50 – Fifty Ting / The Caldron
Fire rises hot and bright from the Wood beneath the sacrificial caldron:
The Superior Person positions himself correctly within the flow of Cosmic forces.
Supreme Accomplishment.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
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.
Nine in the fourth place means:
A leg of the caldron buckles, spilling the hot meal on the very person you wish to serve.
Trust evaporates, and the void is filled with shame and scorn.
The legs of the ting are broken.
The prince’s meal is spilled
And his person is soiled.
Misfortune.
‘The Prince of Hell with a Cauldron on his Head’
from The Garden of Earthly Delights (c. 1480) – Hieronymus Bosch
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.
Kongfu (Confucius) says about this line:
“Weak character coupled with honored place, meagre knowledge with large plans, limited powers with heavy responsibility, will seldom escape disaster.”
7 – Seven. Shih / Recruiting Allies
Deep Water beneath the Earth’s surface:
Untapped resources are available.
The Superior Person nourishes and instructs the people, building a loyal, disciplined following.
Good fortune.
No mistakes if you follow a course led by experience.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
You must gain support from others.
Find a way to make others want to see your objectives met as badly as you want it.
How can they profit from the attainment of this goal?
Can you command confidence that you are just the person