Sub Wife

Sexual Hospitality in the Hebrew Bible

A woman's life in the ancient world was constrained by her social and economic status. As a daughter she was firmly under the aegis of her father and brothers, who would later allocate the woman to another man as his wife. The power of fathers and husbands extended to using their wives and daughters as sexual gifts to gain favour. Yet, alongside this, woman had certain socio-economic rights notably concerning inheritance and property - which they could use to protect themselves. 'Sexual Hospitality in the Hebrew Bible' examines sacred sexuality and ritual fecundity from patronymic marriage - where the husband claims exclusive rights over his wife's sexuality and attributes her offspring to his line and kin - to metronymic conjugal systems which allow a woman to remain in her home where the male consort joins her and her kin. Ranging across abstention, promiscuity, and holy offering, the sexual lives of women in biblical times reveal not only restriction but also female agency and resistance.

Decoding I-Ching

I-Ching is a holy book. It displays a sophisticated system that is as big as no external limitation and as small as no internal boundary. This sophisticated system is demonstrated by numbers and symbols. Number-wise, they are 1 and 2. This is what we call the binary numeral system, a method of mathematical expression that uses only two symbols: typically "0" (zero) and "1" (one). This is what I-ching describes as the principle of yin and yang—the foundation of the eight trigrams and 64 hexagrams. A sophisticated system that is based on nature. Our nature never lies to us; our nature only tells us the truth. Whether we get it or not is our own business. Nature won’t care about it. But if you really respect nature, it will definitely tell you the truth. Through I-ching, you can decode the secret of the universe, because its entire system is derived from nature. The main purpose for which I wrote this book is to give Westerners, or whoever doesn’t understand Chinese, an alternative way to explore this holy book. This is not a religious book; I would rather describe it as a philosophy book. It helps you understand the truth of life through nature. “Nature” is the true author of the book of change (I-Ching). Then, our Holy Saga: Fuxi, King Wen, and Confucius are the co-authors to lift the veil of the mysteric symbols and the esoteric language of I-Ching. This is a very challenging task in translating I-Ching, as the text was written in an ancient language a thousand years ago. Thanks to many academic scholars throughout Chinese history who delved into the meanings and interpretations of King Wen and Confucius’s texts ,so that the later generation is able to understand the profound classic. The Book of Change (I-ching) reveals the truth of life in 64 hexagrams. They serve as a life manual to guide you through the constantly evolving world in which we are living right now. In King Wen’s text, there are no exact “yes” or “no” answers, but it gives you advice on whether it is a favourable time to attack or defend. Go ahead or back off. It also inspires us to embrace change and cultivate a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us. The book of changes allows us to gain clarity and insight in the face of uncertainty and find strength and resilience in times of adversity. Welcome to the exploration of the Book of Change, a gateway to understanding the truth of life.

The Cegiha Language