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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  50. Holding (dǐng). The CauldronAdvise
Burning the old in the name of holy sacrifice, they acquire new - the fire leads to creation. But, throwing into the fire for fun, they risk losing and burning everything.
Inital text of I ChingThe Judgement
The Caldron. Supreme good fortune. Success.
The Image
Fire over wood: The image of the Caldron. Thus the superior man consolidates his fate by making his position correct.
- A ting with legs upturned. Furthers removal of stagnating stuff. One takes a concubine for the sake of her son. No blame.
- There is food in the ting. My comrades are envious, but they cannot harm me. Good fortune.
- The handle of the ting is altered. One is impeded in his way of life. The fat of the pheasant is not eaten. Once rain falls, remorse is spent. Good fortune comes in the end.
- The legs of the ting are broken. The prince's meal is spilled and his person is soiled. Misfortune.
- The ting has yellow handles, golden carrying rings. Perseverance furthers.
- The ting has rings of jade. Great good fortune. Nothing that would not act to further.
Prediction
The direction is correct.The main work is done inside: knowledge turns into understanding, wisdom grows, and talents develop of abilities. For the sake of acquiring new forget old - the victim will not be vain. But do not sacrifice for the sake of self-interest - it does not bring goodness. Things are going well. But do not forget to share with others the fruits of your labor. If you have an illness, wait for recovery.
The six lines construct the image of Ting, THE CALDRON; at the bottom are
the legs, over them the belly, then come the ears (handles), and at the top the
carrying rings. At the same time, the image suggests the idea of nourishment.
The ting, cast of bronze, was the vessel that held the cooked viands in the
temple of the ancestors and at banquets. The heads of the family served the
food from the ting into the bowls of the guests.
THE WELL (48) likewise has the secondary meaning of giving nourishment,
but rather more in relation to the people. The ting, as a utensil pertaining to
a refined civilization, suggests the fostering and nourishing of able men,
which redounded to the benefit of the state.
This hexagram and THE WELL are the only two in the Book of Changes that
represent concrete, men-made objects. Yet here too the thought has its
abstract connotation.
Sun, below, is wood and wind; Li, above, is flame. Thus together they stand
for the flame kindled by wood and wind, which likewise suggests the idea of
preparing food.
THE JUDGMENT
While THE WELL relates to the social foundation of our life, and this
foundation is likened to the water that serves to nourish growing wood, the
present hexagram refers to the cultural superstructure of society. Here it is
the wood that serves as nourishment for the flame, the spirit. All that is
visible must grow beyond itself, extend into the realm of the invisible.
Thereby it receives its true consecration and clarity and takes firm root in the
cosmic order.
Here we see civilization as it reaches its culmination in religion. The ting
serves in offering sacrifice to God. The highest earthly values must be
sacrificed to the divine. But the truly divine does not manifest itself apart
from man. The supreme revelation of God appears in prophets and holy
men. To venerate them is true veneration of God. The will of God, as
revealed through them, should be accepted in humility; this brings inner
enlightenment and true understanding of the world, and this leads to great
good fortune and success.
THE IMAGE
The fate of fire depends on wood; as long as there is wood below, the fire
burns above. It is the same in human life; there is in man likewise a fate that
lends power to his life. And if he succeeds in assigning the right place to life
and to fate, thus bringing the two into harmony, he puts his fate on a firm
footing. These words contain hints about fostering of life as handed on by
oral tradition in the secret teachings of Chinese yoga.
1
If a ting is turned upside down before being used, no harm is done-on the
contrary, this clears it of refuse. A concubine's position is lowly, but because
she has a son she comes to be honored.
These two metaphors express the idea that in a highly developed
civilization, such as that indicated by this hexagram, every person of good
will can in some way or other succeed. No matter how lowly he may be,
provided he is ready to purify himself, he is accepted. He attains a station in
which he can prove himself fruitful in accomplishment, and as a result he
gains recognition.
2
In a period of advanced culture, it is of the greatest importance that one
should achieve something significant. If a man concentrates on such real
undertakings, he may indeed experience envy and disfavor, but that is not
dangerous. The more he limits himself to his actual achievements, the less
harm the envious inflict on him.
3
The handle is the means for lifting up the ting. If the handle is altered, the
ting cannot be lifted up and used, and, sad to say, the delicious food in it, such
as pheasant fat, cannot be eaten by anyone.
This describes a man who, in a highly evolved civilization, finds himself in
a place where no one notices or recognizes him. This is a severe block to his
effectiveness. All of his good qualities and gifts of mind thus needlessly go to
waste. But if he will only see to it that he is possessed of something truly
spiritual, the time is bound to come, sooner or later, when the difficulties will
be resolved and all will go well. The fall of rain symbolizes here, as in other
instances, release of tension.
4
A man has a difficult and responsible task to which he is not adequate.
Moreover, he does not devote himself to it with all his strength but goes
about with inferior people; therefore the execution of the work fails. In this
way he also incurs personal opprobrium.
Confucius says about this line: "Weak character coupled with honored
place, meager knowledge with large plans, limited powers with heavy
responsibility, will seldom escape disaster."
5
Here we have, in a ruling position, a man who is approachable and modest in
nature. As a result of this attitude he succeeds in finding strong and able
helpers who complement and aid him in his work. Having achieved this
attitude, which requires constant self-abnegation, it is important for him to
hold to it and not to let himself be led astray.
6
In the preceding line the carrying rings are described as golden, to denote their
strength; here they are said to be of jade. Jade is notable for its combination of
hardness with soft luster. This counsel, in relation to the man who is open to
it, works greatly t his advantage. Here the counsel is described in relation to
the sage who imparts it. In imparting it, he will be mild and pure, like
precious jade. Thus the work finds favor in the eyes of the Deity, who
dispenses great good fortune, and becomes pleasing to men, wherefore all
goes well.
Barbara Hejslip interpretationThis hexagram specifies that now there is all preconditions resolutely to incur a role of the leader to achieve positive results. There will be people who will envy your successes; do not pay attention to these people. Do not incur more, than can give, and do not promise it is more, than in a condition to execute. Strong influence on you and on your relations with associates the figure renders "three". Business to which you were accepted, together with two adherents, will lead you to success. Your desire will be executed, though and not absolutely how you initially conceived. Pay attention that you spend for entertainments and on a hobby too much.
  30. Radiance (lí). The ClingingAdvise
Use time of joy to feel the unity with the world. Everything is interrelated.
Inital text of I ChingThe Judgement
The Clinging. Perseverance furthers. It brings success. Care of the cow brings good fortune.
The Image
That which is bright rises twice: The image of Fire. Thus the great man, by perpetuating this brightness, illumines the four quarters of the world.
- The footprints run crisscross. If one is seriously intent, no blame.
- Yellow light. Supreme good fortune.
- In the light of the setting sun, men either beat the pot and sing or loudly bewail the approach of old age. Misfortune.
- Its coming is sudden; It flames up, dies down, is thrown away.
- Tears in floods, sighing and lamenting. Good fortune.
- The king uses him to march forth and chastise. Then it is best to kill the leaders and take captive the followers. No blame.
Prediction
The sun illuminates the world from four sides. Clarity in deeds and actions comes. There will be a favorable outcome. Accept help from friends and relatives. Do not regret that lost. Work hard – you have energy for it. Look for support in the wisdom and fortitude. Let your inner truth lead. No isolation - the world is open to you entirety. It is good time to clarify personal relationships.
This hexagram is another double sign. The trigram Li means "to cling to
something," and also "brightness." A dark line clings to two light lines, one
above and one below--the image of an empty space between two strong lines,
whereby the two strong lines are made bright. The trigram represents the
middle daughter. The Creative has incorporated the central line of the
Receptive, and thus Li develops. As an image, it is fire. Fire has no definite
form but clings to the burning object and thus is bright. As water pours down
from heaven, so fire flames up from the earth. While K'an means the soul
shut within the body, Li stands for nature in its radiance.
THE JUDGMENT
What is dark clings to what is light and so enhances the brightness of the
latter. A luminous thing giving out light must have within itself something
that perseveres; otherwise it will in time burn itself out. Everything that gives
light is dependent on something to which it clings, in order that it may
continue to shine.
Thus the sun and moon cling to heaven, and grain, grass, and trees cling to
the earth. So too the twofold clarity of the dedicated man clings to what is
right and thereby can shape the world. Human life on earth is conditioned
and unfree, and when man recognizes this limitation and makes himself
dependent upon the harmonious and beneficent forces of the cosmos, he
achieves success. The cow is the symbol of extreme docility. By cultivating in
himself an attitude of compliance and voluntary dependence, man acquires
clarity without sharpness and finds his place in the world.
THE IMAGE
Each of the two trigrams represents the sun in the course of a day. The two
together represent the repeated movement of the sun, the function of light
with respect to time. The great man continues the work of nature in the
human world. Through the clarity of his nature he causes the light to spread
farther and farther and to penetrate the nature of man ever more deeply.
1
It is early morning and work begins. The mind has been closed to the outside
world in sleep; now its connections with the world begin again. The traces of
one's impressions run crisscross. Activity and haste prevail. It is important
then to preserve inner composure and not to allow oneself to be swept along
by the bustle of life. If one is serious and composed, he can acquire the clarity
of mind needed for coming to terms with the innumerable impressions that
pour in. It is precisely at the beginning that serious concentration is
important, because the beginning holds the seed of all that is to follow.
2
Midday has come; the sun shines with a yellow light. Yellow is the color of
measure and mean. Yellow light is therefore a symbol of the highest culture
and art, whose consummate harmony consists in holding to the mean.
3
Here the end of the day has come. The light of the setting sun calls to mind
the fact that life is transitory and conditional. Caught in this external
bondage, men are usually robbed of their inner freedom as well. The sense of
the transitoriness of life impels them to uninhibited revelry in order to enjoy
life while it lasts, or else they yield to melancholy and spoil the precious time
by lamenting the approach of old age. Both attitudes are wrong. To the
superior man it makes no difference whether death comes early or late. He
cultivates himself, awaits his allotted time, and in this way secures his fate.
4
Clarity of mind has the same relation to life that fire has to wood. Fire clings
to wood, but also consumes it. Clarity of mind is rooted in life but can also
consume it. Everything depends upon how the clarity functions. Here the
image used is that of a meteor or a straw fire. A man who is excitable and
restless may rise quickly to prominence but produces no lasting effects. Thus
matters end badly when a man spends himself too rapidly and consumes
himself like a meteor.
5
Here the zenith of life has been reached. Were there no warning, one would
at this point consume oneself like a flame. Instead, understanding the vanity
of all things, one may put aside both hope and fear, and sigh and lament: if
one is intent on retaining his clarity of mind, good fortune will come from
this grief. For here we are dealing not with a passing mood, as in the nine in
the third place, but with a real change of heart.
6
It is not the purpose of chastisement to impose punishment blindly but to
create discipline. Evil must be cured at its roots. To eradicate evil in political
life, it is best to kill the ringleaders and spare the followers. In educating
oneself it is best to root out bad habits and tolerate those that are harmless.
For asceticism that is too strict, like sentences of undue severity, fails in its
purpose.
Barbara Hejslip interpretationIt seems to you, that all is perfectly, though actually it not so. More likely, you now meaningly deceive yourselves, being in a captivity of illusions. Listen to advice of the friend. You are inclined to entirely to rely on fate as the destiny at present has a kind feeling for you. This impression is deceptive, it can lead into error and cause to you serious damage. Your desires will be executed owing to intervention of the person is more senior than you. Probably, you are expected with large successes in the affairs connected with writing and intermediary. It is necessary to listen to that people speak.
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Richard Wilhelm's commentary