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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  54. Converting The Maiden (guī mèi). The Marrying MaidenAdvise
Becoming a victim of circumstances, try to save yourself from inside. Everyone has something that nobody else can infringe, regardless of power they possess.
Inital text of I ChingThe Judgement
The Marrying Maiden. Undertakings bring misfortune. Nothing that would further.
The Image
Thunder over the lake: The image of the Marrying Maiden. Thus the superior man understands the transitory in the light of the eternity of the end.
- The marrying maiden as a concubine. A lame man who is able to tread. Undertakings bring good fortune.
- A one-eyed man who is able to see. The perseverance of a solitary man furthers.
- The marrying maiden as a slave. She marries as a concubine.
- The marrying maiden draws out the allotted time. A late marriage comes in due course.
- The sovereign I gave his daughter in marriage. The embroidered garments of the princess were not as gorgeous as those of the servingmaid. The moon that is nearly full brings good fortune.
- The woman holds the basket, but there are no fruits in it. The man stabs the sheep, but no blood flows. Nothing that acts to further. A late marriage comes in due course.
Prediction
It is not the happiest period of your life. Circumstances dictate the terms. There is no freedom of action - no joy and satisfaction. You'll have to sacrifice your desires for the sake of duty, or simply follow someone else's will. To a large extent, the situation is determined by social status. Perhaps the turning point of the situation comes to a full moon. Anyway, do not let trample your soul, otherwise you get in captivity for a long time.
Above we have Chên, the eldest son, and below, Tui, the youngest daughter.
The man leads and the girl follows him in gladness. The picture is that of the
entrance of the girl into her husband's house. In all, there are four
hexagrams depicting the relationship between husband and wife. Hsien,
INFLUENCE, (31), describes the attraction that a young couple have for each
other; Hêng, DURATION (32), portrays the permanent relationships of
marriage; Chien, DEVELOPMENT (53), reflects the protracted, ceremonious
procedures attending THE MARRYING MAIDEN, shows a young girl under
the guidance of an older man who marries her.
THE JUDGMENT
A girl who is taken into the family, but not as the chief wife, must behave
with special caution and reserve. She must not take it upon herself to
supplant the mistress of the house, for that would mean disorder and lead to
untenable relationships.
The same is true of all voluntary relationships between human beings.
While legally regulated relationships based on personal inclination depend in
the long run entirely on tactful reserve.
Affection as the essential principle of relatedness is of the greatest
importance in all relationships in the world. For the union of heaven and
earth is the origin of the whole of nature. Among human beings likewise,
spontaneous affection is the all-inclusive principle of union.
THE IMAGE
Thunder stirs the water of the lake, which follows it in shimmering waves.
This symbolizes the girl who follows the man of her choice. But every
relationship between individuals bears within it the danger that wrong turns
may be taken, leading to endless misunderstandings and disagreements.
Therefore it is necessary constantly to remain mindful of the end. If we
permit ourselves to drift along, we come together and are parted again as the
day may determine. If on the other hand a man fixes his mind on an end that
endures, he will succeed in avoiding the reefs that confront the closer
relationships of people.
1
The princess of ancient China maintained a fixed order of rank among the
court ladies, who were subordinated to the queen as are younger sisters to the
eldest. Frequently they came from the family of the queen, who herself led
them to her husband.
The meaning is that a girl entering a family with the consent of the wife
will not rank outwardly as the equal of the latter but will withdraw modestly
into the background. However, if she understands how to fit herself into the
pattern of things, her position will be entirely satisfactory, and she will feel
sheltered in the love of the husband to whom she bears children.
The same meaning is brought out in the relationships between officials. A
man may enjoy the personal friendship of a prince and be taken into his
confidence. Outwardly this man must keep tactfully in the background
behind the official ministers of state, but, although he is hampered by this
status, as if he were lame, he can nevertheless accomplish something through
the kindliness of his nature.
2
Here the situation is that of a girl married to a man who has disappointed
her. Man and wife ought to work together like a pair of eyes. Here the girl is
left behind in loneliness; the man of her choice either has become unfaithful
or has died. But she does not lost the inner light of loyalty. Thought the
other eye is gone, she maintains her loyalty even in loneliness.
3
A girl who is in a lowly position and finds no husband may, in some
circumstances, still win shelter as a concubine.
This pictures the situation of a person who longs too much for joys that
cannot be obtained in the usual way. He enters upon a situation not
altogether compatible with self-esteem. Neither judgment nor warning is
added to this line; it merely lays bare the actual situation, so that everyone
may draw a lesson from it.
4
The girl is virtuous. She does not wish to throw herself away, and allows the
customary time for marriage to slip by. However, there is no harm in this;
she is rewarded for her purity and, even though belatedly, finds the husband
intended for her.
5
The sovereign I is T'ang the Completer. This ruler decreed that the imperial
princesses should be subordinated to their husbands in the same manner as
other women (cf. Hexagram 11, six in the fifth place). The emperor does not
wait for a suitor to woo his daughter but gives her in marriage when he sees
fit. Therefore it is in accord with custom for the girl's family to take the
initiative here.
We see here a girl of aristocratic birth who marries a man of modest
circumstances and understands how to adapt herself with grace to the new
situation. She is free of all vanity of outer adornment, and forgetting her rank
in her marriage, takes a place below that of her husband, just as the moon,
before it is quite full, does not directly face the sun.
6
At the sacrifice to the ancestors, the woman had to present harvest offerings
in a basket, while the man slaughtered the sacrificial animal with his own
hand. Here the ritual is only superficially fulfilled; the woman takes an
empty basket and the man stabs a sheep slaughtered beforehand-solely to
preserve the forms. This impious, irreverent attitude bodes no good for a
marriage.
Barbara Hejslip interpretationIt is necessary for you always and in all to be cautious, especially in affairs love. Try to perceive all event easy and coolly, differently you can get in very unpleasant position. Execution of desires is delayed. It is not necessary vanities. Now for you such time when it is better to wait and think. And at the same time it is the period when incomes exceed charges. Any more behind mountains more positive stage, and the nearest weeks it is necessary to devote itself to its preparation.
  43. Parting (guài). BreakthroughAdvise
Good intentions can lead to good or to trouble. Control your stream; be careful as it can destroy and disable.
Inital text of I ChingThe Judgement
Break-through. One must resolutely make the matter known at the court of the king. It must be announced truthfully. Danger. It is necessary to notify one's own city. It does not further to resort to arms. It furthers one to undertake something.
The Image
The lake has risen up to heaven: The image of Break-through. Thus the superior man dispenses riches downward and refrains from resting on his virtue.
- Mighty in the forward-striding toes. When one goes and is not equal to the task, one makes a mistake.
- A cry of alarm. Arms at evening and at night. Fear nothing.
- To be powerful in the cheekbones brings misfortune. The superior man is firmly resolved. He walks alone and is caught in the rain. He is bespattered, and people murmur against him. No blame.
- There is no skin on his thighs, and walking comes hard. If a man were to let himself be led like a sheep, remorse would disappear. But if these words are heard they will not be believed.
- In dealing with weeds, firm resolution is necessary. Walking in the middle remains free of blame.
- No cry. In the end misfortune comes.
Prediction
The excess of the creative power requires output. There are no obstacles, but you need to create them yourself- self-control and restraint are needed, otherwise impulse will result in aggression, a creative turn in destructive, chaos will prevail. Protecting your interests, do not be aggressive. Get ready to work alone. Gradual progress will slow. Difficulty is inside: you feel where to go, but do not realize why. It is time to clarify the purpose.
This hexagram signifies on the one hand a break-through after a long
accumulation of tension, as a swollen river breaks through its dikes, or in the
manner of a cloudburst. On the other hand, applied to human conditions, it
refers to the time when inferior people gradually begin to disappear. Their
influence is on the wane; as a result of resolute action, a change in conditions
occurs, a break-through. The hexagram is linked with the third month
(April-May).
THE JUDGMENT
Even if only one inferior man is occupying a ruling position in a city, he is
able to oppress superior men. Even a single passion still lurking in the heart
has power to obscure reason. Passion and reason cannot exist side by side-
therefore fight without quarter is necessary if the good is to prevail.
In a resolute struggle of the good against evil, there are, however, definite
rules that must not be disregarded, if it is to succeed. First, resolution must be
based on a union of strength and friendliness. Second, a compromise with
evil is not possible; evil must under all circumstances be openly discredited.
Nor must our own passions and shortcomings be glossed over. Third, the
struggle must not be carried on directly by force. If evil is branded, it thinks of
weapons, and if we do it the favor of fighting against it blow for blow, we lose
in the end because thus we ourselves get entangled in hatred and passion.
Therefore it is important to begin at home, to be on guard in our own persons
against the faults we have branded. In this way, finding no opponent, the
sharp edges of the weapons of evil becomes dulled. For the same reasons we
should not combat our own faults directly. As long as we wrestle with them,
they continue victorious. Finally, the best way to fight evil is to make
energetic progress in the good.
THE IMAGE
When the water of a lake has risen up to heaven, there is reason to fear a
cloudburst. Taking this as a warning, the superior man forestalls a violent
collapse. If a man were to pile up riches for himself alone, without
considering others, he would certainly experience a collapse. If a man were to
pile up riches for himself alone, without considering others, he would
certainly experience a collapse. For all gathering is followed by dispersion.
Therefore the superior man begins to distribute while he is accumulating. In
the same way, in developing his character he takes care not to become
hardened in obstinacy but to remain receptive to impressions by help of strict
and continuous self-examination.
1
In times of resolute advance, the beginning is especially difficult. We feel
inspired to press forward but resistance is still strong; therefore we ought to
gauge our own strength and venture only so far as we can go with certainty of
success. To plunge blindly ahead is wrong, because it is precisely at the
beginning that an unexpected setback can have the most disastrous results.
2
Readiness is everything. Resolution is indissolubly bound up with caution.
If an individual is careful and keeps his wits about him, he need not become
excited or alarmed. If he is watchful at all times, even before danger is present,
he is armed when danger approaches and need not be afraid. The superior
man is on his guard against what is not yet in sight and on the alert for what
is not yet within hearing; therefore he dwells in the midst of difficulties as
thought hey did not exist. If a man develops his character, people submit to
him of their own accord. If reason triumphs, the passions withdraw of
themselves. To be circumspect and not to forget one's armor is the right way
to security.
3
Here we have a man in an ambiguous situation. While all others are
engaged in a resolute fight against all that is inferior, he alone has a certain
relationship with an inferior man. If he were to show strength outwardly
and turn against this man before the time is ripe, he would only endanger the
entire situation, because the inferior man would too quickly have recourse to
countermeasures. The task of the superior man becomes extremely difficult
here. He must be firmly resolved within himself and, while maintaining
association with the inferior man, avoid any participation in his evilness. He
will of course be misjudged. It will be thought that he belong to the party of
the inferior man. He will be lonely because no one will understand him. His
relations with the inferior man will sully him in the eyes of the multitude,
and they will turn against him, grumbling. But he can endure this lack of
appreciation and makes no mistake, because he remains true to himself.
4
Here a man is suffering from inner restlessness and cannot abide in his place.
He would like to push forward under any circumstances, but encounters
insuperable obstacles. Thus his situation entails an inner conflict. This is due
to the obstinacy with which he seeks to enforce his will. If he would desist
from this obstinacy, everything would go well. But this advice, like so much
other good counsel, will be ignored. For obstinacy makes a man unable to
hear, for all that he has ears.
5
Weeds always grow back again and are difficult to exterminate. So too the
struggle against an inferior man in a high position demands firm resolution.
One has certain relations with him, hence there is danger that one may give
up the struggle as hopeless. But this must not be. One must go on resolutely
and not allow himself to be deflected from him course. Only in this way does
one remain free of blame.
6
Victory seems to have been achieved. There remains merely a remnant of
the evil resolutely to be eradicated as the time demands. Everything looks
easy. Just there, however, lies the danger. If we are not on guard, evil will
succeed in escaping by means of concealment, and when it has eluded us new
misfortunes will develop from the remaining seeds, for evil does not die
easily. So too in dealing with the evil in own's own character, one must go to
work with thoroughness. If out of carelessness anything were to be
overlooked, new evil would arise from it.
Barbara Hejslip interpretationDuring the present period you are successful, but there is an opportunity to make a mistake and to push away from itself those who usually assisted you, and all this from - for your own obstinacies. Be softer in relations with them, and try to go him towards. Quite probably, that during this period you grow fond of the person of whom now even do not think. It, certainly, will influence your further behaviour. Do not play gamblings.
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Richard Wilhelm's commentary