One feels that one has shown enough elegance not to be turned away. taoscopy.com
Temptation44
A fleeting encounter with a powerful influence. Be mindful and cautious. Keep your integrity intact.
↓ Line 1
The situation must be controlled from the beginning. Firmness and caution are necessary to prevent potential problems from escalating.
↓ Line 2
There is a potential opportunity, but it is not yet time to act. Patience and restraint are advised.
↓ Line 3
Awareness of difficulties and potential dangers is crucial. Caution can prevent serious errors.
↓ Line 6
Aggressive or forceful approaches lead to embarrassment, but the situation is not beyond repair. Humility and reflection are needed.
↓ Following17
Flow with changes, adapt to circumstances, and align with others for mutual support.
44 Temptation
Other titles: Coming to Meet, The Symbol of Meeting, Contact, Sexual Intercourse, Encountering, Coupling, Infiltration by Inferior Men, Adultery "Contains a definite warning about a person or situation which may appear harmless but will prove dangerous." -- D.F. Hook
Judgment
Legge: Temptation shows a female who is bold and strong. It will not be good to marry such a female.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Coming to Meet. The maiden is powerful. One should not marry such a maiden.
Blofeld: Contact. Women wield the power. Do not marry. [At this time marriage would be unfortunate; the husband would almost surely be henpecked.]
Liu: Encountering. The female is forceful. One should not marry her.
Ritsema/Karcher:Coupling, womanhood invigorating. No availing-of grasping womanhood. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of the encounter of primal energies. It emphasizes that seeing-through your personal situation as the connection of objective forces is the adequate way to handle it...]
Couple , KOU: intense, driven encounter, at once transitory and enduring, that is the reflection of primal yin and yang; meet, encounter, copulate; mating animals; magnetism, gravity; to be gripped by impersonal forces. Primal forces couple in the inner world, seeding enduring new forms.
Shaughnessy: The maiden matures ; do not herewith take a maiden.
Cleary (1):Meeting, the woman is strong. Don’t get married.
Cleary (2): In meeting, the woman is strong. Do not marry the woman.
Wu:Rendezvous indicates that the woman is strong. It is not advisable to marry that woman.
The Image
Legge: The image of wind with the sky above it forms Temptation. The sovereign, in accordance with this, delivers his charges, and promulgates his announcements throughout the four quarters of the kingdom.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Under heaven, wind: the image of Coming to Meet. Thus does the prince act when disseminating his commands and proclaiming them to the four quarters of heaven.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes wind blowing across the face of the earth. When the ruler issues commands, he has them proclaimed in every corner of the world.
Liu: The wind under the sky symbolizes Encountering. The ruler issues his directives, announcing them to the four corners (throughout his country).
Ritsema/Karcher: Below heaven possessing wind. Coupling. The crown-prince uses spreading-out fate to command the four sides.
[Fate, MING: individual destiny; birth and death as limits of life; issue orders with authority; consult the gods. The ideogram: mouth and order, words with heavenly authority.]
Cleary (1): There is wind under heaven, meeting. Thus do rulers announce their directives to the four quarters.
Wu: There is wind under heaven; this is Rendezvous. Thus, the sovereign announces the royal mandate to the whole nation.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge:Temptationhas the significance of unexpectedly coming on. We see in it the magnetic line coming unexpectedly on the dynamic ones. Marriage is improper, because one so symbolized should not be long associated with. When heaven and earth meet together as here represented, all the variety of natural things becomes displayed. When a dynamic line finds itself in the central and correct position, good government will nourish all under the sky. Great indeed is the significance of what has to be done at the time indicated byTemptation.
Legge: A single, magnetic line enters at the bottom of the hexagram. This is the figure used to represent the time of year when light and heat begin to wane. In the divided line we see the symbol of the inferior man, beginning to insinuate himself into the government of the country. His influence, if unchecked, would go on to grow and fill the vacant seats with others like himself. The objective of the Judgment is to arouse resistance to this evil influence.
Temptation is defined here as a sudden and casual meeting with something inferior -- the divided line is seen as appearing all at once in the figure. The first line, magnetic in a dynamic place, becomes the symbol of a bold woman of more than questionable virtue who appears unexpectedly on the scene with the object of seducing all five of the dynamic (male) lines to herself. No one would contract a marriage with such a female, and every good servant of his country will repel the entrance into government of every officer who can be so symbolized.
On the first two sentences of the Confucian commentary, the K'ang-hsi editors say: "The magnetic line meets with (or comes unexpectedly on) the dynamic ones. The magnetic line, that is, plays the principal part. The case is like that of the minister who assumes the power of decision in place of the ruler, or of a hen crowing at sunrise -- is not the name of shameless boldness rightly applied to it?"
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: Do not unite with an inferior element in your situation. ("Lead us not into temptation.")
The Superior Man formulates his code of conduct and abides by it.
Wilhelm translates the forty-fourth hexagram as Coming to Meet, and Blofeld gives it the rather startling subtitle of Sexual Intercourse. There is no doubt at all that the figure has an aura of illicit excitement associated with it which I feel is best conveyed by R. L. Wing's title of Temptation, though Adultery might also be suitable. One sometimes receives this hexagram under dramatic circumstances, and it serves to dump cold water on a potentially volatile series of choices and their equally volatile consequences.
When we consider the importance of the proper correlation of male and female lines in the I Ching, we see that the Judgment in this hexagram can psychologically depict the temptation to an adulterous union of thought and feeling. Adultery is a very useful metaphor for understanding the principles of the Work -- it means union with anything which, inI Ching terms, is not a "proper correlate.” To adulterate something is to degrade a pure substance by the addition of an inferior ingredient. The image of a temptation to adulterate the Work in this hexagram is therefore a warning in the strongest possible terms that you are vulnerable to some inferior choices.
Consequently by marriages not only the earths but also the heavens are filled with inhabitants ... The earth indeed may be filled with inhabitants by fornications and adulteries as well as by marriages; but not heaven. The reason is that hell is from adulteries, and heaven from marriages ... When the procreations of the human race are effected through marriages in which the holy love of good and truth from the Lord reigns, then it is done on earth as in the heavens, and the kingdom of the Lord on earth corresponds to the kingdom of the Lord in the heavens. Swedenborg -- Apocalypse Explained
The concept of the hieros gamos, or holy marriage, is a ubiquitous archetype found in every tradition rooted in the Perennial Philosophy. If this "marriage” symbolizes a proper union or reunion of previously separated elements, then it follows that the opposite situation: a union of mismatched entities would be symbolized by adultery. To recreate a primordial gestalt of perfection out of an exploded multiverse of mixed forces demands that all of the original pairs of opposites become properly matched correlates. Although any two opposite genders might feel a mutual attraction, there is really only one opposite which is an appropriate spouse. In the realm of human relationships this is evoked in the concept of the Soul Mate. Esoterically speaking, every polarized force in the multiverse has its proper correlate; it follows that the Work (in its largest conception) cannot be completed until each is reunited with each.
Indeed every act of sexual intercourse which has occurred between those unlike one another is adultery... Members of a race usually have associated with those of like race. So spirit mingles with spirit, and thought consorts with thought and light shares with light. If you are born a human being, it is the human being who will love you. If you become a spirit, it is the spirit which will be joined to you. If you become thought, it is thought which will mingle with you. If you become light, it is the light which will share with you. The Gnostic Gospel of Philip
The point is important enough to bear repeating: psycho-spiritually interpreted, sexual intercourse and marriage symbolize the possibility of a unification of forces. Conversely, union with an improper correlate means adulteration of the Work. This is the esoteric meaning underlying the Hindu caste system:
When (unrighteousness) overwhelms the family, O Krishna The women of the family become corrupt; and when, O Krishna, the women are corrupt, there arises a mixing of castes. Bhagavad-Gita 1: 41
The "mixing of castes” is, in the symbolism of theI Ching, the union of improper correlate forces. ("Women,” as we have seen, usually symbolize the emotional and feeling aspects of the psyche.) We readily recognize that the above quotation from the Bhagavad-Gita accurately reflects the symbolism of the forty-fourth hexagram, reiterating the great truth that when emotions make the choices, the unity of the psyche is compromised.
Added notes, 9/7/10: Sometimes this hexagram is received in answer to queries related more to a fated (karmic) situation than anything normally regarded as “temptation.” In these cases Ritsema/Karcher’s expanded notes on the ideograms are useful guides: “… gripped by impersonal forces. Primal forces couple in the inner world, seeding enduring new forms… This hexagram describes your situation in terms of the encounter of primal energies. It emphasizes that seeing-through your personal situation as the connection of objective forces is the adequate way to handle it...”
Line 1
Legge: The first line, magnetic, shows how its subject should be kept like a carriage tied and fastened to a metal drag, in which case with firm correctness there will be good fortune. But if she move in any direction, evil will appear. She will be like a lean pig, which is sure to keep jumping about.
Wilhelm/Baynes: It must be checked with a brake of bronze. Perseverance brings good fortune. If one lets it take its course, one experiences misfortune. Even a lean pig has it in him to rage around.
Blofeld: The chariot wheel is held with a metal brake. Persistence in a righteous course brings good fortune. Those with a goal or destination in view will witness misfortune. However, even a lean pig is able to wiggle its trotters.
Liu: The cart is held in check by a metal brake. To continue this is good fortune. If one goes somewhere, one meets misfortune. The lean pig that wriggles does not go any farther.
Ritsema/Karcher: Attaching tending-towards a metallic chock. Trial: significant. Possessing directed going. Visualizing: pitfall. Ruining the pig, conforming: hoof dragging.
Shaughnessy: Tied to a metal ladder; determination is auspicious. If you have someplace to go, you will see inauspiciousness; the emaciated piglet returns helter-skelter.
Cleary (1): A metal brake is applied. It is good to be correct. If you go anywhere, you will see misfortune. An emaciated pig leaps in earnest.
Cleary (2): Arrested by a metal brake, etc.
Wu: Staying with a silk spinning machine will be auspicious if consistent. Going elsewhere will be foreboding. It is like a sow hopping around boars.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: The metal drag describes the arrest of the magnetic line in its advancement. Wilhelm/Baynes: It is the way of the weak to be led. Blofeld: The weak have to be dragged. Ritsema/Karcher: Supple tao hauling-along indeed. Cleary (2): The reining of the course of flexibility. Wu: To restrain the yin’s way.
Legge: Line one represents the Bete Noir of the figure. If it can be halted, firm government and order will prevail. If she can't be restrained, she will become disgusting and dangerous. It isn't enough for the carriage to be halted by the metal drag -- it must also be chained fast to some steadfast object. Internal and external restraints must stop the evil influence from advancing.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: At the outset, the inferior man has wormed his way into the organization. He must be held in check energetically; otherwise he will grow disgusting and dangerous.
Wing: You have the opportunity to put limits upon an inferior element and prevent the growth of its influence. Do not be tempted to allow things to develop naturally. If you ignore it, it will not go away but will, instead, become a sizable problem. Act now.
Editor: Chetwynd, in his Dictionary of Symbols, says that a pig symbolizes the "dark side of the mother: (she) may be a monster or wild pig, with whom the Hero has to do battle at the appropriate time, in order to avoid being castrated or devoured by her." The pig in this line is symbolically identical with the fish in lines two and four: both represent a kind of untamed extravagance now unfolding -- primal forces challenging our will and intent to protect and advance the Work. The situation demands all of our control to prevent deterioration or loss.
This necessary ego function called willing is also the ability to say "no" to our drives, to ourselves and to others. E.C. Whitmont --The Symbolic Quest
A. Cease and desist -- bring this notion to a screeching halt right now!
B. “Yield not unto temptation.”
Line 2
Legge: The second line, dynamic, shows its subject with a wallet of fish. There will be no error. But it will not be good to let the subject of the first line go forward to the guests.
Wilhelm/Baynes: There is a fish in the tank. No blame. Does not further guests.
Blofeld: There is a fish in the bag -- no error! But it is of no advantage to the guests.
Liu: There is a fish in the kitchen. No blame, but there is no benefit to the guest.
Ritsema/Karcher:Enwrapping possessing fish. Without fault. Not Harvesting: guesting.
Shaughnessy: The wrapper has fish; there is no trouble; not beneficial to have audience.
Cleary (1): When the fish is in the bag, there’s no fault. It is not advantageous to the visitor.
Cleary (2): There is a fish in the bag, etc.
Wu: There is a fish in the wrapping. This is blameless, but disadvantageous to friends.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: It is right for him not to allow the first line to get to the guests. Wilhelm/Baynes: It is a duty not to let it reach the guests. Blofeld: This implies that we are not dutiful to our guests. Ritsema/Karcher: Righteously not extending-to guesting indeed. Cleary (2): Duty does not extend to visitors. Wu: There is no reason to share it with friends.
Legge: The wallet of fish symbolizes line one, which has come into the possession of line two. With his strength he must repress her advance, and he therefore assumes the rulership of the hexagram. All of the other dynamic lines are merely guests. He is the first line of defense, and it is important that he should prevent line one from contaminating them. The commentaries say that the lesson of line two is that he should make the repression of the first line his exclusive work, and not allow it to pass on to any of the other lines.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The inferior element is contained not by force but by gentle means. No error will issue from such a course. However, contact of the inferior with those farther away must be prevented. Otherwise, the evil will spread.
Wing: Keep the lid on the situation. Gently control the weak spots and do not allow them to show. If they become obvious to others, things may get out of hand.
Editor: Fish are aquatic animals. If water symbolizes the realm of the emotions and the unconscious psyche in general, then any denizen of this world represents an autonomous psychic force dwelling below the level of consciousness. A contemporary alternative for "wallet of fish" might be: "can of worms." Line two has to deal with the can of worms, chaotic mess, or sticky problem of line one. The situation is favorable because the fish are contained in a wallet, tank or wrapper -- not swimming free. Line two is a threshold guardian who must protect the forces above him from contamination by lower elements. (Compare the VII of Wands in the Tarot deck.) In some situations, the line can suggest comprehension of something (a theory, perhaps) that has some substance to it, but is not accurate enough to be acted upon in its present state.
Without taboos there is no means for training the will or achieving discipline. The child's experience of being surrounded by taboos cannot be set down to an arbitrary high-handedness of parents or culture but is an indispensable necessity arising from a need of the psyche to develop adequate ego functioning. E.C. Whitmont -- The Symbolic Quest
A. Protect the Work from contamination by inferior elements.
B. "Hold that line! Block that kick!"
Line 3
Legge: The third line, dynamic, shows one from whose buttocks the skin has been stripped so that he walks with difficulty. The position is perilous, but there will be no great error.
Wilhelm/Baynes: There is no skin on his thighs, and walking comes hard. If one is mindful of the danger, no great mistake is made.
Blofeld: His haunches have been flayed and he walks totteringly -- trouble, but no great error!
Liu: He loses skin on his thighs and walks with difficulty. Danger. No great mistake.
Ritsema/Karcher: The sacrum without flesh. One moves the resting-place moreover. Adversity. Without the great: fault.
Shaughnessy: The buttocks has (Sic) no skin; his movements are hither and thither; danger; there is no great trouble.
Cleary (1): No flesh on the buttocks, having trouble walking. If one is diligent in danger, there’s no great fault.
Cleary (2): With no flesh on the buttocks, the walk is halting. There is danger, but no great fault.
Wu: His buttocks have no skin. He hobbles along. He is in a precarious situation, but makes no big error.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: He walks with difficulty, but his steps have not yet been drawn into the course of the first line. Wilhelm/Baynes: He still walks without being led. Blofeld: Being able to walk without being dragged. [Despite rather severe trouble, for which we are not much to blame, we shall manage to get along somehow.] Ritsema/Karcher: Moving, not-yet hauling-along indeed. Cleary (2): The walk is halting because it is unconnected. Wu: He does not lead the sheep away.
Legge: Compare this line with line four of the preceding hexagram. Line three is dynamic, but has gone beyond the central place and has no correlate above. He is cut off from the first line by the intervening second line, and therefore cannot do much against her. But since his aim is to repress her, there will be no great error.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Liu: The man is tempted to join with the inferior element. Circumstances prevent this, leaving him with a painful decision. The position is perilous, but a clear insight will prevent great errors.
Wing: Although you are tempted to fall into an inferior situation, you are held back in spite of yourself. You must now resolve this indecisive conflict. Give it a great deal of thought, gain some insight, and you can avoid mistakes.
Editor: Line four of hexagram number forty-three also describes "One from whom whose buttocks the skin has been stripped.” Since hexagram forty-four and hexagram forty-three are upside down images of each other, it is interesting to note that lines three and four swap places with very similar images. Note the difference between them however -- in the present instance no blame is attached to the position. It is a good rendering of the stresses of temptation, of the discipline required to resist any compulsion. Sometimes the line suggests that you may only be able to affect the situation in a limited way. At its most neutral, it's an image of walking a tough path.
But it is to be known that no one is regenerated without temptation; and that many temptations succeed, one after another. The reason is that regeneration is effected for an end; in order that the life of the old man may die, and the new life which is heavenly be insinuated. It is evident therefore that there must certainly be a conflict; for the life of the old man resists and determines not to be extinguished; and the life of the new man can only enter where the life of the old is extinct. Swedenborg -- Arcana Coelestia
A. A difficult position. Cope with care and sensitivity. Don't surrender to circumstances.
B. You have not yet yielded to temptation and can still escape its consequences.
Line 6
Legge: The sixth line, dynamic, shows its subject receiving others on his horns. There will be occasion for regret, but there will be no error.
Wilhelm/Baynes: He comes to meet with his horns. Humiliation. No blame.
Blofeld: It rubs against things with its horns -- regret, but no error! [We shall regret our inability to progress, even though we are not at fault.]
Liu: Encountering on the horns. Humiliation, but no mistake.
Shaughnessy: Meeting its horns; distress; there is no trouble.
Cleary (1): Meeting the horn is humiliating. No blame.
Wu: He tries to meet the yin with his horns and is embarrassed. No error.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: He is exhausted at his greatest height, and there will be cause for regret. Wilhelm/Baynes: At the top it comes to an end, hence humiliation. Blofeld: Regret owing to the complete exhaustion of our powers. Ritsema/Karcher: Exhausting abashment above indeed. Cleary (2): The humiliation of coming to an impasse above. Wu: This is a desperate move from the highest position.
Legge: The K'ang-hsi editors say: "The subject of this line is like an officer who has withdrawn from the world. He can accomplish no service for the time, but his person is removed from the workers of disorder. He does nothing to repress their advance, but keeps himself from evil communication with them."
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: After his retirement from the everyday world, the man rebuffs the low and the inferior who come to him. He is blamed and reproached for his noble pride. Since he is no longer active in the world, he is able to bear criticisms with composure and continues to speak forthrightly without error.
Wing: Even if you withdraw from an inferior element and reject it openly, it will still be there. You will be thought proud and aloof. It would be more practical and less humiliating to retreat quietly. Nevertheless, you are not to blame for your actions.
Editor: Line six meets line one on its horns -- not as a direct attack as much as a petulant warning. (One is reminded of how an adult animal might nip or butt an importunate youngster in irritation, but with no real intent to inflict harm.) It's an image of a harsh rebuff which, though impolite, is not necessarily unjustified. Note that although Confucius emphasizes that there will be cause for regret, the original line ends with "no blame." Since the Self seldom shows much consideration for the ego's feelings, we must assume that there are situations when the ego may do likewise with others. At its most neutral, we have an image of exhausted irritability: unpleasant perhaps, but understandable.
I am a rough man, born in a rough country; I have been brought up in pine-woods, and I may have inherited some knots. That which seems to me polite and amiable may appear unpolished to another, and what seems silk in my eyes may be but homespun to you. Paracelsus
A. Fatigue and petulance prevent resolution of the matter at hand. Withdraw from contention for now. Perhaps you are trying too hard to force (or grasp) the issue.
B. An inferior force repulsed.
C. Could be an "attitude problem." You're tired, cross, impatient, (maybe scared), and being excessively defensive about your position.
D. There's no law that requires you to suffer fools gladly.
E. A plausible (albeit regrettable) response to being “rubbed the wrong way.”
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.