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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  48. Welling (jǐng). The WellAdvise
The main pit for a person is in the soul.
Inital text of I ChingThe Judgement
The Well. The town may be changed, but the well cannot be changed. It neither decreases nor increases. They come and go and draw from the well. If one gets down almost to the water and the rope does not go all the way, or the jug breaks, it brings misfortune.
The Image
Water over wood: The image of the Well. Thus the superior man encourages the people at their work, and exhorts them to help one another.
- One does not drink the mud of the well. No animals come to an old well.
- At the wellhole one shoots fishes. The jug is broken and leaks.
- The well is cleaned, but no one drinks from it. This is my heart's sorrow, for one might draw from it. If the king were clear-minded, good fortune might be enjoyed in common.
- The well is being lined. No blame.
- In the well there is a clear, cold spring from which one can drink.
- One draws from the well without hindrance. It is dependable. Supreme good fortune.
Prediction
External immovability is along with internal mobility. External sources of power are exhausted, they should looked for inside. There is a temporary respite, but it is not stagnant, but only the suspension. Help can be obtained from the outside, but do not rely on it. Act with caution; consider action in advance, making mistakes is dangerous: getting water is not simple to do even if pit is full. Choose the right tools to achieve the goals and be capable to use them. If you do not miss the opportunity, you will be successful.
Wood is below, water above. The wood goes down into the earth to bring up
water. The image derives from the pole-and-bucket well of ancient China.
The wood represents not the buckets, which in ancient times were made of
clay, but rather the wooden poles by which the water is hauled up from the
well. The image also refers to the world of plants, which lift water out of the
earth by means of their fibers.
The well from which water is drawn conveys the further idea of an
inexhaustible dispensing of nourishment.
THE JUDGMENT
In ancient China the capital cities were sometimes moved, partly for the sake
of more favorable location, partly because of a change in dynasties. The style
of architecture changed in the course of centuries, but the shape of the well
has remained the same from ancient times to this day. Thus the well is the
symbol of that social structure which, evolved by mankind in meeting its
most primitive needs, is independent of all political forms. Political
structures change, as do nations, but the life of man with its needs remains
eternally the same-this cannot be changed. Life is also inexhaustible. It grows
neither less not more; it exists for one and for all. The generations come and
go, and all enjoy life in its inexhaustible abundance.
However, there are two prerequisites for a satisfactory political or social
organization of mankind. We must go down to the very foundations of life.
For any merely superficial ordering of life that leaves its deepest needs
unsatisfied is as ineffectual as if no attempt at order had ever been made.
Carelessness-by which the jug is broken-is also disastrous. If for instance the
military defense of a state is carried to such excess that it provokes wars by
which the power of the state is annihilated, this is a breaking of the jug.
This hexagram applies also to the individual. However men may differ in
disposition and in education, the foundations of human nature are the same
in everyone. And every human being can draw in the course of his
education from the inexhaustible wellspring of the divine in man's nature.
But here likewise two dangers threaten: a man may fail in his education to
penetrate to the real roots of humanity and remain fixed in convention-a
partial education of this sort is as bad as none- or he may suddenly collapse
and neglect his self-development.
THE IMAGE
The trigram Sun, wood, is below, and the trigram K'an, water, is above it.
Wood sucks water upward. Just as wood as an organism imitates the action
of the well, which benefits all parts of the plant, the superior man organizes
human society, so that, as in a plant organism, its parts co-operate for the
benefit of the whole.
1
If a man wanders around in swampy lowlands, his life is submerged in mud.
Such a man loses all significance for mankind. He who throws himself away
is no longer sought out by others. In the end no one troubles about him any
more.
2
The water itself is clear, but it is not being used. Thus the well is a place
where only fish will stay, and whoever comes to it, comes only to catch fish.
But the jug is broken, so that the fish cannot be kept in it.
This describes the situation of a person who possesses good qualities but
neglects them. No one bothers about him. As a result he deteriorates in
mind. He associates with inferior men and can no longer accomplish
anything worth while.
3
An able man is available. He is like a purified well whose water is drinkable.
But no use is made of him. This is the sorrow of those who know him. One
wishes that the prince might learn about it; this would be good fortune for all
concerned.
4
True, if a well is being lined with sone, it cannot be used while the work is
going on. But the work is not in vain; the result is that the water stays clear.
In life also there are times when a man must put himself in order. During
such a time he can do nothing for others, but his work is nonetheless
valuable, because by enhancing his powers and abilities through inner
development, he can accomplish all the more later on.
5
A well that is fed by a spring of living water is a good well. A man who has
virtues like a well of this sort is born to be a leader and savior of men, for he
has the water of life. Nevertheless, the character for "good fortune" is left out
here. The all-important thing about a well is that its water be drawn. The
best water is only a potentiality for refreshment as long as it is not brought up.
So too with leaders of mankind: it is all-important that one should drink
from the spring of their words and translate them into life.
6
The well is there fore all. No one is forbidden to take water from it. No
matter how many come, all find what they need, for the well is dependable. It
has a spring and never runs dry. Therefore it is a great blessing to the whole
land. The same is true of the really great man, whose inner wealth is
inexhaustible; the more that people draw from him, the greater his wealth
becomes.
Barbara Hejslip interpretationProbably, that your business go not absolutely smoothly. But even if it so, do not deny assistance to another. You are convinced subsequently, that it - is unique a correct image of actions. Be not afflicted, but now, probably, hardly it is possible to count that your abilities on advantage will be estimated and recognized by your heads. Certainly, you very much would like, that circumstances have changed, but hardly it is possible now. It concerns only your "global" desires and aspirations, less significant can will be executed and now. Despite of everything, your monetary business are not bad enough.
  60. Articulating (jié). LimitationAdvise
Enjoy and be sad moderately. Nothing lasts forever, everything has its limit.
Inital text of I ChingThe Judgement
Limitation. Success. Galling limitation must not be persevered in.
The Image
Water over lake: The image of Limitation. Thus the superior man creates number and measure, and examines the nature of virtue and correct conduct.
- Not going out of the door and the courtyard is without blame.
- Not going out of the gate and the courtyard brings misfortune.
- He who knows no limitation will have cause to lament. No blame.
- Contented limitation. Success.
- Sweet limitation brings good fortune. Going brings esteem.
- Galling limitation. Perseverance brings misfortune. Remorse disappears.
Prediction
Act consciously – weighting your needs and opportunities, ambitions and capabilities. On the whole everything is ok; life gives reason for joy but moderate, disappointments are possible, but the sadness will not be immense. Started business will end successfully.
A lake occupies a limited space. When more water comes into it, it
overflows. Therefore limits must be set for the water. The image shows
water below and water above, with the firmament between them as a limit.
The Chinese word for limitation really denotes the joints that divide a
bamboo stalk. In relation to ordinary life it means the thrift that sets fixed
limits upon expenditures. In relation to the moral sphere it means the fixed
limits that the superior man sets upon his actions-the limits of loyalty and
disinterestedness.
THE JUDGMENT
Limitations are troublesome, but they are effective. If we live economically
in normal times, we are prepared for times of want. To be sparing saves us
from humiliation. Limitations are also indispensable in the regulation of
world conditions. In nature there are fixed limits for summer and winter,
day and night, and these limits give the year its meaning. In the same way,
economy, by setting fixed limits upon expenditures, acts to preserve property
and prevent injury to the people.
But in limitation we must observe due measure. If a man should seek to
impose galling limitations upon his own nature, it would be injurious. And
if he should go too far in imposing limitations on others, they would rebel.
Therefore it is necessary to set limits even upon limitation.
THE IMAGE
A lake is something limited. Water is inexhaustible. A lake can contain only
a definite amount of the infinite quantity of water; this is its peculiarity. In
human life too the individual achieves significance through discrimination
and the setting of limits. Therefore what concerns us here is the problem of
clearly defining these discriminations, which are, so to speak, the backbone of
morality. Unlimited possibilities are not suited to man; if they existed, his life
would only dissolve in the boundless. To become strong, a man's life needs
the limitations ordained by duty and voluntarily accepted. The individual
attains significance as a free spirit only by surrounding himself with these
limitations and by determining for himself what his duty is.
1
Often a man who would like to undertake something finds himself
confronted by insurmountable limitations. Then he must know where to
stop. If he rightly understands this and does not go beyond the limits set for
him, he accumulates an energy that enables him, when the proper time
comes, to act with great force. Discretion is of prime importance in preparing
the way for momentous things. Concerning this, Confucius says:
Where disorder develops, words are the first steps. If the prince is not discreet,
he loses his servant. If the servant is not discreet he loses his life. If
germinating things are not handled with discretion, the perfecting of them is
impeded. Therefore the superior man is careful to maintain silence and does
not go forth.
2
When the time for action has come, the moment must be quickly seized. Just
as water first collects in a lake without flowing out, yet is certain to find an
outlet when the lake is full, so it is in the life of man. It is a good thing to
hesitate so long as the time for action has not come, but no longer. Once the
obstacles to action have been removed, anxious hesitation is a mistake that is
bound to bring disaster, because one misses one's opportunity.
3
If an individual is bent only on pleasures and enjoyment, it is easy for him to
lose his sense of the limits that are necessary. If he gives himself over to
extravagance, he will have to suffer the consequences, with accompanying
regret. He must not seek to lay the blame on others. Only when we realize
that our mistakes are of our own making will such disagreeable experiences
free us of errors.
4
Every limitation has its value, but a limitation that requires persistent effort
entails a cost of too much energy. When, however, the limitation is a natural
one (as for example, the limitation by which water flows only downhill), it
necessarily leads to success, for then it means a saving of energy. The energy
that otherwise would be consumed in a vain struggle with the object, is
applied wholly to the benefit of the matter in hand, and success is assured.
5
The limitation must be carried out in the right way if it is to be effective. If we
seek to impose restrictions on others only, while evading them ourselves,
these restrictions will always be resented and will provoke resistance. If,
however, a man in a leading position applies the limitation first to himself,
demanding little from those associated with him, and with modest means
manages to achieve something, good fortune is the result. Where such an
example occurs, it meets with emulation, so that whatever is undertaken
must succeed.
6
If one is too severe in setting up restrictions, people will not endure them.
The more consistent such severity, the worse it is, for in the long run a
reaction is unavoidable. In the same way, the tormented body will rebel
against excessive asceticism. On the other hand, although ruthless severity is
not to be applied persistently and systematically, there may be times when it is
the only means of safeguarding against guilt and remorse. In such situations
ruthlessness toward oneself is the only means of saving one's soul, which
otherwise would succumb to irresolution and temptation.
Barbara Hejslip interpretationTime of active actions has come. But remember: all efforts can ruin, if you will not be provident enough. To you a certain offer will be shortly made; do not hasten to accept it. Very much can be, that it at all so is attractive, as it seems at first sight. The same concerns and to your love and friendly connections. Real and reasonable your desires will be executed. This time does not approach for distant travel and trips. Also do not forget a proverb - do not dig to another a hole, itself in it you will get.
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Richard Wilhelm's commentary