#21 Shih
Ho / Biting Through – Lightning (Li) over Thunder (Chên)
#22 Pi / Adorning – Mountain (Kên) over Fire (Li)
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| #21 - Biting Through |
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| #22 - Mountain Adorned by Fire |
Theme: A time to eradicate obstacles, a time to adorn
and contemplate form.
Aspect
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#21 Shih Ho
Biting
Through / Reform
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#22 Pi
Adorning
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Situation
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Symbolically
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An obstacle prevents an open mouth from closing.
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The mountain is adorned from below by fire.
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Socially
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Social harmony has been disrupted by an obstacle
or obstruction that must be eradicated.
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One’s position unfolds in luxurious ceremony that
affords a unique vision of what is possible.
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Individually
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Inner harmony and meaning are blocked by vague
principles, delusions, or bad habits.
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Everything comes into focus allowing a vision of
potential perfection.
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Response
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Symbolically
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The jaws bite through to eliminate the
obstruction.
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Through contemplation of the beautifully enhanced
forms of Nature one understands time and its changing demands.
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Socially
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Punishments are necessary and must be
administered clearly and consistently.
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Use your current appreciation of the grace and beauty
of societal form to better understand its shape and function.
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Individually
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Energetically eradicate obstacles to
strengthening your character.
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A time for self-expression and inner development
– let the aesthetic ideas flow.
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Outcome
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Symbolically
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The obstacle has been eradicated, now things will
go smoothly.
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The light of the fire simply illuminates the
superficial beauty of the mountain, not the myriad ongoing processes it
harbors.
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Socially
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Clarity and swiftness of justice strengthen the
law, instill respect, and establish social order.
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Enhance one’s public image and public relations
but do not make far reaching decisions.
The beauty of the form is brief: enjoy the form and contemplate its
structure.
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Individually
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Through clear and decisive action one reforms
one’s Self and achieves favorable results.
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What is produced now appears to be divinely
inspired, unless taken to inelegant excess.
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The Lines
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Top
Line
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One who persists in doing evil drifts farther
from the path and cannot heed any warnings.
Misfortune.
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“Perfect grace consists not in exterior
ornamentation of the substance, but in the simple fitness of the form.” (RW
p. 93)
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5th
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A difficult but clear decision requires
impartiality and truth to avoid making a mistake.
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Treasure one’s true nature –sincerity of feeling
outweighs gifts of material significance.
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4th
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A serious transgression must be overcome. Succeed through upright firmness and
perseverance.
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Choose simplicity over brilliant adornment to
achieve peace of mind and self-knowledge.
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3rd
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One lacks authority and metes out ineffective
penalties - offenders do not comply.
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One is charmed by the current situation. Avoid indolence through continued
perseverance.
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2nd
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Repeated offenses warrant swift punishment which
while severe achieve reform.
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Adornment for its own sake is meaningless and
vain.
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Bottom
Line
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A minor transgression warrants a minor penalty – heed this warning.
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A subordinate of strong character scorns false
pretense and is content in lowly position.
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Recap
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#21 indicates a time when an obstruction can be
physically eradicated. There may be a
person interfering with one’s aims, a disruption in the social order, or an
inner conflict with which one is struggling.
This is a time to take action to confront, bite through, and remove
that obstruction. Reform your
situation by being clear, firm, and decisive.
#22 signifies a time to cultivate the beauty of
the soul. The tranquility of this time
enables one to glimpse the potential of individual or social grace. Such awareness can enrich inner
development, self-expression, and social tradition. However, the beauty of form one realizes now can
only penetrate so deep without weakening the form beneath.
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| #21 Shih Ho - Biting Through |
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| #22 Pi - Adorning |
