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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  35. Prospering (jìn). ProgressAdvise
The path up the hill is always more difficult than the path that lies across the plain, but it leads to the top.
Inital text of I ChingThe Judgement
Progress. The powerful prince is honored with horses in large numbers. In a single day he is granted audience three times.
The Image
The sun rises over the earth: The image of Progress. Thus the superior man himself brightens his bright virtue.
- Progressing, but turned back. Perseverance brings good fortune. If one meets with no confidence, one should remain calm. No mistake.
- Progressing, but in sorrow. Perseverance brings good fortune. Then one obtains great happiness from one's ancestress.
- All are in accord. Remorse disappears.
- Progress like a hamster. Perseverance brings danger.
- Remorse disappears. Take not gain and loss to heart. Undertakings bring good fortune. Everything serves to further.
- Making progress with the horns is permissible only for the purpose of punishing one's own city. To be conscious of danger brings good fortune. No blame. Perseverance brings humiliation.
Prediction
Any moving forward is associated with the initial difficulties. Do not be afraid of apprehension - they are the result of uncertainty. You are already on the way - traffic is inevitable, as destiny, clarity is coming soon. Obey the laws. Fight the evils in themselves. Bring up the will to help in big business. Refer business to the benefit of others, be generous, 'What you gave is yours'. You will get help when you are in need.
The hexagram represents the sun rising over the earth. It is therefore the
symbol of rapid, easy progress, which at the same time means ever widening
expansion and clarity.
THE JUDGMENT
As an example of progress, this pictures a time when a powerful feudal lord
rallies the other lords around the sovereign and pledges fealty and peace. The
sovereign rewards him richly and invites him to a closer intimacy.
A twofold idea is set forth here. The actual effect of the progress emanates
from a man who is in a dependent position and whom the others regard as
their equal and are therefore willing to follow. This leader has enough clarity
of vision not to abuse his great influence but to use it rather for the benefit of
his ruler. His ruler in turn is free of all jealousy, showers presents on the
great man, and invites him continually to his court. An enlightened ruler
and an obedient servant--this is the condition on which great progress
depends.
THE IMAGE
The light of the sun rises over the earth is by nature clear. The higher the sun
rises, the more it emerges from the dark mists, spreading the pristine purity
of its rays over an ever widening area. The real nature of man is likewise
originally good, but it becomes clouded by contact with earthly things and
therefore needs purification before it can shine forth in its native clarity.
1
At a time when all elements are pressing for progress, we are still uncertain
whether in the course of advance we may not meet with a rebuff. Then the
thing to do is simply continue in what is right; in the end this will bring good
fortune. It may be that we meet with no confidence. In this case we ought not
to try to win confidence regardless of the situation, but should remain calm
and cheerful and refuse to be roused to anger. Thus we remain free of
mistakes.
2
Progress is halted; an individual is kept from getting in touch with the man
in authority with whom he has a connection. When this happens, he must
remain persevering, although he is grieved; then with a maternal gentleness
the man in question will bestow great happiness upon him. This happiness
comes to him-and is well deserved-because in this case mutual attraction does
not rest on selfish or partisan motives but on firm and correct principles.
3
A man strives onward, in association with others whose backing encourages
him. This dispels any cause for regret over the fact that he does not have
enough independence to triumph unaided over every hostile turn of fate.
4
In times of progress it is easy for strong men in the wrong places to amass
great possessions. But such conduct shuns the light. And since times of
progress are inevitably brought to the light, perseverance in such action
always leads to danger.
5
The situation described here is that of one who, finding himself in an
influential position in a time of progress, remains gentle and reserved. He
might reproach himself for lack of energy in making the most of the
propitiousness of the time and obtaining all possible advantage. However,
this regret passes away. He must not take either loss or gain to heart; they are
minor considerations. What matters much more is the fact that in this way
he has assured himself of opportunities for successful and beneficent
influence.
6
Making progress with lowered horns-i.e., acting on the offensive-is
permissible, in times like those referred to here, only in dealing with the
mistakes of one's own people. Even then we must bear in mind that
proceeding on the offensive may always be dangerous. In this way we avoid
the mistakes that otherwise threaten, and succeed in what we set out to do.
On the other hand, perseverance in such over energetic behavior, especially
toward persons with whom there is no close connection, will lead to
humiliation.
Barbara Hejslip interpretationSuccess already close. You not vainly counted on a recognition and respect, they by the right expect you. In the further you will be rewarded even more, than now. Safely and resolutely walk forward, rely on the happy star. Your desire will be executed not at once, but let it does not grieve you. You are waited with a meeting with the person which you very much for a long time did not see. Do not squander money, be little bit more economical; it very much will assist you with the future.
  3. Sprouting (zhūn). Difficulty at the BeginningAdvise
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
Difficulty at the Beginning works supreme success, furthering through perseverance. Nothing should be undertaken. It furthers one to appoint helpers.
The Image
Clouds and thunder: The image of Difficulty at the Beginning. Thus the superior man brings order out of confusion.
- Hesitation and hindrance. It furthers one to remain persevering. It furthers one to appoint helpers.
- Difficulties pile up. Horse and wagon part. He is not a robber; He wants to woo when the time comes. The maiden is chaste, she does not pledge herself. Ten years-then she pledges herself.
- Whoever hunts deer without the forester only loses his way in the forest. The superior man understands the signs of the time and prefers to desist. To go on brings humiliation.
- Horse and wagon part. Strive for union. To go brings good fortune. Everything acts to further.
- Difficulties in blessing. A little perseverance brings good fortune. Great perseverance brings misfortune.
- Horse and wagon part. Bloody tears flow.
Prediction
Interaction of two opposite origins creates difficulties. Transition from the original state is entailed by difficulties. No rest, no pacification. There is feeling of coming danger. There is chaos, confusion in things, mental turmoil. There is no way seen: no way forward, no way backwards. It is necessary to wait, keep energy to overcome chaos. It is not time to show firmness and persistence. New ideas are appearing, but they have no shape. Rashness and haste are dangerous. Will is necessary not only for moving forward but also to restrain oneself sometimes. At the moment no undertakings are good as all efforts will be useless.
The name of the hexagram, Chun, really connotes a blade of grass pushing
against an obstacle as it sprouts out of the earth--hence the meaning,
"difficulty at the beginning." The hexagram indicates the way in which
heaven and earth bring forth individual beings. It is their first meeting,
which is beset with difficulties. The lower trigram Chên is the Arousing; its
motion is upward and its image is thunder. The upper trigram K'an stands
for the Abysmal, the dangerous. Its motion is downward and its image is
rain. The situation points to teeming, chaotic profusion; thunder and rain fill
the air. But the chaos clears up. While the Abysmal sinks, the upward
movement eventually passes beyond the danger. A thunderstorm brings
release from tension, and all things breathe freely again.
THE JUDGMENT
Times of growth are beset with difficulties. They resemble a first birth. But
these difficulties arise from the very profusion of all that is struggling to
attain form . Everything is in motion: therefore if one perseveres there is a
prospect of great success, in spite of the existing danger. When it is a man's
fate to undertake such new beginnings, everything is still unformed, dark.
Hence he must hold back, because any premature move might bring disaster.
Likewise, it is very important not to remain alone; in order to overcome the
chaos he needs helpers. This is not to say, however, that he himself should
look on passively at what is happening. He must lend his hand and
participate with inspiration and guidance.
THE IMAGE
Clouds and thunder are represented by definite decorative lines; this means
that in the chaos of difficulty at the beginning, order is already implicit. So
too the superior man has to arrange and organize the inchoate profusion of
such times of beginning, just as one sorts out silk threads from a knotted
tangle and binds them into skeins. In order to find one's place in the infinity
of being, one must be able both to separate and to unite.
1
If a person encounters a hindrance at the beginning of an enterprise, he must
not try to force advance but must pause and take thought. However, nothing
should put him off his course; he must persevere and constantly keep the
goal in sight. It is important to seek out the right assistants, but he can find
them only if he avoids arrogance and associated with his fellows in a spirit of
humility. Only then will he attract those with whose help he can combat the
difficulties.
2
We find ourselves beset by difficulties and hindrances. Suddenly there is a
turn of affairs, as if someone were coming up with a horse and wagon and
unhitching them. This event comes so unexpectedly that we assume the
newcomer to be a robber. Gradually it becomes clear that he has no evil
intentions but seeks to be friendly and to offer help. But this offer is not to be
accepted, because it does not come from the right quarter. We must wait until
the time is fulfilled; ten years is a fulfilled cycle of time. Then normal
conditions return of themselves, and we can join forces with the friend
intended for us.
Using the image of a betrothed girl who remains true to her lover in face of
grave conflicts, the hexagram gives counsel for a special situation. When in
times of difficulty a hindrance is encountered and unexpected relief is offered
from a source unrelated to us, we must be careful and not take upon
ourselves any obligations entailed by such help; otherwise our freedom of
decision is impaired. If we bide our time, things will quiet down again, and
we shall attain what we have hoped for.
3
If a man tries to hunt in a strange forest and has no guide, he loses his way.
When he finds himself in difficulties he must not try to steal out of them
unthinkingly and without guidance. Fate cannot be duped; premature effort,
without the necessary guidance, ends in failure and disgrace. Therefore the
superior man, discerning the seeds of coming events, prefers to renounce a
wish rather than to provoke failure and humiliation by trying to force its
fulfillment.
4
We are in a situation in which it is our duty to act, but we lack sufficient
power. However, an opportunity to make connections offers itself. It must be
seized. Neither false pride nor false reserve should deter us. Bringing oneself
to take the first step, even when it involves a certain degree of self-
abnegation, is a sign of inner clarity. To accept help in a difficult situation is
not a disgrace. If the right helper is found, all goes well.
5
An individual is in a position in which he cannot so express his good
intentions that they will actually take shape and be understood. Other people
interpose and distort everything he does. He should then be cautious and
proceed step by step. He must not try to force the consummation of a great
undertaking, because success is possible only when general confidence already
prevails. It is only through faithful and conscientious work, unobtrusively
carried on, that the situation gradually clears up and the hindrance
disappears.
6
The difficulties at the beginning are too great for some persons. They get
stuck and never find their way out; they fold their hands and give up the
struggle. Such resignation is the saddest of all things. Therefore Confucius
says of this line: "Bloody tears flow: one should not persist in this."
Barbara Hejslip interpretationThis hexagram represents one of the most unhappy combinations. All will fall from hands, not allowing result, for what you undertook. There is nothing how to wait more for an opportunity. Try to conduct the closed way of life, at least month three; it, certainly, at all does not mean, that during this period it is not necessary to think over carefully plans for the future. Be patient, listen to advice of the woman. But now about luck, about success in affairs cannot be and speeches.
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Richard Wilhelm's commentary