Warning emergency services on time
One makes haste so that the others have time to recover. taoscopy.com
Following17
Flow with changes, adapt to circumstances, and align with others for mutual support.
↓ Line 1
Adaptability and willingness to follow the right path lead to success. Collaboration brings results.
↓ Line 3
Aligning with strength and wisdom leads to fulfillment. Consistent effort is beneficial.
↓ Line 5
Sincerity in pursuing what is good leads to favorable outcomes.
↓ Small Powers62
Focus on the details. Embrace humility and small steps to achieve success. Avoid overreaching or taking on too much to prevent failure.
17 Following
Other titles: According With, Acquiring Followers, Adapting, Adjusting, To Accord With, To Accompany, Concordance, Conformance to The Work, "Learn to serve in order to rule. Quit the old ways." -- D.F. Hook
Judgment
Legge: Following indicates successful progress and no error through firm correctness.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Following has supreme success. Perseverance furthers. No blame.
Blofeld:Following. Sublime success! Righteous persistence brings reward -- no error! [This sublime success comes, of course, only to those who follow what is right, namely the will of heaven or of those whose own will embodies it.]
Liu:Following. Great success. It is of benefit to continue. No blame.
Ritsema/Karcher: Following. Spring Growing Harvesting Trial.
Without fault. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of being impelled or drawn into moving forward. It emphasizes that yielding to the impulse by accepting guidance is the adequate way to handle it. To be in accord with the time, you are told to: follow!]
Shaughnessy:Following: Prime receipt; beneficial to determine; there is no trouble.
Cleary (1):Following is greatly developmental: it is beneficial if correct; then there is no fault.
Cleary (2): Following is very successful, etc.
Wu: Following is primordial, pervasive, prosperous, and persevering. There will be no blame.
The Image
Legge: Thunder in the marsh: the image of Following. The superior man, in accordance with this, at nightfall enters his house and rests.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Thunder in the middle of the lake: the image of Following. Thus the superior man at nightfall goes indoors for rest and recuperation.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes thunder rumbling within a swamp! When darkness falls, the Superior Man goes within and rests peacefully. [The component trigrams can be read as thunder and marsh, but also as movement and joy. In the Book of Change, joy is frequently associated with willing obedience to and glad acceptance of what is right.]
Liu: Thunder in the lake symbolizesFollowing. In the evening, the superior man rests and relaxes in his home.
Ritsema/Karcher: Marsh center possessing thunder. Following. A chun tzu uses turning-to darkening to enter a reposing pause.
Cleary (1): There is thunder in the lake, Following. Thus do superior people go inside and rest when the sun goes down.
Cleary (2): … Leaders go in and rest at sundown.
Wu: Thunder in the marsh is the symbol of Following. Thus the jun zi retires toward the twilight of the day.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: In Followingthe dynamic trigram places itself under the magnetic. We see in them the attributes of Movement and Pleasure. Through firm correctness all under heaven will be found following at such a time.
Legge: Following comes after Enthusiasm, the symbol of harmony and satisfaction. When these conditions prevail men are sure to follow. The hexagram includes the ideas of both following others and being followed by others.(Emphasis mine, Ed.) The good auspice is due to this flexibility, but in either instance the following must be guided by a reference to what is correct. The lower trigram of Movement represents the eldest son, and the upper trigram of Pleasure represents the youngest daughter. The strong places itself under the weak -- esteeming others higher than himself, and giving the idea of following. The union of Movement with Pleasure suggests the same idea.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: Following means advancement through willpower.
The Superior Man rests on his inner virtue.
In Following, the trigram of Movement "follows" the trigram of Cheerfulness: independent action subordinates itself and allows itself to be led by cheerful obedience. In terms of the Work, this symbolizes our willingness to "follow" or adhere to its principles. Psychologically interpreted, Followingmeans the compliant subordination of ego-autonomy to the Great Work of psychic integration.
Blofeld points out that the trigram of Joy, or Cheerfulness is often associated with "willing obedience to and glad acceptance of what is right." Hence the cheerful following of the intent of the Self. He explains the role of the superior man in the Image as: "It is not hard to see the connection between following and resting peacefully; for, once we have given our allegiance to others [the Self], we no longer have to worry about what should be done."
At seventy ... Confucius allowed his mind to follow whatever it desired, yet everything he did was naturally right of itself. His actions no longer needed a conscious guide. He was acting without effort. This represents the last stage in the development of the sage. Fung Yu-Lan -- A Short History of Chinese Philosophy
When received without changing lines this hexagram often takes the meaning of: "To accord with" -- in such instances the answer is an affirmation to your query.
Line 1
Legge: The first line, dynamic, shows us one changing the object of his pursuit; if he is firmly correct there will be good fortune. Going beyond his own gate to find associates, he will achieve merit.
Wilhelm/Baynes: The standard is changing. Perseverance brings good fortune. To go out of the door in company produces deeds.
Blofeld: Those in power undergo a change -- righteous determination brings good fortune! Going forth from home and mingling with those outside will produce tangible results.
Liu: One's position is changing. To continue brings good fortune. Both friends and business are gained by going out. Success.
Ritsema/Karcher: An office: possessing denial. Trial: significant. Issuing-forth from the gate, mingling possesses achievement.
Shaughnessy: The office perhaps notifies; determination is auspicious; going out of the gate to interact has results.
Cleary (1): Standards change; it is good to be correct. Going outside and mixing is effective.
Cleary (2): … Interaction outside the gate is successful.
Wu: The way of conducting public affairs is subject to change. Perseverance will bring good fortune. Success can be had by communicating with people from without.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legg e: He will not fail in the method he pursues. Wilhelm/
Baynes: To follow what is correct brings good fortune. One does not lose oneself. Blofeld: The first sentence presages the good fortune derived from officials undergoing a change of heart and following what is right. The tangible results mentioned at the end of the passage imply that we shall not fail. Ritsema/Karcher: Adhering-to correcting significant indeed. Not letting-go indeed. Cleary (2): It is good to follow what is right …In the sense of not losing. Wu: Because following what is correct is auspicious … Because his position is not compromised.
Legge: The dynamic first line is the lord of the lower trigram. The magnetic lines ought to follow him, but he is beneath them in the lowest place in the figure. This suggests that he should change his pursuit. Because of his strength and correct position, he will be fortunate in this. Going beyond his gate for associates shows public spirit and an absence of selfish motivation.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: At the outset, the man changes his objectives. He will succeed if he remains firm in principle and goes beyond selfish considerations to mingle freely with those who do not share his feelings, as well as those who do.
Wing: A change is occurring, whether in your own objectives or in the situation around you. In order to accomplish something you should now communicate with persons of all persuasions and opinions. Yet remain internally principled and discerning.
Editor: Psychologically, an inner transformation is taking place. If this is the only moving line, hexagram number forty-five, Contraction, is created, so a (possibly unconscious) re-arrangement of attitudes and perceptions is suggested. To "go beyond one's own gate" implies a need to expand your horizons during a shift in the balance of forces.
When I reached thirty I looked back on my past. The previous victories were not due to my having mastered strategy. Perhaps it was natural ability, or the order of heaven, or that other schools' strategy was inferior. After that I studied morning and evening searching for the principle, and came to realize the Way of Strategy when I was fifty. Miyamoto Musashi -- A Book of Five Rings
A. Change your focus, marshal your forces, and seek wider horizons.
Line 3
Legge: The third line, magnetic, shows us one who cleaves to the man of age and experience, and lets go the little boy. Such following will get what it seeks, but it will be advantageous to adhere to firm correctness.
Wilhelm/Baynes: If one clings to the strong man, one loses the little boy. Through following one finds what one seeks. It furthers one to remain persevering.
Blofeld: He belongs to (i.e. is of service to) the adult and loses the boy. By following the former, he gains what he desires. It is advisable to make no move but to remain determined.
Liu: By staying with the strong man, you lose the boy. Through following, one will gain what one seeks. To continue benefits.
Ritsema/Karcher: Tied-to the respectable husband. Letting-go the small son. Following possessing seeking, acquiring. Harvesting: residing in Trial.
Shaughnessy: Tying the senior fellow, losing the little son; in following there is the seeking to get; beneficial to determine about dwelling.
Cleary (1): Involved with the adult, one loses the child. Following with an aim, one gains. It is beneficial to abide in rectitude.
Cleary (2): … It is good to remain correct.
Wu: She clings to her husband, but loses her child. Although she gets what she asks for, she will be privileged to remain persevering.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: By the decision of his will, he abandons the youth below. Wilhelm/Baynes: One's will gives up the one below. Blofeld: He is willing to give up what is inferior. Ritsema/Karcher: Below, purpose stowed-away indeed. Cleary (2): One’s aspiration leaves the low behind. Wu: Because she has given up her aspiration to hold on to what is below.
Legge: Line three is magnetic, but follows the dynamic line above it, thus abandoning the first line. This is just the opposite of the situation of the second line. It is magnetic, however, and line four is not its proper correlate: hence the conclusion of the paragraph is equivalent to a caution.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man joins with superior people and parts company with the superficial and the inferior.
Wing: You will find yourself parting ways with former inferior elements in your life as you make contact with worthwhile persons or ideals. By firmly following the superior path you will find what you are looking for, while your strength of character will greatly benefit.
Editor: The context of this line prevents using the gender symbolism employed in this book. It is opposite in meaning to line two, and unambiguous.
The divine principle in man, which constitutes him a human being, and by which he is eminently distinguished from the animals, is not a product of the earth, nor is it generated by the animal kingdom, but it comes from God; it is God, and is immortal, because, coming from a divine source, it cannot be otherwise than divine. Man should therefore live in harmony with his divine parent, and not in the animal elements of his soul. Man has an Eternal Father who sent him to reside and gain experience in the animal principles, but not for the purpose of being absorbed in them. Paracelsus -- DeFundamento Sapientiae
A. The image suggests a growth in perception. One exchanges an immature belief or attitude for a mature one.
Line 5
Legge: The fifth line, dynamic, shows us the ruler sincere in fostering all that is excellent. There will be good fortune.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Sincere in the good. Good fortune.
Blofeld: Confidence is admirable -- good fortune! [ Confidence in the context of this hexagram implies perfect trust in those we follow.]
Liu: There is confidence in goodness. Good Fortune.
Confucius/Legge: His position is correct and in the center. Wilhelm/ Baynes: The place is correct and central. Blofeld: The suitable position of this line. Ritsema/Karcher: Situation correctly centering indeed. Cleary (2): Because the state is correctly balanced. Wu: Because his position is correct and central.
Legge: Line five is dynamic in his central and correct place, with line two as a proper correlate. Hence the auspicious symbolism.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The ruler fosters excellence, which brings on good fortune.
Wing: If you sincerely insist upon the very best, the chances are that you will get it. Set your sights high. Good fortune.
Editor: Wilhelm points out that the ruler in line five "follows" the sage in line six, who represents the way of heaven -- or, in our terms, the ideals of the Work. When the "ruler" (psychologically in this case, the ego) follows the way of heaven (the Work), then his subjects (inner aspects) will follow him, and the kingdom (psyche) will prosper.
Everything that happens to us, properly understood, leads us back to ourselves; it is as though there were some unconscious guidance whose aim it is to deliver us from all ties and all dependence and make us dependent on ourselves. Jung --Letters
A. Your attitude is in accordance with the advancement of the Work.
62 Small Powers
Other titles: Preponderance of the Small, The Symbol of Excess in Small Things, The Small get by, Slight Excess, Small Exceeding, Small Surpassing, Excess of the Small, Small gains, Conscientiousness, Smallness in Excess, Exceeding the Mean, Proliferation of Details, "Like a bird, do not fly too high or attempt too much because this will lead to disaster." -- D.F. Hook
Judgment
Legge:Small Powers indicates that there will be progress and attainment in small affairs, but not in great affairs. It will be advantageous to be firm and correct. It is like the song of a flying bird: It is better to descend than to ascend. In this way there will be good fortune.
Wilhelm/Baynes:Preponderance of the Small. Success. Perseverance furthers. Small things may be done; great things should not be done. The flying bird brings the message: It is not well to strive upward, it is well to remain below. Great good fortune.
Blofeld:The Small Get By -- success! Persistence in a righteous course brings reward. Small things can be accomplished now, but not great ones. When birds fly high, their singing is out of tune. The humble, but not the mighty, are favored now with great good fortune. [To aim high now would be to put ourselves out of accord with the times.]
Liu:Slight Excess. Success. Continuing is of benefit. Undertaking small things, not great things. The song of the flying bird. It is not good to go up; it is good to stay below. Great good fortune. [Slight Excess signifies the slight excess or small mistake that can prevent the achievement of great things.]
Ritsema/Karcher:Small Exceeding, Growing. Harvesting Trial. Permitting Small
Affairs. Not permitting Great Affairs. Flying bird: abandoning's sound. Above not proper, below proper. The great significant. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of an overwhelming variety of encounters and details. It emphasizes that an excessive concern with adapting yourself to these inner and outer events is the adequate way to handle it...]
Shaughnessy: Small Surpassing : Receipt; beneficial to determine; possible for little service, but not possible for great service. The sound left by the flying bird is not proper for ascent but is proper for descent; greatly auspicious.
Cleary (1):Predominance of the small is developmental, beneficial if correct. It is suitable for a small affair but not for a great one. The call left by a flying bird should not rise but descend. This is very auspicious.
Cleary (2):Small excess turns out all right. It is beneficial to be correct. It is all right for small matters, not for great matters. A flying bird leaves its cry; it should not ascend but descend – then there will be great good fortune.
Wu: Excess of the Small indicates pervasiveness and the advantage of being persevering. One may succeed in doing small business, but not big one. Like the lingering sound of a bird flying by, it is not suitable to go upward, but suitable to go downward. Great fortune.
The Image
Legge: The image of thunder above a hill forms Small Powers. The superior man, in accordance with this, in his conduct exceeds in humility, in mourning exceeds in sorrow, and in his expenditure exceeds in economy.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Thunder on the mountain: the image of Preponderance of the Small. Thus in his conduct the superior man gives preponderance to reverence. In bereavement he gives preponderance to grief. In his expenditures he gives preponderance to thrift. [The superior man derives an imperative from this image: he must always fix his eyes more closely and more directly on duty than does the ordinary man, even though this might make his behavior seem petty to the outside world. He is exceptionally conscientious in his actions.]
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes thunder over the mountains. The Superior Man now acts with too much reverence, experiences too much sorrow from bereavement and is overly thrifty in satisfying his needs.
Liu: Thunder over the mountain symbolizes Slight Excess. The superior man's conduct is overly humble; In mourning he laments exceedingly, and he is stingy in his spending.
Ritsema/Karcher: Above mountain possessing thunder. Small Exceeding. A chun tzu uses moving Exceeding to reach-to courtesy. A chun tzu uses losing Exceeding to reach-to mourning. A chun tzu uses availing of Exceeding to reach-to parsimony.
Cleary (1): There is thunder over a mountain, exessively small. Thus superior people are excessively deferential in conduct, excessively sad in mourning, excessively frugal in consumption.
Cleary (2): Thunder over a mountain – small excess. Genteel people are exceedingly deferential in conduct, exceedingly sad in mourning, and exceedingly abstemious in consumption.
Wu: Thunder rolls over the mountain; this is Excess of the Small. Thus the jun zi conducts himself with a little excess in respect to others, a little excess in sorrow at mourning, and a little excess in frugality in expenditure.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: In Small Powers we see the magnetic lines exceeding the others, and giving the intimation of progress and attainment. To be advantageous, such excesses must be associated with firm correctness, and must always be in harmony with the requirements of the time. The magnetic lines are in the central places, and hence it is said that small excesses may be done in small affairs with good effect. Of the dynamic lines, one is not in its proper place, and the other is not central; thus it is said that small excesses should not be done in great affairs. In the hexagram we have the symbol of the flying bird, whose song reminds us that it is better to descend than ascend. To ascend is contrary to what is reasonable in the case, while to descend is natural and right.
Legge: The meaning of this hexagram in which an excess of yin lines prevails, may be grasped by contrasting its image with that of hexagram number twenty-eight, Critical Mass, in which an excess of yang lines prevails. Here the idea is the prevalence of small or inferior powers, and the lesson to be learned is how to distinguish essentials from non-essentials. Is it ever good to deviate from the established course of procedure? The answer is that it is permissible only in small matters, but never in matters of import. Sometimes form may be dispensed with, but never substance, and the thing must always be done responsibly and with appropriate humility. The symbol of the bird is to teach humility -- it is better for it to descend, keeping near to where it can perch and rest, than to ascend into the homeless regions of the upper air.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: Ground your flights of fancy.
The Superior Man bends over backwards to be correct.
Small Powers shows the preceding figure of Inner Truth turned inside-out. Here the magnetic lines are all on the outside -- uncontained and uncontrolled. The hexagram often reflects a situation in which the "archetypes": the passions, appetites, emotions, drives and instincts have left their proper places within the psyche and are flying free like birds escaped from the zoo. Most of the lines either depict the danger of such a situation or warn about how to control it.
In this inflated, compulsive state of identity, we and the drive are at our most harmful; the drive will unfold and we will act out its extreme, inappropriate and destructive side. In the process we get the worst of it, along with the other people involved. The wrong thing usually happens at the wrong time and in the wrong place. A capacity for moving toward differentiation and transforming the drive will not arise until the state of identity has been dissolved. This requires a confrontation of the drive as a Thou, as something that is not I, as something separate from ourselves. Only at this point can the inner dialogue begin. Until then the drive remains unconscious, primitive and destructive. Only after the identity has been dissolved by learning to experience the drive as an autonomous entity that is separate from the ego, do we get a chance to choose a right time and place and to develop the positive potential of the drive. E.C. Whitmont --The Symbolic Quest
Interestingly, the only line that seems to be correctly "out of its cage" is the second -- suggesting a situation in which an intuitive inner wisdom takes proper precedence over the usual firm correctness of "reason."