The Image of Hexagram 62
‘Above the mountain is thunder. Small overstepping.
Noble one in actions exceeds in courtesy,
In loss exceeds in mourning,
In using resources exceeds in economy.’
Interpreting hexagrams
Comments on whole hexagrams, individual lines and so on
Strength in the axle straps of a great chariot
While researching for the ‘journeys’ session I came across this page of research results of Anthony Barbieri-Low. Scroll down to the last one on the page, and you’ll find a beautifully clear reconstruction of a Shang chariot. A little below this there is a link to an animation of the… Read more »Strength in the axle straps of a great chariot
The heart of the Home: Not Yet Across
Hexagram 37, People in the Home, defines a safe space. Within it we can find our place with one another, and become confident enough in our own identities that we can eventually reach out beyond its walls.
The first line of the hexagram sets up those all-important walls:
‘With barriers, there is a home.
Regrets vanish.’
It’s a very clear line: walls create a home; they separate ‘inside’ from ‘outside’, so there can be a secure, close-knit group within. In readings, this line very often points to the need to set limits, to have ground rules, without which there can be no mutual understanding. Fences, as Wu Jing Nuan comments on this line, make good neighbours.
Hexagram 57, in here and out there
The name of Hexagram 57 – Subtle Penetration, the Wind – shows imperial seals on a stand. LiSe describes them as a personal inner blueprint, something that penetrates everything you do. Some influences flow in steadily and shape you, as wind following wind sculpts trees, or rock.
No Doubt
Found at Luminous Heart: “Being without doubt has nothing to do with accepting the validity of a philosophy or concept. Absence of doubt comes from trusting in the heart, trusting yourself. Being without doubt means that you connect with yourself, that you experience mind and body being synchronized together. When… Read more »No Doubt
Fathers and sons II: carting corpses
The biggest story arc of the Yijing is the Conquest story: how the Zhou people inherited the mandate of heaven and overthrew the Shang dynasty. It’s a great narrative of Change: the decay of the Shang; the preparations of the good Zhou ruler Wen, making his people worthy of the… Read more »Fathers and sons II: carting corpses
Horses in ancient China
Horses in ancient China http://www.cs.iastate.edu/~baojie/history/chinese/2002-12-02_horse.en.htm A nice, long article on the role of horses, basically in the military, from pre-Shang to post-Zhou times. Why would we be interested? It casts new light on why horses are so important in the Yi: why Prince Kang would be especially honoured by a… Read more »Horses in ancient China