8th 8 Recap

I Ching Explorations - Interlude 1

 

 

 

 

Professor:  Any thoughts on this 8^th group of 8 hexagrams that conclude the Book of Changes?

Student:   Well, clearly:

The gentle, penetrating wind (57) becomes,

The joyous, lake (58), becomes,

Dispersion (59), becomes,

Limitation (60), becomes,

Inner truth (61), becomes,

Preponderance of the small (62), becomes,

After completion (63), becomes, and

Before completion (64) must complete the cycle and become #1 – Ch’ien, The Creative to start it all over again.  What I don’t understand is why these particular hexagrams appear in this particular order.  I’d think that there would be a rational explanation for the transformation of one hexagram to the next, but I don’t see any pattern.

P:  You mean something like this?

S:  Right – now that’s a logical sequence but we know that the Receptive is not hexagram #64, so why is that?

P:  Who said anything about logic?  If anything, we’ve been talking about a spiritual and esoteric system of ancient knowledge and insight that was organized as early as the 12^th century BCE by the legendary King Wen.  WB does touch on the question in his discussion entitled The Structure of the Hexagrams by saying:

            …there later was constructed a system of transforming the hexagrams one into another, which has led to much confusion.  This system is here left wholly out of account, since it is not in any way essential to the explanation.

So, for our purposes, let’s focus on the fact that each hexagram has the potential to transform into any other hexagram depending on whether the lines are determined to be moving or stationary when one consults the oracle – and I realize we haven’t discussed the process of consultation and moving or unmoving lines, but we will in time.  As such, the flow from one hexagram to another need not be sequential and linear.  Nevertheless, based on the imagery we have discussed for each hexagram, can you describe for me a sequence of events that might correspond to the sequence of hexagrams from 57 though 64?

S:  Building on what I interpret as the “positive” characteristics of each hexagram, a possible sequence of events may be:

A humble traveler steps forward decisively and,

Finding inner peace in the contentment of a child,

Delivers stimulating ideas, but having

Accepted limitations demonstrates frugality, then

Serves a central unifying role, and

Rallies helpers to be effective, but must

Patiently wait until the moment arrives before

The time of glorious success.

P:  And a “negative” sequence?

S:  A negative sequence might go like this:

An indecisive one who over-analyzes every move, and

Is susceptible to an ingratiating syncophant, becomes

Alienated from others and of ill humor, so

When the time comes for action, hesitation causes misfortune, and

Having lost the inner compass is tossed to and fro by the emotional turmoil of

others, and

Exhausts all energy by striving too high too soon, but

After overcoming challenges risks misfortune through vain self-admiration, and

Forfeits success through the impropriety of excessive celebration.

P:  And what about situations that fall in between?

S:  Well, as you said, given the potential for each line to transform to its opposite depending on how the form of each line, it would seem futile to attempt to characterize the myriad possibilities.

P:  Very good – let’s focus our attention, not upon these patterns, frozen as they are in space, but upon the processes they represent that give dynamic meaning to life.

S:  Here here!