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. |
 |
→ |
 |
  56. Sojourning (lǚ). The WandererAdvise
Do not stay long in one place. Choose the right path and be firm in achieving the goal. Great way begins with small steps.
Inital text of I ChingThe Judgement
The Wanderer. Success through smallness. Perseverance brings good fortune to the wanderer.
The Image
Fire on the mountain: The image of the Wanderer. Thus the superior man is clear-minded and cautious in imposing penalties, and protracts no lawsuits.
- If the wanderer busies himself with trivial things, he draws down misfortune upon himself.
- The wanderer comes to an inn. He has his property with him. He wins the steadfastness of a young servant.
- The wanderer's inn burns down. He loses the steadfastness of his young servant. Danger.
- The wanderer rests in a shelter. He obtains his property and an ax. My heart is not glad.
- He shoots a pheasant. It drops with the first arrow. In the end this brings both praise and office.
- The bird's nest burns up. The wanderer laughs at first, then must needs lament and weep. Through carelessness he loses his cow. Misfortune.
Prediction
There is a need to make a trip - literally or figuratively. This may be perhaps a distant and long trip but also can mean a trip to knowledge or a trip 'inward' (spiritual search). Anyway, you need to understand the purpose of traveling and prepare for it. You should start with small steps. Often the traveler suffers deprivation, feels like a stranger in a strange world – take it all takes fearlessly. Benefit of triple is beyond doubt. Award may be material (fame, profit, progress up the career ladder) or intangible (the acquisition of skills, knowledge, and spiritual growth).
The mountain, Kên, stands still; above it fire, Li, flames up and does not tarry.
Therefore the two trigrams do not stay together. Strange lands and separation
are the wanderer's lot.
THE JUDGMENT
When a man is a wanderer and stranger, he should
not be gruff nor overbearing. He has no large circle of acquaintances,
therefore he should not give himself airs. He must be cautious and reserved;
in this way he protects himself from evil. If he is obliging toward others, he
wins success.
A wanderer has no fixed abode; his home is the road. Therefore he must
take care to remain upright and steadfast, so that he sojourns only in the
proper places, associating only with good people. Then he has good fortune
and can go his way unmolested.
THE IMAGE
When grass on a mountain takes fire, there is bright light. However, the fire
does not linger in one place, but travels on to new fuel. It is a phenomenon
of short duration. This is what penalties and lawsuits should be like. They
should be a quickly passing matter, and must not be dragged out indefinitely.
Prisons ought to be places where people are lodged only temporarily, as guests
are. They must not become dwelling places.
1
A wanderer should not demean himself or busy himself with inferior things
he meets with along the way. The humbler and more defenseless his
outward position, the more should he preserve his inner dignity. For a
stranger is mistaken if he hopes to find a friendly reception through lending
himself to jokes and buffoonery. The result will be only contempt and
insulting treatment.
2
The wanderer her described is modest and reserved. He does not lose touch
with his inner being, hence he finds a resting place. In the outside world he
does not lose the liking of other people, hence all persons further him, so that
he can acquire property. Moreover, he wins the allegiance of a faithful and
trustworthy servant-a thing of inestimable value to a wanderer.
3
A truculent stranger does not know how to behave properly. He meddles in
affairs and controversies that do not concern him; thus he loses his resting
place. He treats his servant with aloofness and arrogance; thus he loses the
man's loyalty. When a stranger in a strange land has no one left on whom he
can rely, the situation becomes very dangerous.
4
This describes a wanderer who knows how to limit his desires outwardly,
though he is inwardly strong and aspiring. Therefore he finds at least a place
of shelter in which he can stay. He also succeeds in acquiring property, but
even with this he is not secure. He must be always on guard, ready to defend
himself with arms. Hence he is not at ease. He is persistently conscious of
being a stranger in a strange land.
5
Traveling statesman were in the habit of introducing themselves to local
princes with the gift of a pheasant, killing it at the first shot. Thus he finds
friends who praise and recommend him, and in the end the prince accepts
him and confers an office upon him.
Circumstances often cause a man to seek a home in foreign parts. If he
knows how to meet the situation and how to introduce himself in the right
way, he may find a circle of friends and a sphere of activity even in a strange
country.
6
The picture of a bird whose nest burns up indicates loss of one's resting place.
This misfortune may overtake the bird if it is heedless and imprudent when
building its nest. It is the same with a wanderer. If he lets himself go,
laughing and jesting, and forgets that he is a wanderer, he will later have
cause to weep and lament. For if through carelessness a man loses his cow-
i.e., his modesty and adaptability-evil will result.
Barbara Hejslip interpretationWhether you know, what now there is all preconditions for success in affairs? If you plan to go abroad also it take place successfully. You are too ambitious, therefore you need to behave very circumspectly to not spoil relations with friends and fellow workers. Let your claims will not be too high also your desire will be executed. You very much experience and nervous in occasion of there is nobody unpleasant event. It is not necessary to think of this; forget and do not recollect.
  15. Humbling (qiān). ModestyAdvise
Everything has its beginning and end. The beginning is always associated with end. You must have the courage and wisdom to move from one situation to another.
Inital text of I ChingThe Judgement
Modesty creates success. The superior man carries things through.
The Image
Within the earth, a mountain: The image of Modesty. Thus the superior man reduces that which is too much, and augments that which is too little. He weighs things and makes them equal.
- A superior man modest about his modesty may cross the great water. Good fortune.
- Modesty that comes to expression. Perseverance brings good fortune.
- A superior man of modesty and merit carries things to conclusion. Good fortune.
- Nothing that would not further modesty in movement.
- No boasting of wealth before one's neighbor. It is favorable to attack with force. Nothing that would not further.
- Modesty that comes to expression. It is favorable to set armies marching to chastise one's own city and one's country.
Prediction
It is time of happy ending. The maximum result is achieved. But the result always gives rise to something new. You can not stay still. For the sake of something new you will have to sacrifice what you possess. There comes time of transformation: great becomes small. Be able to part with your treasures without regret, or they will be taken by force. If you do not use their wealth for good, expect trouble and misfortune. Work in humility, and share your blessings with others. The old breaks down, time is changing, and new life blossoms from the ashes. Friedrich Schiller.
This hexagram is made up of the trigrams Kên, Keeping Still, mountain, and
K'un. The mountain is the youngest son of the Creative, the representative
of heaven and earth. It dispenses the blessings of heaven, the clouds and rain
that gather round its summit, and thereafter shines forth radiant with
heavenly light. This shows what modesty is and how it functions in great
and strong men. K'un, the earth, stands above. Lowliness is a quality of the
earth: this is the very reason why it appears in this hexagram as exalted, by
being placed above the mountain. This shows how modesty functions in
lowly, simple people: they are lifted up by it.
THE JUDGMENT
It is the law of heaven to make fullness empty and to make full what is
modest; when the sun is at its zenith, it must, according to the law of heaven,
turn toward its setting, and at its nadir it rises toward a new dawn. In
obedience to the same law, the moon when it is full begins to wane, and
when empty of light it waxes again. This heavenly law works itself out in the
fates of men also. It is the law of earth to alter the full and to contribute to the
modest. High mountains are worn down by the waters, and the valleys are
filled up. It is the law of fate to undermine what is full and to prosper the
modest. And men also hate fullness and love the modest.
The destinies of men are subject to immutable laws that must fulfill
themselves. But man has it in his power to shape his fate, according as his
behavior exposes him to the influence of benevolent or of destructive forces.
When a man holds a high position and is nevertheless modest, he shines
with the light of wisdom; if he is in a lowly position and is modest, he cannot
be passed by. Thus the superior man can carry out his work to the end
without boasting of what he has achieved.
THE IMAGE
The wealth of the earth in which a mountain is hidden is not visible to the
eye, because the depths are offset by the height of the mountain. Thus high
and low competent each other and the result is the plain. Here an effect that
it took a long time to achieve, but that in the end seems easy of
accomplishment and self-evident, is used as the image of modesty. The
superior man does the same thing when he establishes order in the world; he
equalizes the extremes that are the source of social discontent and thereby
creates just and equable conditions.
1
A dangerous enterprise, such as the crossing of a great stream, is made much
more difficult if many claims and considerations have to be taken into
account. On the other hand, the task is easy if it is attended to quickly and
simply. Therefore the unassuming attitude of mind that goes with modesty
fits a man to accomplish even difficult undertakings: he imposes no
demands or stipulations but settles matters easily and quickly. Where no
claims are put forward, no resistances arise.
2
"Out of the fullness of the heart the mouth speaketh." When a man's
attitude of mind is so modest that this expresses itself in his outward
behavior, it is a source of good fortune to him. For the possibility of exerting
a lasting influence arises of itself and no one can interfere.
3
This is the center of the hexagram, where its secret is disclosed. A
distinguished name is readily earned by great achievements. If a man allows
himself to be dazzled by fame, he will soon be criticized, and difficulties will
arise. If, on the contrary, he remains modest despite his merit, he makes
himself beloved and wins the support necessary for carrying his work
through to the end.
4
Everything has its proper measure. Even modesty in behavior can be carried
too far. Here, however, it is appropriate, because the place between a worthy
helper below and a kindly ruler above carries great responsibility. The
confidence of the man in superior place must not be abused nor the merits of
the man in inferior placed concealed. There are officials who indeed do not
strive for prominence; they hide behind the letter of ordinances, decline all
responsibility, accept pay without giving its equivalent in work, and bear
empty titles. This is the opposite of what is meant here by modesty. In such a
position, modesty is shown by interest in one's work.
5
Modesty is not to be confused with weak good nature that lets things take
their own course. When a man holds a responsible position, he must at times
resort to energetic measures. In doing so he must not try to make an
impression by boasting of his superiority but must make certain of the people
around him. The measures taken should be purely objective and in no way
personally offensive. Thus modesty manifests itself even in severity.
6
A person who is really sincere in his modesty must make it show in reality.
He must proceed with great energy in this. When enmity arises nothing is
easier than to lay the blame on another. A weak man takes offense perhaps,
and draws back, feeling self-pity; he thinks that it is modesty that keeps him
from defending himself. Genuine modesty sets one to creating order and
inspires one to begin by disciplining one's own ego and one's immediate
circle. Only through having the courage to marshal one's armies against
oneself, will something forceful really be achieved.
Barbara Hejslip interpretationThe dropped out snow up to the ground has inclined a branch of a tree; but soon all will be changed also it again will be straightened. Your circumstances are now moderately favorable. But you can become a master of the situation if show restraint. Failures including financial, give to your trouble. But it is not necessary to be anxious, all will be changed to the best. And financial business will recover. If not begin to neglect the help of others, your desire will be executed.
|
Richard Wilhelm's commentary