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. |
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  32. Persevering (héng). DurationAdvise
Constancy is not the same as immobility. It consists of a set of gradual changes. Immobility leads to stagnation and destruction.
Inital text of I ChingThe Judgement
Duration. Success. No blame. Perseverance furthers. It furthers one to have somewhere to go.
The Image
Thunder and wind: the image of Duration. Thus the superior man stands firm and does not change his direction.
- Seeking duration too hastily brings misfortune persistently. Nothing that would further.
- Remorse disappears.
- He who does not give duration to his character meets with disgrace. Persistent humiliation.
- No game in the field.
- Giving duration to one's character through perseverance. This is good fortune for a woman, misfortune for a man.
- Restlessness as an enduring condition brings misfortune.
Prediction
Wanting to achieve the goal, be guided by the law of constancy. Be true to yourself, your business and duty. Look for new solutions, gain experience. Work hard in alliance with like-minded people. Listen to the opinions of wise people and do not reject what at first seems wrong. Go slowly - the way to truth is not short. Do not be afraid of difficulties – something that is too easily given, is little appreciated. Think whether you occupy your place. If the position burdens you, then change it.
The strong trigram Chên is above, the weak trigram Sun below. This
hexagram is the inverse of the preceding one. In the latter we have influence,
here we have union as an enduring condition. The two images are thunder
and wind, which are likewise constantly paired phenomena. The lower
trigram indicates gentleness within; the upper, movement without.
In the sphere of social relationships, the hexagram represents the institution
of marriage as the enduring union of the sexes. During courtship the young
man subordinates himself to the girl, but in marriage, which is represented by
the coming together of the eldest son and the eldest daughter, the husband is
the directing and moving force outside, while the wife, inside, is gentle and
submissive.
THE JUDGMENT
Duration is a state whose movement is not worn down by hindrances. It is
not a state of rest, for mere standstill is regression. Duration is rather the self-
contained and therefore self-renewing movement of an organized, firmly
integrated whole, taking place in accordance with immutable laws and
beginning anew at every ending. The end is reached by an inward
movement, by inhalation, systole, contraction, and this movement turns into
a new beginning, in which the movement is directed outward, in exhalation,
diastole, expansion.
Heavenly bodies exemplify duration. They move in their fixed orbits, and
because of this their light-giving power endures. The seasons of the year
follow a fixed law of change and transformation, hence can produce effects
that endure.
So likewise the dedicated man embodies an enduring meaning in his way
of life, and thereby the world is formed. In that which gives things their
duration, we can come to understand the nature of all beings in heaven and
on earth.
THE IMAGE
Thunder rolls, and the wind blows; both are examples of extreme mobility
and so are seemingly the very opposite of duration, but the laws governing
their appearance and subsidence, their coming and going, endure. In the same
way the independence of the superior man is not based on rigidity and
immobility of character. He always keeps abreast of the time and changes
with it. What endures is the unswerving directive, the inner law of his
being, which determines all his actions.
1
Whatever endures can be created only gradually by long-continued work and
careful reflection. In the same sense Lao-tse says: "If we wish to compress
something, we must first let it fully expand." He who demands too much at
once is acting precipitately, and because he attempts too much, he ends by
succeeding in nothing.
2
The situation is abnormal. A man's force of character is greater than the
available material power. Thus he might be afraid of allowing himself to
attempt something beyond his strength. However, since it is the time of
DURATION, it is possible for him to control his inner strength and so to
avoid excess. Cause for remorse then disappears.
3
If a man remains at the mercy of moods of hope or fear aroused by the outer
world, he loses his inner consistency of character. Such inconsistency
invariably leads to distressing experiences. These humiliations often come
from an unforeseen quarter. Such experiences are not merely effects
produced by the external world, but logical consequences evoked by his own
nature.
4
If we are in pursuit of game and want to get a shot at a quarry, we must set
about it in the right way. A man who persists in stalking game in a place
where there is none may wait forever without finding any. Persistence in
search is not enough. What is not sought in the right way is not found.
5
A woman should follow a man her whole life long, but a man should at all
times hold to what is his duty at the given moment. Should he persistently
seek to conform to the woman, it would be a mistake for him. Accordingly it
is altogether right for a woman to hold conservatively to tradition, but a man
must always be flexible and adaptable and allow himself to be guided solely by
what his duty requires of him at the moment.
6
There are people who live in a state of perpetual hurry without ever attaining
inner composure. Restlessness not only prevents all thoroughness but actually
becomes a danger if it is dominant in places of authority.
Barbara Hejslip interpretationIt is not necessary to pursue two hares at once, being literally broken off on a part. keep endurance, and all to come to the end successfully for you. Be patient - and your desire will be executed. Try to understand the intentions and plans for the future properly now. However for new undertakings the moment not too suitable.
  64. Not-Yet Fording (wèi jì). Before CompletionAdvise
Do not lose guides even on the half-way. Possess your soul in patience and self-control.
Inital text of I ChingThe Judgement
Before Completion. Success. But if the little fox, after nearly completing the crossing, gets his tail in the water, there is nothing that would further.
The Image
Fire over water: The image of the condition before transition. Thus the superior man is careful in the differentiation of things, so that each finds its place.
- He gets his tail in the water. Humiliating.
- He brakes his wheels. Perseverance brings good fortune.
- Before completion, attack brings misfortune. It furthers one to cross the great water.
- Perseverance brings good fortune. Remorse disappears. Shock, thus to discipline the Devil's Country. For three years, great realms are awarded.
- Perseverance brings good fortune. No remorse. The light of the superior man is true. Good fortune.
- There is drinking of wine in genuine confidence. No blame. But if one wets his head, he loses it, in truth.
Prediction
Chaos is a field for new undertakings. You are moving in the right direction. Now you need all efforts for break through. If there is not enough energy, the unfavorable situation will happen. The main thing is not to stop on half-way and do not turn off the road chosen. In loving affairs relationships are developing, feeling matures.
This hexagram indicates a time when the transition from disorder to order is
not yet completed. The change is indeed prepared for, since all the lines in
the upper trigram are in relation to those in the lower. However, they are not
yet in their places. While the preceding hexagram offers an analogy to
autumn, which forms the transition from summer to winter, this hexagram
presents a parallel to spring, which leads out of winter's stagnation into the
fruitful time of summer. With this hopeful outlook the Book of Changes
come to its close.
THE JUDGMENT
The conditions are difficult. The task is great and full of responsibility. It is
nothing less than that of leading the world out of confusion back to order.
But it is a task that promises success, because there is a goal that can unite the
forces now tending in different directions. At first, however, one must move
warily, like an old fox walking over ice. The caution of a fox walking over ice
is proverbial in China. His ears are constantly alert to the cracking of the ice,
as he carefully and circumspectly searches out the safest spots. A young fox
who as yet has not acquired this caution goes ahead boldly, and it may happen
that he falls in and gets his tail wet when he is almost across the water. Then
of course his effort has been all in vain. Accordingly, in times "before
completion," deliberation and caution are the prerequisites of success.
THE IMAGE
When fire, which by nature flames upward, is above, and water, which flows
downward, is below, their effects take opposite directions and remain
unrelated. If we wish to achieve an effect, we must first investigate the
nature of the forces in question and ascertain their proper place. If we can
bring these forces to bear in the right place, they will have the desired effect
and completion will be achieved. But in order to handle external forces
properly, we must above all arrive at the correct standpoint ourselves, for
only from this vantage can we work correctly.
1
In times of disorder there is a temptation to advance oneself as rapidly as
possible in order to accomplish something tangible. But this enthusiasm
leads only to failure and humiliation if the time for achievement has not yet
arrived. In such time it is wise to spare ourselves the opprobrium of failure
by holding back.
2
Here again the time to act has not yet come. But the patience needed is not
that of idle waiting without thought of the morrow. Kept up indefinitely,
this would not lead to any success. Instead, an individual must develop in
himself the strength that will enable him to go forward. He must have a
vehicle, as it were, to effect the crossing. But he must for the time being use
the brakes. Patience in the highest sense means putting brakes on strength.
Therefore he must not fall asleep and lose sight of the goal. If he remains
strong and steadfast in his resolve, all goes well in the end.
3
The time of transition has arrived, but one lacks the strength to complete the
transition. If one should attempt to force it, disaster would result, because
collapse would then be unavoidable. What is to be done? A new situation
must be created; one must engage the energies of able helpers and in this
fellowship take the decisive step-cross the great water. Then completion will
become possible.
4
Now it is the time of struggle. The transition must be completed. We must
make ourselves strong in resolution; this brings good fortune. All
misgivings that might arise in such grave times of struggle must be silenced.
It is a question of a fierce battle to break and to discipline the Devil's
Country, the forces of decadence. But the struggle also has its reward. Now is
the time to lay the foundations of power and mastery for the future.
5
The victory has been won. The power of steadfastness has not been routed.
Everything has gone well. All misgivings have been overcome. Success has
justified the deed. The light of a superior personality shines forth anew and
makes its influence felt among men who have faith in it and rally around it.
The new time has arrived, and with it good fortune. And just as the sun
shines forth in redoubled beauty after rain, or as a forest grows more freshly
green from charred ruins after a fire, so the new era appears all the more
glorious by contrast with the misery of the old.
6
Before completion, at the dawning of the new time, friends foregather in an
atmosphere of mutual trust, and the time of waiting is passed in conviviality.
Since the new era is hard on the threshold, there is no blame in this. But one
must be careful in all this to keep within proper bounds. If in his exuberance
a man gets drunk, he forfeits the favorableness of the situation through his
intemperance.
Barbara Hejslip interpretationSuccess is absolutely close; to it there are your business. But for active actions time has not come yet. Day by day circumstances will develop better if only you will be circumspect enough. Your desire will be executed in the near future. It is necessary to wait very little - and in a life there will come the happy, successful period.
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Richard Wilhelm's commentary