[The lonely sage] remains withdrawn from the bustle of life, seeks nothing, asks nothing of anyone, and is not dazzled by enticing goals. He is true to himself and travels through life unassailed, on a level road. Since he is content and does not challenge fate, he remains free of entanglements.
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10 – Ten Lü / Worrying the Tiger
Heaven shines down on the Marsh which reflects it back imperfectly: Though the Superior Man carefully discriminates between high and low, and acts in accord with the flow of the Tao, there are still situations where a risk must be taken.
You tread upon the tail of the tiger. Not perceiving you as a threat, the startled tiger does not bite. Success.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
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.
Nine in the second place means:
A man of modest independence treads a smooth and level path. Good fortune if you stay on course.
Treading a smooth, level course. The perseverance of a dark man Brings good fortune.
The situation of a lonely sage is indicated here. He remains withdrawn from the bustle of life, seeks nothing, asks nothing of anyone, and is not dazzled by enticing goals. He is true to himself and travels through life unassailed, on a level road. Since he is content and does not challenge fate, he remains free of entanglements.
25 – Twenty-Five Wu Wang / Remaining Blameless
Thunder rolls beneath Heaven, as is its nature and place: Sage rulers aligned themselves with the changing seasons, nurturing and guiding their subjects to do the same.
Exceptional Progress if you are mindful to keep out of the way of the natural Flow. It would be a fatal error to try to alter its course. This is a time of Being, not Doing.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
This is thoroughly a matter of the heart. If everything you attempt, no matter how carefully planned, ends in disarray, then examine your motives. They are the cause of your predicament. It isn’t that your motives aren’t pure — even the best intentions will fail under these circumstances. What stymies you in this situation is that you have a motive at all. Free yourself of all expectations, release any tenuous grip you may have, and roll with it. This is totally out of your control. There are higher powers and more elements affecting the outcome of this situation than you can imagine. Get out of their way.
“I see you all in only one way. I see divine everywhere. Now I have seen it, I cannot see anything else. If I am blind to the man-made rules and regulations, that is not my fault. I have lived under those rules and it was the grace and the glory of the Master who gave me sight; now I have that sight and I don’t want to lose it at any cost; I am more willing to lose this body, this vehicle, and leave it here, then to lose that sight which has taken me beyond time, beyond karmas.” Yogi Bhajan
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60 – Sixty Chieh / Limitations
Waters difficult to keep within the Lake’s banks: The Superior Person examines the nature of virtue and makes himself a standard that can be followed.
Self-discipline brings success; but restraints too binding bring self-defeat.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
Cultivating the proper disciplines and the proper degree of discipline are the concerns of this hexagram. By limiting options, you may give more attention to priorities. One who is all over the map is no less lost than one without a map. Avoid asceticism, however. Deprivation is not wise discipline. The key here is regulation, not restriction.
Nine in the fifth place means:
He travels easily with economy and simplicity. This brings merit.
Sweet limitation brings good fortune. Going brings esteem.
The limitation must be carried out in the right way if it is to be effective. If we seek to impose restrictions on others only, while evading them ourselves, these restrictions will always be resented and will provoke resistance. If, however, a man in a leading position applies the limitation first to himself, demanding little from those associated with him, and with modest means manages to achieve something, good fortune is the result. Where such an example occurs, it meets with emulation, so that whatever is undertaken must succeed.
24 – Twenty-Four Fu / Return
Thunder regenerates deep within Earth’s womb: Sage rulers recognized that the end of Earth’s seasonal cycle was also the starting point of a new year and a time for dormancy. They closed the passes at the Solstice to enforce a rest from commerce and activity. The ruler himself did not travel.
You have passed this way before but you are not regressing. This is progress, for the cycle now repeats itself, and this time you are aware that it truly is a cycle. The return of old familiars is welcome. You can be as sure of this cycle as you are that seven days bring the start of a new week. Use this dormancy phase to plan which direction you will grow.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
You are about to experience a rebirth — about to be given another chance, a new lease on life. You have persevered, gone the distance through an entire cycle — through the Spring of hope or new passion, through a Summer of growth and building, only to be sacrificed like the archetypal Harvest King at the Autumn reaping. You lie dormant like seed beneath Winter snows now, healing and absorbing new energies in preparation for the new young Spring coming shortly to your life.
“Ego is nothing but a committed consciousness and when your existence is a committed consciousness and your activity is not committed, then there is a duality.” Yogi Bhajan
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8 – Eight Pi / Bonding
Deep Waters on the face of the Earth: Surface waters flow together. The Superior Person recognizes the situation calls for joining together. Thus he cultivates friendly relations with all.
Good fortune is possible. Cast the coins again to discover if you have the qualities needed to lead such a group. Then there will be no error. Those uncertain will gradually join. Those who join too late will meet with misfortune.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
This is a time of connection with another or others — not just an alliance, but a melding of parts into a new whole. Such a connection may be too close, too intense for some. Consult the oracle again to see if you have the qualities needed to strengthen and withstand such an intense synthesis.
Nine in the fifth place means:
The hunter surrounds the game on only three sides, allowing an avenue of escape. In seeking allegiance with others, leave room for them to say ‘no’; this way, those choosing to join you will be sincere.
Manifestation of holding together. In the hunt the king uses beaters on three sides only And forgoes game that runs off in front. The citizens need no warning. Good fortune.
‘The Hunt’ – Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin – 1929
In the royal hunts of ancient China it was customary to drive up the game from three sides, but on the fourth the animals had a chance to run off. If they failed to do this they had to pass through a gate behind which the king stood ready to shoot. Only animals that entered here were shot; those that ran off in front were permitted to escape. This custom accorded with a kingly attitude; the royal hunter did not wish to turn the chase into a slaughter, but held that the kill should consist only of those animals which had so to speak voluntarily exposed themselves. There is depicted here a ruler, or influential man, to whom people are attracted. Those who come to him he accepts, those who do not come are allowed to go their own way. He invited none, flatters none – all come of their own free will. In this way there develops a voluntary dependence among those who hold to him. They do not have to be constantly on their guard but may express their opinions openly. Police measures are not necessary, and they cleave to their ruler of their own volition. The same principle of freedom is valid for life in general. We should not woo favor from people. If a man cultivates within himself the purity and the strength that are necessary for one who is the centre of a fellowship, those who are meant for him come of their own accord.
2 – Two K’un / Receptive Force
Earth above and Earth below: The Earth contains and sustains. In this situation, the Superior Person should not take the initiative; he should follow the initiative of another. He should seek receptive allies in the southwest; he should break ties with immovable allies in the northeast.
Responsive devotion. Receptive influence. Sublime Success if you keep to your course.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
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. If you persist in futile efforts to be the Shaper rather than the Shaped, you will completely miss this unique opportunity.
“If you want to grow, you must face opposition. If you say there will not be people to negate you and not to oppose you and not to put you down, you can never progress. You must have equal opposition to the amount you have to increase.” Yogi Bhajan
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44 – Forty-Four Kou / Compulsion
A playful Zephyr dances and delights beneath indulgent Heaven: 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.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
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.
Nine in the fourth place means:
No fish for guests; none even for yourself. Misfortune.
No fish in the tank. This leads to misfortune.
Insignificant people must be tolerated in order to keep them well disposed. Then we can make use of them if we should need them. If we become alienated from them and do not meet them halfway, they turn their backs on us and are not at our disposal when we need them. But this is our own fault.
5 – Five Hsü / Calculated Waiting
Deep Waters in the Heavens: 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.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
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.
“Some people think that a holy man is a skinny man with a stick in his hand and a bowl of rice which he eats once a month, that he lives anywhere, he is never angry. That’s not true. A holy man is a wholesome, compassionate person.” Yogi Bhajan
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64 – Sixty-Four Wei Chi / The End In Sight
Fire ascends above the Water: The Superior Person examines the nature of things and keeps each in its proper place.
Too anxious the young fox gets his tail wet, just as he completes his crossing. To attain success, be like the man and not like the fox.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
Resist the rush to completion. Anticipation of fulfillment may cause you to be careless before you have fully absorbed the lessons of the journey. The endpoint of this Quest will only prove to be the threshold for another. You are short steps from Mastery on this plane, yet you stride toward Ignorance of the challenges lying beyond. Savor this accomplishment. Fully Become. Take full possession of your world before embarking to discover the next one. That voyage begins soon enough, and you will reminisce about this one. These are the Good Old Days.
Six at the beginning [yin at bottom] means:
Careless so near to shore, the fox gets his tail wet. Humiliation.
He gets his tail in the water. Humiliating.
Female blackbird taking bath – Landsmeer Holland 2010 photo Lex van den Bos
In times of disorder there is a temptation to advance oneself as rapidly as possible in order to accomplish something tangible. But this enthusiasm leads only to failure and humiliation if the time for achievement has not yet arrived. In such time it is wise to spare ourselves the opprobrium of failure by holding back.1
54 – Fifty-Four Kuei Mei / A Loveless Marriage
The Thunderstorm inseminates the swelling Lake, then moves on where the Lake cannot follow: The Superior Person views passing trials in the light of Eternal Truths. Any action will prove unfortunate. Nothing furthers.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
This is at best a Marriage of Convenience. You have found yourself in desperate straits, a position of weakness, and you are tempted to pay dearly for a remedy. A drowning man isn’t picky about who throws him a rope. The rescue offered to you now is undesirable. It may pull you out of this sticky situation, but it will cause even greater predicaments down the road. Don’t obligate yourself in this way. You are selling your future for a quick fix today.
“What causes pain in our life is that we do not know how to live as relaxed beings. When you are not relaxed, the spirit will not prevail through you. If you are not relaxed, you are unable to communicate and you cannot understand, so you don’t live. There are two ways of living: living and existing. When you exist, you don’t live; when you live, then you exist in a graceful manner.” Yogi Bhajan
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64 – Sixty-Four Wei Chi / The End In Sight
Fire ascends above the Water: The Superior Person examines the nature of things and keeps each in its proper place.
Too anxious the young fox gets his tail wet, just as he completes his crossing. To attain success, be like the man and not like the fox.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
Resist the rush to completion. Anticipation of fulfillment may cause you to be careless before you have fully absorbed the lessons of the journey. The endpoint of this Quest will only prove to be the threshold for another. You are short steps from Mastery on this plane, yet you stride toward Ignorance of the challenges lying beyond. Savor this accomplishment. Fully Become. Take full possession of your world before embarking to discover the next one. That voyage begins soon enough, and you will reminisce about this one. These are the Good Old Days.
Six at the beginning [yin at bottom] means:
Careless so near to shore, the fox gets his tail wet. Humiliation.
He gets his tail in the water. Humiliating.
Female blackbird taking bath – Landsmeer Holland 2010 photo Lex van den Bos
In times of disorder there is a temptation to advance oneself as rapidly as possible in order to accomplish something tangible. But this enthusiasm leads only to failure and humiliation if the time for achievement has not yet arrived. In such time it is wise to spare ourselves the opprobrium of failure by holding back.1
54 – Fifty-Four Kuei Mei / A Loveless Marriage
The Thunderstorm inseminates the swelling Lake, then moves on where the Lake cannot follow: The Superior Person views passing trials in the light of Eternal Truths. Any action will prove unfortunate. Nothing furthers.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
This is at best a Marriage of Convenience. You have found yourself in desperate straits, a position of weakness, and you are tempted to pay dearly for a remedy. A drowning man isn’t picky about who throws him a rope. The rescue offered to you now is undesirable. It may pull you out of this sticky situation, but it will cause even greater predicaments down the road. Don’t obligate yourself in this way. You are selling your future for a quick fix today.
“Trust only comes when you trust yourself. When you trust your dignity, you will always be dignified. When you trust your love, you will always be lovable. When you trust your beauty, you will always be beautiful. When you trust your greatness, you will always be great.” Yogi Bhajan
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20 – Twenty Kuan / Contemplation
The gentle Wind roams the Earth: The Superior Person expands his sphere of influence as he expands his awareness. Deeply devoted to his pursuit of clarity and wisdom, he is unconscious of the inspiring, positive example he is setting for others to emulate.
You have cleansed yourself; now stand ready to make your humble, devout offering.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
The situation marks a rising to new heights. As you climb for a better view of the panorama, you make yourself more conspicuous to those below. This hexagram is also known as the Watchtower, because the shape formed by its lines resembles the ancient guardposts manned by Chinese soldiers. These towers were placed on mountainsides to give a better vantage point. To those below, the watchtowers served as landmarks to help them find their way. The quality of your search for clarity in this situation serves as such a guidepost for others along the Way.
Six in the fourth place means:
Observe the leader firsthand to decide the worthiness of the cause.
Contemplation of the light of the kingdom. It furthers one to exert influence as the guest of a king.
This describes a man who understands the secrets by which a kingdom can be made to flourish. Such a man must be given an authoritative position, in which he can exert influence. He should be, so to speak, a guest – that is, he should be honored and allowed to act independently, and should not be used as a tool.
25 – Twenty-Five Wu Wang / Remaining Blameless
Thunder rolls beneath Heaven, as is its nature and place: Sage rulers aligned themselves with the changing seasons, nurturing and guiding their subjects to do the same.
Exceptional Progress if you are mindful to keep out of the way of the natural Flow. It would be a fatal error to try to alter its course. This is a time of Being, not Doing.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
This is thoroughly a matter of the heart. If everything you attempt, no matter how carefully planned, ends in disarray, then examine your motives. They are the cause of your predicament. It isn’t that your motives aren’t pure — even the best intentions will fail under these circumstances. What stymies you in this situation is that you have a motive at all. Free yourself of all expectations, release any tenuous grip you may have, and roll with it. This is totally out of your control. There are higher powers and more elements affecting the outcome of this situation than you can imagine. Get out of their way.
“Life has a message for everyone. Life provides an opportunity for everyone. Fortunate are those who avail themselves of it, unfortunate are those who miss it.” Yogi Bhajan
Dissolve any alienation, resentment or contempt within you towards others. Find through contemplation a means to evoke good will for the benefit of all.
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59 – Fifty-Nine Huan / Dissolution
Wind carries the Mists aloft: Sage rulers dedicated their lives to serving a Higher Power and built temples that still endure.
The King approaches his temple. Success if you stay on course. You may cross to the far shore.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
Walls meant to protect have instead separated and isolated. Your defenses have kept you apart from those whom you most need to touch. Whatever the reason for discord between you, it is time to lay down your arms. Dispel the inflexible demands and fears of the Mind so that you may reunite in the Heart. If you have begrudged, forgive. If you have torn down, repair. If you have injured, heal. If you have judged, pardon. If you have grasped, let go.
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Nine in the second place means:
When his dreams evaporate to mist on the breeze, he returns to his well of strength. Regret is washed away.
At the dissolution He hurries to that which supports him. Remorse disappears. Composition by Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944)
When an individual discovers within himself the beginnings of alienation from others, of misanthropy and ill humor, he must set about dissolving these obstructions. He must rouse himself inwardly, hasten to that which supports him. Such support is never found in hatred, but always in a moderate and just judgement of men, linked with good will. If he regains this unobstructed outlook on humanity, while at the same time all saturnine ill humor is dissolved, all occasion for remorse disappears.
20 - Twenty Kuan / Contemplation
The gentle Wind roams the Earth: The Superior Person expands his sphere of influence as he expands his awareness. Deeply devoted to his pursuit of clarity and wisdom, he is unconscious of the inspiring, positive example he is setting for others to emulate.
You have cleansed yourself; now stand ready to make your humble, devout offering.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
The situation marks a rising to new heights. As you climb for a better view of the panorama, you make yourself more conspicuous to those below. This hexagram is also known as the Watchtower, because the shape formed by its lines resembles the ancient guardposts manned by Chinese soldiers. These towers were placed on mountainsides to give a better vantage point. To those below, the watchtowers served as landmarks to help them find their way. The quality of your search for clarity in this situation serves as such a guidepost for others along the Way.
“Compassion is nothing but realization of adjustable values. Nobody is bad. If one does not act or understand well, or he is limited, you should have compassion, not negativity. Why does somebody harm you? Why does somebody slander you? Because he doesn’t know any better.” Yogi Bhajan