this gate (particularly when being seen or recognized by others), but much of the writing about it is about the individual’s ability to excel, find enlightenment, fulfill dreams. In “The Gene Keys,” Richard Rudd (who studied with the founder of Human Design for quite some time) describes 54 as “Working with others for the benefit of others.” How “the secret of real growth and expansion lies in mutually cooperative models between different groups or organizations.”
Ultimately there’s (almost) as much variance in the Human Design definitions as there is the original Hexagram, but you get the idea.
Throughout ALL of these, there is a consistent theme. And, finding the patterns in the Hexagrams, Tarot, Human Design, has been a lot of what I’ve been working on lately.
The theme here is, a certain amount of caution in relationships. Handling relationships with delicacy. Making sure all of your relationships are to your liking; handling yourself with care and humbleness within your relationships, especially in communication; and when your relationships are not serving you anymore, to GTFO.
Now we’re at the point where this movie might feel like it’s wrapping up. That I’m about to drop the moral and ride off into the sunset, freeing some concubine from her enslavement.
But we’re not actually there yet, there’s still a few more plot twists along the way.
As I reflected on alllll these different ways to shift and reframe an idea, and kept Googs busy looking for different definitions of Gate 54, I noticed something else.
Pluto, in the last year or two, went *from* gate 54, *into* Hexagram 61, where it will stay for another year or few. Hexagram 61 is Inner Truth.
**Dramatic overlay from Morgan Freeman, as an artist’s rendition of Pluto rotates dramatically on the screen** Pluto brings truth to light. It uncovers the true root of things.
Hexagram 61 knows the truth. It is a deep knowing of what is right. It creates progress, change, and an unwillingness to abide by what was wrong before.
As Pluto moved into 61, it unveils what has been rotten, personally and globally. Truths are being exposed on every level.
This movie actually has a few endings. For example …
Where you source information matters. Every story has many sides, and blindly following one creates a very narrow view.
… or …
Your voice, the way you tell the story, matters. No one has _your_ view of it, whatever “it” is. And there are people who will resonate with what _you_ have to say.
… or …
2020 is airing out all the dirty laundry. And it’s not done yet.
… or …