49 - Ko (Revolution) and 50 - Ting (Caldron)

I Ching explorations, Parts 49 and 50 of 64

#49 Ko / Revolution - Lake over Fire 

Student:  Lake over fire makes me think of #63, Before Completion which also consists of water over fire.  In that hexagram we talked about how the two elements remained in balance as long as the fire didn’t boil the water away.  How does Lake over Fire differ?

Professor:  In this case, the water boils over and evaporates!

A reason for the difference can be found in the familial relationships represented by the eight primary trigrams.  Let’s take a quick look:

1. Ch’ien:  Heaven - Father
2. Tui:  Lake – Youngest Daughter
3. Li:  Fire – Middle Daughter
4. Chên:  Thunder – Eldest Son
5. K’un:  Earth - Mother
6. Kên:  Mountain – Youngest Son
7. K’an:  Water – Middle Son
8. Sun:  Wind/Wood – Eldest Daughter

 So while Water and Lake are elementally the same, their symbolism is very different.  Water corresponds to the middle son while Lake is the youngest daughter.  Additional attributes of Water are The Abysmal and “danger” while Lake is The Joyous and “pleasure.”

Then too – while the elemental relationships may be the same, the nuclear trigrams that are within hexagrams #49 and #63 are very different.  #49 contains Ch’ien (Heaven) and Sun (Wind/Wood) while #63 contains Li (Fire) and K’an (Water).  Finally, a lake occupies a limited space as we discussed in #60 (Chieh/Limitation) while water in its various forms is effectively boundless.

Let’s return to this hexagram with its finite body of water over a fire - the Joyous over the Clinging - and perhaps most importantly, the youngest daughter above the middle daughter.

S:  Why is that important?

P:  Because the younger daughter is in a superior position to her older sister which in ancient China, and even today, is a recipe for disaster.  Confucius’ Commentary reads,

“Abolishing the Old,

Water and Fire destroy each other.

Two daughters live together,

But their minds are not in chorus.

This is called revolution.”

The image of two elemental forces – lake (water) and fire in opposition to one another as personified by two sibling girls with an opposition of tendencies, suggests upheaval, the stripping away of a protective covering, of molting, and revolutionary change.

As molting follows fixed temporal laws and must be prepared for in advance, the same is true for revolutionary societal change – the I Ching advises that it must proceed in accord with the proper preparation and timing.  The Wilhelm/Baynes translation contains the following assessment of the laws dictating the formation of political revolutions:

• First, timing is essential.
• Second, one must proceed with the sympathy of the people and avoidance of excess.
• Third, one must be free of selfish motives.
• Fourth, the change must respond to a true need.

S:  And there is a parallel between the elemental battle of these two sisters, Lake and Fire, and the annual battle between the forces of light and dark that produce the seasons.

P:  Right, and by marking the regular progression of the seasons we make sense of these changes and can anticipate the changes that are appropriate to the changing times.  The individual lines of the hexagram continue the timing theme by describing different times in the development of a revolution.  From the bottom up they are:

1. It is not time yet – take no action.
2. The time is right if the way has been carefully prepared and leadership is accepted by the people
3. It is time, but be neither haste nor hesitant – when talk of change has been heard three times and considered well, proceed.
4. Change occurs but the new must be founded on correctness of purpose, sincerity, and truth.
5. A leader of great change gains the support of many
6. Large-scale reform has been achieved but don’t expect everyone to be uniformly changed – molting is only skin deep.  Be satisfied with the attainable.

S:  As I understand it then, this hexagram offers four tips for political revolutions and the potential for six pieces of oracular advice to help one determine the temporal context of events.

P:  Yes, but keep in mind that Ko corresponds to the conflict and struggle that occur when old layers of society are stripped away like a molting skin to reveal a new and improved version.  In contrast, #50 – Caldron deals with the cultivation of civilization through physical and spiritual nourishment of society.

#50 Ting / Caldron – Fire over Wood

S:  Where does the idea of a caldron come from the relationship of fire over wood?

P:  According to the I Ching, the arrangement of lines depicts a caldron with the legs at the bottom, the belly formed by three solid lines, the handles or opening at the 5^th line and the carrying handle or lid on top (squint your eyes and use your imagination).  Figuratively, the idea of wood (or wind) nourishing a fire leads to the idea of cooking and nourishment in general.  It’s not so much about the object itself as it is about the sustenance a caldron represents.

 S:  I see that the middle daughter (Li) is back in this hexagram although this time she’s in the superior position to the eldest daughter (Sun).  Despite the younger of the two being again in a superior position, this time they work together – why is that?

P:  Perhaps it’s the clarity of mind reflected in Li (Fire) or the gentleness and adaptability of the eldest sister reflected in Sun (Wind/Wood).

S:  So while the youngest and middle sisters created a violent revolution that tore down the old in #49, here the middle sister works constructively with her elder sister to nourish.  While Ko talked of violent uprising causing change from the ground up, Ting speaks of social reorganization and change from the top down.  While in Ko, the trigrams were opposed, here they are mutually reinforcing.

P:  That’s correct.  Ting speaks to the nourishment of a civilization’s spark or spirit and the highest earthly values that find consecration in sacred festivities, often using an ornate caldron to serve the ceremonial banquet.  By honoring wise and virtuous members of the community with the ceremonial ting, we endear ourselves to them and they in turn further the cultural development of the community.  Ting indicates that through proper relationships and attitudes, we can establish a new and better order following the overthrow of the old.  The lines further illustrate this:

1.      No matter how lowly, a person of good will can succeed in a developed civilization

2.      If one concentrates on achieving something significant, the envious can inflict less harm

3.      One’s contributions are not recognized – be patient and focus on spiritual development

4.      Weak character in an honored place; meager knowledge but large plans; limited power with huge responsibility – all recipes for disaster

5.      A humble leader attracts helpers

6.      The sage imparts his teachings.

S:  It seems then that collectively, Ting offers a path for the spiritual nourishment of a civilization as the desired sequel to a violent upheaval.  Individually though, it seems that much depends on “assigning the right place to life and to fate, thus bringing the two into harmony” (W/B).

P:  According to the I Ching, as the wood sustains the fire, so too positions of virtue and leadership in the community nurture a whole community and in turn, deserve to be honored, respected, and supported.