There were "old" features in your gua (hexagram). It means that you have two hexagrams. The first one — is something that the Book tells you at the moment, the second is something it warns you about. |
 |
→ |
 |
  2. Field (kūn). The ReceptiveAdvise
Benefit is in expecting changes. Only having realized necessity and inevitability of cataclysms during transition from one state to another, it is possible to man and overcome difficulties – stop dawdling and spinning the wheels.
Inital text of I ChingThe Judgement
The Receptive brings about sublime success, furthering through the perseverance of a mare. If the superior man undertakes something and tries to lead, he goes astray; But if he follows, he finds guidance. It is favorable to find friends in the west and south, to forego friends in the east and north. Quiet perseverance brings good fortune.
The Image
The earth's condition is receptive devotion. Thus the superior man who has breadth of character carries the outer world.
- When there is hoarfrost underfoot, solid ice is not far off.
- Straight, square, great. Without purpose, yet nothing remains unfurthered.
- Hidden lines. One is able to remain persevering. If by chance you are in the service of a king, seek not works, but bring to completion.
- A tied-up sack. No blame, no praise.
- A yellow lower garment brings supreme good fortune.
- Dragons fight in the meadow. Their blood is black and yellow.
Lasting perseverance furthers. Prediction
Earth is passive female origin. It is time of compromise. Firmness and tenacity are necessary for achieving the desired goal. Bit also obedience is needed to go in this direction subordinating impulse of creativity. Interest and hard work are necessary. Do not think that everything will happen itself. Work will be highly awarded.
This hexagram is made up of broken lines only. The broken lines represents
the dark, yielding, receptive primal power of yin. The attribute of the
hexagram is devotion; its image is the earth. It is the perfect complement of
THE CREATIVE--the complement, not the opposite, for the Receptive does
not combat the Creative but completes it . It represents nature in contrast to
spirit, earth in contrast to heaven, space as against time, the female-maternal
as against the male-paternal. However, as applied to human affairs, the
principle of this complementary relationship is found not only in the relation
between man and woman, but also in that between prince and minister and
between father and son. Indeed, even in the individual this duality appears
in the coexistence of the spiritual world and the world of the senses.
But strictly speaking there is no real dualism here, because there is a clearly
defined hierarchic relationship between the two principles. In itself of course
the Receptive is just as important as the Creative, but the attribute of
devotion defines the place occupied by this primal power in relation to the
Creative. For the Receptive must be activated and led by the Creative; then it
is productive of good. Only when it abandons this position and tries to stand
as an equal side by side with the Creative, does it become evil. The result
then is opposition to and struggle against the Creative, which is productive of
evil to both.
THE JUDGMENT
The four fundamental aspects of the Creative--"sublime success, furthering
through perseverance"--are also attributed to the Receptive. Here, however,
the perseverance is more closely defined: it is that of a mare. The Receptive
connotes spatial reality in contrast to the spiritual potentiality of the Creative.
The potential becomes real and the spiritual becomes spatial through a
specifically qualifying definition. Thus the qualification, "of a mare," is here
added to the idea of perseverance. The horse belongs to earth just as the
dragon belongs to heaven. Its tireless roaming over the plains is taken as a
symbol of the vast expanse of the earth. This is the symbol chosen because
the mare combines the strength and swiftness of the horse with the
gentleness and devotion of the cow.
Only because nature in its myriad forms corresponds with the myriad
impulses of the Creative can it make these impulses real. Nature's richness
lies in its power to nourish all living things; its greatness lies in its power to
give then beauty and splendor. Thus it prospers all that lives. IT is the
Creative that begets things, but they are brought to birth by the Receptive.
Applied to human affairs, therefore, what the hexagram indicated is action in
conformity with the situation. The person in questions not in an
independent position, but is acting as an assistant. This means that he must
achieve something. It is not his task to try to lead--that would only make him
lose the way-but to let himself be led. If he knows how to meet fate with an
attitude of acceptance, he is sure to find the right guidance. The superior man
lets himself be guided; he does not go ahead blindly, but learns from the
situation what is demanded of him and then follows this intimation from
fate.
Since there is something to be accomplished, we need friends and helpers in
the hour of toil and effort, once the ideas to be realized are firmly set. The
time of toil and effort is indicated by the west and south, for west and south
symbolize the place where the Receptive works for the Creative, as nature
does in summer and autumn. If in that situation one does not mobilize all
one's powers, the work to be accomplished will not be done. Hence to find
friends there means to find guidance. But in addition to the time of toil and
effort, there is also a time of planning, and for this we need this solitude. The
east symbolized the place where a man receives orders from his master, and
the north the place where he reports on what he has done. At that time he
must be alone and objective. In this sacred hour he must do without
companions. So that the purity of the moment may not be spoiled by fictional
hates and favoritism.
THE IMAGE
Just as there is only one heaven, so too there is only one earth. In the
hexagram of heaven the doubling of the trigram implies duration in time,
but in the hexagram of earth the doubling connotes the solidity and extension
in space by virtue of which the earth is able to carry and preserve all things
that live and move upon it. The earth in its devotion carries all things, good
and evil,, without exception. In the same way the superior man gives to his
character breadth, purity, and sustaining power, so that he is able both to
support and to bear with people and things.
1
Just as the light-giving power represents life, so the dark power, the shadowy,
represents death. When the first hoarfrost comes in the autumn, the power
of darkness and cold is just at its beginning. After these first warnings, signs
of death will gradually multiply, until, in obedience to immutable laws, stark
winter with its ice is here.
In life it is the same. After certain scarcely noticeable signs of decay have
appeared, they go on increasing until final dissolution comes. But in life
precautions can be taken by heeding the first signs of decay and checking them
in time.
2
The symbol of heaven is the circle, and that of earth is the square. Thus
squareness is a primary quality of the earth. On the other hand, movement
in a straight line, as well as magnitude, is a primary quality of the Creative.
But all square things have their origin in a straight line and into turn form
solid bodies. In mathematics, when we discriminate between lines, planes
and solids, we find that rectangular planes result from straight lines, and
cubic magnitudes from rectangular planes. The Receptive accommodates
itself to the qualities of the Creative and makes them its own. Thus a square
develops out of a straight line and a cube out of a square. This is compliance
with the laws of the Creative; nothing is taken away, nothing added.
Therefore the Receptive has no need of a special purpose of its own, nor of
any effort' yet everything turns out as it should.
Nature creates all beings without erring: this is its foursquareness. It
tolerates all creatures equally: this is its greatness. Therefore it attains what is
right for all without artifice or special intentions. Man achieves the height of
wisdom when all that he does is as self-evident as what nature does.
3
If a man is free of vanity he is able to conceal his abilities and keep them from
attracting attention too soon; thus he can mature undisturbed. If conditions
demand it, he can also enter public life, but that too he does with restraint.
The wise man gladly leaves fame to others. He does not seek to have credited
to himself things that stand accomplished, but hopes to release active forces;
that is, he completes his works in such a manner that they may bear fruit for
the future.
4
The dark element opens when it moves and closes when at rest. The strictest
reticence is indicated here. The time is dangerous , because any degree of
prominence leads either to the enmity of irresistible antagonists if one
challenges them or to misconceived recognition if one is complaisant.
Therefore a man ought to maintain reserve, be it in solitude or in the turmoil
of the world, for there too he can hide himself so well that no one knows
him.
5
Yellow is the color of the earth and of the middle; it is the symbol of that
which is reliable and genuine. The lower garment is inconspicuously
decorated--the symbol of aristocratic reserve. When anyone is called upon to
work in a prominent but not independent position, true success depends on
the utmost discretion. A man's genuineness and refinement should not
reveal themselves directly; they should express themselves only indirectly as
an effect from within.
6
In the top place the dark element should yield to the light. If it attempts to
maintain a position to which it is not entitled and to rule instead of serving,
it draws down upon itself the anger of the strong. A struggle ensues in which
it is overthrown, with injury, however, to both sides. The dragon, symbol of
heaven, comes to fight the false dragon that symbolized the inflation of the
earth principle. Midnight blue is the color of heaven; yellow is the color of
earth. Therefore, when black and yellow blood flow, it is a sign that in this
unnatural contest both primal powers suffer injury.
When nothing but sixes appears, the hexagram of THE RECEPTIVE changes
into the hexagram of THE CREATIVE. By holding fast to what is right, it
gains the power of enduring. There is indeed no advance, but neither is there
retrogression.
Barbara Hejslip interpretationGods have wakened mother-ground. It is necessary for you to work assiduously, and your efforts in two months will crown greater success. You are the person cultural and thirsting knowledge, with love concerning even to the smallest fruits of the work. You are respectful and adhered to mother. Now do not think too much of material benefit, do not give vent to greed. Your desire will be executed, though and not at once. In the near future it is not recommended to send to road - to any, with someone. In your circle soon there will be a person feeding for you strong interest.
  63. Already Fording (jì jì). After CompletionAdvise
Weight your efforts, act gradually, and show self-possession and self-control. Value something you have but be ready to sacrifice it for sake of great aim achieving.
Inital text of I ChingThe Judgement
After Completion. Success in small matters. Perseverance furthers. At the beginning good fortune, at the end disorder.
The Image
Water over fire: The image of the condition in After Completion. Thus the superior man takes thought of misfortune and arms himself against it in advance.
- He brakes his wheels. He gets his tail in the water. No blame.
- The woman loses the curtain of her carriage. Do not run after it; On the seventh day you will get it.
- The Illustrious Ancestor disciplines the Devil's Country. After three years he conquers it. Inferior people must not be employed.
- The finest clothes turn to rags. Be careful all day long.
- The neighbor in the east who slaughters an ox does not attain as much real happiness as the neighbor in the west with his small offering.
- He gets his head in the water. Danger.
Prediction
Start with small steps, hope for favorable result and do not complain of fate. Do not wait for quick results and profit. Small has been achieved and, if following the natural course of things, it will turn into something great. On the whole, the situation is favorable but it should be lived carefully. Expect some sudden changes, chaos in future. But it is for the good: destruction of old creates conditions for new, chaos precedes new creative inspiration.
This hexagram is the evolution of T'ai PEACE (11). The transition from
confusion to order is completed, and everything is in its proper place even in
particulars. The strong lines are in the strong places, the weak lines in the
weak places. This is a very favorable outlook, yet it gives reason for thought.
For it is just when perfect equilibrium has been reached that any movement
may cause order to revert to disorder. The one strong line that has moved to
the top, thus effecting complete order in details, is followed by the other lines.
Each moving according to its nature, and thus suddenly there arises again the
hexagram P'i, STANDSTILL (12).
Hence the present hexagram indicates the conditions of a time of climax,
which necessitate the utmost caution.
THE JUDGMENT
The transition from the old to the new time is already accomplished. In
principle, everything stands systematized, and it si only in regard to details
that success is still to be achieved. In respect to this, however, we must be
careful to maintain the right attitude. Everything proceeds as if of its own
accord, and this can all too easily tempt us to relax and let thing take their
course without troubling over details. Such indifference is the root of all evil.
Symptoms of decay are bound to be the result. Here we have the rule
indicating the usual course of history. But this rule is not an inescapable law.
He who understands it is in position to avoid its effects by dint of unremitting
perseverance and caution.
THE IMAGE
When water in a kettle hangs over fire, the two elements stand in relation
and thus generate energy (cf. the production of steam). But the resulting
tension demands caution. If the water boils over, the fire is extinguished an
its energy is lost. If the heat is too great, the water evaporates into the air.
These elements here brought in to relation and thus generating energy are by
nature hostile to each other. Only the most extreme caution can prevent
damage. In life too there are junctures when all forces are in balance and
work in harmony, so that everything seems to be in the best of order. In such
times only the sage recognizes the moments that bode danger and knows how
to banish it by means of timely precautions.
1
In times following a great transition, everything is pressing forward, striving
in the direction of development and progress. But this pressing forward at
the beginning is not good; it overshoots the mark and leads with certainty to
loss and collapse. Therefore a man of strong character does not allow himself
to be infected by the general intoxication but checks his course in time. He
may indeed not remain altogether untouched by the disastrous consequences
of the general pressure, but he is hit only from behind like a fox that, having
crossed the water, at the last minute gets its tail wet. He will not suffer any
real harm, because his behavior has been correct.
2
When a woman drove out in her carriage, she had a curtain that hid her
from the glances of the curious. It was regarded as a breach of propriety to
drive on if this curtain was lost. Applied to public life, this means that a man
who wants to achieve something is not receiving that confidence of the
authorities which he needs, so to speak, for his personal protection.
Especially in times "after completion" it may happen that those who have
come to power grow arrogant and conceited and no longer trouble
themselves about fostering new talent.
This as a rule results in office seeking. If a man's superiors withhold their
trust from him, he will seek ways and means of getting it and of drawing
attention to himself. We are warned against such an unworthy procedure:
"Do not seek it." Do not throw yourself away on the world, but wait
tranquilly and develop your personal worth by your own efforts. Times
change. When the six stages of the hexagram have passed, the new era
dawns. That which is a man's own cannot be permanently lost. It comes to
him of its own accord. He need only be able to wait.
3
"Illustrious Ancestor" is the dynastic title of the Emperor Wu Ting of the Yin
dynasty. After putting his realm in order with a strong hand, he waged long
colonial wars for the subjection of the Huns who occupied the northern
borderland with constant threat of incursions.
The situation described is as follows. After times of completion, when a
new power has arisen and everything within the country has been set in
order, a period of colonial expansion almost inevitably follows. Then as a
rule long-drawn-out struggles must be reckoned with. For this reason, a
correct colonial policy is especially important. The territory won at such bitter
cost must not be regarded as an almshouse for people who in one way or
another have hade themselves impossible at home, but who are thought to
be quite good enough for the colonies. Such a policy ruins at the outset any
chance of success. This holds true in small as well as large matters, because it
is not only rising states that carry on a colonial policy; the urge to expand,
with its accompanying dangers, is part and parcel of every ambitious
undertaking.
4
In a time of flowering culture, an occasional convulsion is bound to occur,
uncovering a hidden evil within society and at first causing a great sensation.
But since the situation is favorable on the whole, such evils can easily be
glossed over and concealed from the public. Then everything is forgotten and
peace apparently reigns complacently once more. However, to the thoughtful
man, such occurrences are grave omens that he does not neglect. This is the
only way of averting evil consequences.
5
Religious attitudes are likewise influenced by the spiritual atmosphere
prevailing in times after completion. In divine worship the simple old forms
are replaced by an ever more elaborate ritual and an ever greater outward
display. But inner seriousness is lacking in this show of magnificence;
human caprice takes the place of conscientious obedience to the divine will.
However, while man sees what is before his eyes, God looks into the heart.
Therefore a simple sacrifice offered with real piety holds a greater blessing
than an impressive service without warmth.
6
Here in conclusion another warning is added. After crossing a stream, a
man's head can get into the water only if he is so imprudent as to turn back.
As long as he goes forward and does not look back, he escapes this danger.
But there is a fascination in standing still and looking back on a peril
overcome. However, such vain self-admiration brings misfortune. It leads
only to danger, and unless one finally resolves to go forward without
pausing, one falls a victim to this danger.
Barbara Hejslip interpretationIf suddenly you now with someone will quarrel, it is better to address to you to somebody to the third who could mediate between you. If you once have excelled - it is not necessary to give in to desire again to repeat it. Think of this: if will follow to this advice the award will be to you full realization of your desires. It is not necessary to throw now all forces on new business; it will not lead to success. Of what you dream and to what aspire - will be executed, but eventually, not at once.
|
Richard Wilhelm's commentary