Category: Today: I Ching

#5

Thunderclouds approaching from the West, but no rain yet.  The Superior Person nourishes himself and remains of good cheer to condition himself for the moment of truth.
Great Success if you sincerely keep to your course. You may cross to the far shore.
You must now endure this Dangling — either a carrot before your nose, or a sword above your head.
This strange mix of apprehension and anticipation is a Purgatory.
There is nothing more you can do to affect the outcome.  You must now submit to the Fates.

#36 Line 5, #49

This time calls for a saintly effort to turn the other cheek.
You have been deliberately injured.  Going blow-for-blow will only escalate this war.  Abstain from vengeance.  Show all watching that you are above it.
Sidestep your aggressor’s headlong charge, giving him the opportunity to fall on his face.
Prince Chi lived at the court of the evil tyrant Chou Hsin, who, although not mentioned by name, furnishes the historical example on which this whole situation is based. Prince Chi was a relative of the tyrant and could not withdraw from court; therefore he concealed his true sentiments and feigned insanity. Although he was held a slave, he did not allow external misery to deflect him from his convictions.
This provides a teaching for those who cannot leave their posts in times of darkness. In order to escape danger, they need invincible perseverance of spirit and redoubled caution in their dealings with the world.
The Superior Person reads the Signs of the Times and makes the Season apparent to all.  
The support you need will come only after the deed is done.  Renewed forces, however, will provide fresh energy for exceptional progress.
Persevere.  All differences vanish.
A revolutionary Change must be made forcibly.
There is no negotiating with the Established Order.
Perfect timing is essential.
Let the abuse of power become apparent and oppressive to those around you before making your move.  Lay the groundwork, sow the seeds for Revolution without tipping your hand prematurely.  You will need a strong foundation, because you will have to bring about this necessary change alone.  You cannot count on popular support, so you must wait until there is massive dissent.  Then the avenue for your assault will be cleared.

#38 Line 2, #21

You are working at cross-purposes with another.
The distance between you is very wide.
The gap can be closed, however, with no compromise of your integrity.
You are not adversaries in this case — just two persons addressing individual needs.
As a result of misunderstandings, it has become impossible for people who by nature belong together to meet in the correct way. This being so, an accidental meeting under informal circumstances may serve the purpose, provided there is an inner affinity between them.
When an obstacle to union arises, energetic biting through brings success. This is true in all situations. Whenever unity cannot be established, the obstruction is due to a talebearer and traitor who is interfering and blocking the way. To prevent permanent injury, vigorous measures must be taken at once. Deliberate obstruction of this sort does not vanish of its own accord. Judgement and punishment are required to deter or obviate it.
A terrible reckoning is due.
A wrong will be righted — and even if it has been you who has been wronged, you will tremble at the terrible power of Justice untempered by Mercy.
Pray for your oppressor, that his punishment will fit his crime.

#33 Line 2, #1

The Superior Person avoids the petty and superficial by keeping shallow men at a distance, not in anger but with dignity.
Such a retreat sweeps the path clear to Success.
Occupy yourself with minute detail.Retreat in this instance is not a desperate flight in disarray, but a conscious choice to distance yourself from forces that would rob you of your peace.  It is not a surrender, but a regrouping.
Retreat from this conflict is actually an advance toward your own center.
You move toward balance, and thus a much stronger position.
While the superior men retreat and the inferior press after them, the inferior man represented here holds on so firmly and tightly to the superior men that the latter cannot shake him off. And because he is in quest of what is right and so strong in purpose, he reaches his goal.
The time for action has come.
You now have the focus and the stamina necessary for accomplishing great tasks.  The path before you is being cleared and reward lies ahead.

#23

The Superior Person will use this time of oppression to attend to the needs of those less fortunate.  Any action would be ill-timed.
Stand fast.
This pictures a time when inferior people are pushing forward and are about to crowd out the few remaining strong and superior men. Under these circumstances, which are due to the time, it is not favorable for the superior man to undertake anything.
The right behavior in such adverse times is to be deduced from the images and their attributes. The lower trigram stands for the earth, whose attributes are docility and devotion. The upper trigram stands for the mountain, whose attribute is stillness. This suggests that one should submit to the bad time and remain quiet. For it is a question not of man’s doing but of time conditions, which, according to the laws of heaven, show an alternation of increase and decrease, fullness and emptiness. It is impossible to counteract these conditions of the time. Hence it is not cowardice but wisdom to submit and avoid action.

#10 Line 5, #8

You tread upon the tail of the tiger.
Not perceiving you as a threat, the startled tiger does not bite.
Success.
You have reached a perilous point in your journey.
This is a real gamble — not a maneuver, not a calculated risk.
The outcome is uncertain.  If it goes as you hope, you will gain — but if it turns against you it will cause serious injury, at least to your plans.  The best tack is extreme caution and a healthy respect for the danger involved.
Though fully aware of the danger that lies on the narrow path ahead, the man is fully commited to move forward.  The future is uncertain.
The Superior Person recognizes the situation calls for joining together.
Thus he cultivates friendly relations with all.
This is a time of connection with another or others — not just an alliance, but a melding of parts into a new whole.

#2 Line 5, #38

In this situation, the Superior Person should not take the initiative; he should follow the initiative of another.
This is a time for dealing with reality as it is, not as you would have it be.
If you realize that in this situation you are the receptor, not the transmitter of the stimulus, you will find yourself reaching goals that seemed unattainable under your own steam.
When anyone is called upon to work in a prominent but not independent position, true success depends on the utmost discretion. A man’s genuineness and refinement should not reveal themselves directly; they should express themselves only indirectly as an effect from within.
You are working at cross-purposes with another.
The distance between you is very wide.
The gap can be closed, however, with no compromise of your integrity.
You are not adversaries in this case — just two persons addressing individual needs.

#1 Line 6, #43

Heaven in constant motion.  With the strength of the dragon, the Superior Person steels himself for ceaseless activity.  
Productive Activity.
Potent Influence.
Sublime Success if you keep to your course.
The time for action has come.  You now have the focus and the stamina necessary for accomplishing great tasks.  The path before you is being cleared and reward lies ahead.
When a man seeks to climb so high that he loses touch with the rest of mankind, he becomes isolated, and this necessarily leads to failure. This line warns against titanic aspirations that exceed one’s power. A precipitous fall would follow.
A Deluge from Heaven: The Superior Person rains fortune upon those in need, then moves on with no thought of the good he does.
our iron will must come to the forefront now.
It will take great personal determination to resolve the situation in question.
Your adversary would love to force you into an angry display.  That would legitimize his opposition to you.  Such a berserker rage would drag you down to his level. You must resolutely take a public stand against what he represents, but refuse to engage him.
Without compromise, you show others the way to higher ground.

#38 Line 5, #61

No matter how large or diverse the group, the Superior Person remains uniquely himself.  Small accomplishments are possible.
You are working at cross-purposes with another.  The distance between you is very wide.  The gap can be closed, however, with no compromise of your integrity.  You are not adversaries in this case — just two persons addressing individual needs.
Coming upon a sincere man, one fails to recognize him at first because of the general estrangement. However, he bites his way through the wrappings that are causing the separation. When such a companion thus reveals himself in his true character, it is one’s duty to go to meet him and to work with him.
The subject of this hexagram discovers a key to Tranquility by first gaining insight into his own nature, then turning that vision outward.
By resolving inner conflicts and being at peace with himself, he learns to gain insight into others.  In effect, he enters another, sees with the other’s eyes, listens with the other’s ears, feels with the other’s heart.  He then returns to his own center, with new perspective and understanding.

#49

A revolutionary Change must be made forcibly.  There is no negotiating with the Established Order.
Perfect timing is essential.
Let the abuse of power become apparent and oppressive to those around you before making your move.  Lay the groundwork, sow the seeds for Revolution without tipping your hand prematurely.  You will need a strong foundation, because you will have to bring about this necessary change alone.  You cannot count on popular support, so you must wait until there is massive dissent.
Then the avenue for your assault will be cleared.

#3, line 5, #23

New ventures always pack along their inherent chaos.
Though this is an annoyance at best, and can even imperil or downright doom an endeavor, it is also the friction needed to polish your project to jewel brilliance.  Learn from these early obstacles.
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.
The weight of the Mountain presses down upon a weak foundation of Earth:
The Superior Person will use this time of oppression to attend to the needs of those less fortunate.
But in this situation, oppressors are violently seizing power.
Pay special heed when you receive this hexagram, because the oracle is often warning you of a situation of which you are totally unaware.
You are about to be blindsided.

#3, line 2, #19

New ventures always pack along their inherent chaos.
Though this is an annoyance at best, and can even imperil or downright doom an endeavor, it is also the friction needed to polish your project to jewel brilliance.  Learn from these early obstacles.
Her horses rear in fright; but the highwayman means no harm.
He seeks only the hand of the maiden.  She must refuse him, for she fears a very long journey lies ahead before she can marry.
You are in a position to help another.  This is a temporary situation, because your power is cyclical, seasonal.  Knowing this, you must perform your good deed without hope of reward.  You are not furthering your own process, but another’s.  Though you may cherish this other, you will never possess.
Touch without grasping.  Take comfort in becoming a fond memory.  Nurture, then let go.

#34, line 2, #55

The Awesome Power available in this hexagram stems from what the Taoists call your Te, a term not perfectly translated into English.  Roughly, it is your Integrity — not in the Western sense of honor — but more in the  psychological definition of a full integration of Who You Are.
Such self-knowledge spawns a Mastery tempered with the humility necessary to rein in and harness this Awesome Power.
The premise here is that the gates to success are beginning to open. Resistance gives way and we forge ahead. This is the point at which, only too easily, we become the prey of exuberant self-confidence. This is why the oracle says that perseverance (i.e., perseverance in inner equilibrium, without excessive use of power) brings good fortune.
It is not given to every mortal to bring about a time of outstanding greatness and abundance. Only a born ruler of men is able to do it, because his will is directed to what is great. Such a time of abundance is usually brief. Therefore a sage might well feel sad in view of the decline that must follow. But such sadness does not befit him. Only a man who is inwardly free of sorrow and care can lead in a time of abundance. He must be like the sun at midday, illuminating and gladdening everything under heaven.

#44, line 5, #50

A Prince who shouts orders but will not walk among his people may as well try to command the four winds.  A strong, addictive temptation, much more dangerous than it seems.
You are ignoring a clear and present danger to your well-being.  If this threat emanated from a heavy-handed oppressor, you would see it coming.  But this danger comes to you in the form of a seduction, an amusement, a diversion, an indulgence that is eating away at the fiber of your secure little world.  You are too cocksure.  You underestimate the tribute this dalliance will demand.
The melon, like the fish, is a symbol of the principle of darkness. It is sweet but spoils easily and for this reason is protected with a cover of willow leaves. This is a situation in which a strong, superior, well-poised man tolerates and protects the inferiors in his charge. He has the firm lines of order and beauty within himself but he does not lay stress upon them. He does not bother his subordinates with outward show or tiresome admonitions but leaves them quite free, putting his trust in the transforming power of a strong and upright personality. And behold! Fate is favorable. His inferiors respond to his influence and fall to his disposition like ripe fruit.
he Superior Person positions himself correctly within the flow of Cosmic forces.  Supreme Accomplishment.
Your needs are coming into harmony with the requirements of the Cosmos.
Blending brilliantly with the Dance of Life, you are becoming an actual element of Cosmic Law.  Your goals will now be realized because you no longer cut against the Cosmic grain; you are no longer swimming against the flow of the Tao.  You are acquiring an intuitive sense of what can and cannot be, and aligning your efforts accordingly.

#18, line 5, #48

The Superior Person sweeps away corruption and stagnation by stirring up the people and strengthening their spirit.
You are blessed with an opportunity to resuscitate that which others have abandoned as beyond repair.
This ruin wasn’t caused by evil intention, but by indifference to decay.
Just by addressing yourself to the problem, you exhibit a new awareness, a fresh perspective.
This is a time of recovery, renewal, regeneration.
An individual is confronted with corruption originating from neglect in former times. He lacks the power to ward it off alone, but with able helpers he can at least bring about a thorough reform, if he cannot create a new beginning, and this also is praiseworthy.
Encampments, settlements, walled cities, whole empires may rise and fall, yet the Well at the center endures, never drying to dust, never overflowing.
It served those before and will serve those after.
Inside each of us are dreamlike symbols and archetypes, emotions and instincts that we share with every other human being.
When we feel a lonely separateness from others, it is not because this Well within has dried up, but because we have lost the means to reach its waters.
You need to reclaim the tools necessary to penetrate to the depths of your fellows.
Then the bonds you build will be as timeless and inexhaustible as the Well that nourishes them.

#14, line 4, #41

The Superior Person possesses great inner treasures — compassion, economy, and modesty.  These treasures allow the benevolent will of Heaven to flow through him outward to curb evil and to further good.
You have become an instrument of Heaven’s will, offering a balance in the world around you.  It is not swashbuckling prowess or uncanny talent that qualifies you for this office, but your simplest gifts — your modesty, your compassion, your economy.  Because you can see clearly who most needs a miracle, Heaven’s bounty is being put at your disposal.
He can make the distinction between his true treasures within and the material possessions others covet.
To be frugal and content is to possess immeasurable wealth within.  Nothing of value could be refused such a person.  Make a portion of each meal a share of your offering.
Simplicity and economy are strong defenses against the slings and arrows of Outrageous Fortune.  Whether this is a time of want or a time of plenty, it is an auspicious time to shed a dependency.