A picture of Hexagram 44 from Paulo Coelho

Hexagram 44 seems to be the most-debated hexagram of the lot. Should we be afraid of what the yin line in the first place represents? Of encroaching evil, temptation, the thin end of the wedge? (To say nothing of that fearful thing, ‘a bold girl who lightly surrenders herself’?) Or should we be nurturing a new life, welcoming it with respect? Much discussion ensues.

When I read good books, I sometimes find myself wanting to pencil in a hexagram in the margins. These excerpts from Paulo Coelho’s Veronika Decides to Die seem to me to paint a vivid picture of Hexagram 44 – an aspect of it, at least.

Veronika is speaking:

‘Whenever we went to see my grandmother when I was a child, I was always fascinated by one particular painting in her house. It showed a woman – Our Lady, the Catholics call her – standing poised above the world, with her hands outstretched to the Earth and with rays of light streaming from her fingertips.

What most intrigued me about the painting was that this lady was standing on a live snake. I said to my grandmother: “Isn’t she afraid of the snake? Won’t it bite her on the foot and kill her with its poison?”

My grandmother said: “According to the Bible, the snake brought Good and Evil to the Earth, and she is keeping both Good and Eil in check with her love.”‘

And later (after Veronika and Eduard have escaped the mental asylum and been thrown out of a restaurant for behaving like mad people), Eduard responds:

‘Your grandmother said that the woman was standing on the snake because love must master Good and Evil. It’s a nice, romantic interpretation, but it’s nothing to do with that. I’ve seen that image before, it’s one of the visions of Paradise I imagined painting. I used to wonder why they always depicted the Virgin like that.’

‘And why do they?’

‘Because the Virgin equals female energy and is the mistress of the snake, which signifies wisdom. If you look at the ring Dr Igor wears, you’ll see that it bears the physician’s symbol: two serpents coiled around a stick. Love is above wisdom, just as the Virgin is above the snake. For her, everything is Inspiration. She doesn’t bother judging what is Good and what Evil.’

‘Do you know something else?’ said Veronika. ‘The Virgin never took any notice of what others might think of her. Imagine having to explain to everyone that business about the Holy Ghost. She didn’t explain anything, she just said: “That’s what happened.” And do you know what the others must have said?’

‘Of course. That she was mad.’

For one more image, follow this link and have a look at the ‘Strength’ card.

Hexagram 44, Coupling – an anthology. Join Clarity to download