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Interpreting hexagrams

Comments on whole hexagrams, individual lines and so on

Seismograph

The story of Shock

You know how the lines of some hexagrams unfold and tell a story? Hexagram 53 traces the journey of the wild geese; 1 follows the dragon’s journey across the skies; 48 describes well-repair. Well… I’m wondering whether something similar might not be happening in Hexagram 51. The name of the… Read more »The story of Shock

woodland with sapling in the shade of great trees

The need for Hexagram 12

Hexagram 12 is called Pi 否 – Blocked, Standstill, Stasis, Negation. It encapsulates the experience of being denied and stymied. The noble one’s constancy bears no fruit: despite your best, most creative efforts, it just isn’t happening. The Sequence into this one is (as so often) quite enigmatic: ‘Things cannot… Read more »The need for Hexagram 12

Aerial view of water flowing between two lakes

Hexagram 58, Opening

This entry is part 1 of 2 in the series Hexagram 58, Opening

In context After Hexagram 57, Subtly Penetrating, comes 58, Opening. It’s an inverse pair: 58 is 57, turned around:   There’s a change of orientation: 57 faces inward, 58 outward. 57 enters in – the Sequence says it’s like entering the home – and 58 opens out, shares and circulates.… Read more »Hexagram 58, Opening

Leave, go out and far away

‘Dispersing blood. Leave, go out and far away. Not a mistake.’ Hexagram 59, line 6 ‘Dispersing blood‘? What does that mean? Wilhelm says it means avoiding an existing danger, ‘dispersion of that which might lead to bloodshed’ for both oneself and others. Lynn, following Wang Bi, has the same idea:… Read more »Leave, go out and far away

Hexagram 64: Not Yet Across

Its name and nature At the very end of the Yijing comes the hexagram called Not Yet Across – the embodiment of incompletion and imperfection, an ellipsis in hexagram form. It’s a very large-scale, oracle-sized joke about our expectations of tidiness and order. The Chinese name has two characters: 未濟,… Read more »Hexagram 64: Not Yet Across

Hexagram 56 in trigrams

This entry is part 2 of 2 in the series Hexagram 56, Travelling

Fire on the mountain The trigrams of Hexagram 56 show inner mountain and outer fire. The picture, for me, suggests the nomads’ campfire. It has limited fuel and a limited duration, and the travellers will need to resolve any disputes before the ashes are cool, so they can move on… Read more »Hexagram 56 in trigrams