One fiddles with others until they let their guard down. taoscopy.com
The Well48
Seek renewal and sustenance from shared resources and deep wells of knowledge. Nurture the source to ensure lasting abundance.
↓ Line 2
Efforts are wasted due to carelessness or lack of proper tools. Resources are not being utilized effectively.
↓ Line 3
Potential is present but not recognized or utilized. Leadership is needed to bring out the benefits.
↓ Line 4
Efforts are being made to improve and maintain resources. This is a positive step and should be continued.
↓ Gathering Together45
Coming together for a shared purpose; unity and collective effort lead to strength. It's time to rally support and focus on communal goals.
48 The Well
Other titles: Welling, Potentialities Fulfilled, The Source, The Deep Psyche, "A resurrection or transformation. Generations coming and going and the continuance of life and development." -- D.F. Hook
Judgment
Legge: Although a town site may be altered, The Well remains the same. Its water level neither disappears nor receives any great increase, and the people can draw from it freely. Misfortune ensues if the rope breaks or the bucket is broken before it reaches the water.
Wilhelm/Baynes:The Well. The town may be changed, but the well cannot be changed. It neither decreases nor increases. They come and go and draw from the well. If one gets down almost to the water and the rope does not go all the way, or the jug breaks, it brings misfortune.
Blofeld: A Well. A city may be moved, but not a well. [The building of a city depends upon ourselves; but wells cannot be moved to places where nature supplies no water. The implication is that our activities are limited by natural conditions.] A well suffers from no decrease and no increase; but often, when the people come to draw water there, the rope is too short or the pitcher gets broken before reaching the water -- misfortune! [What we desire is there for the taking, but we may not succeed in getting it.]
Liu: The Well. The city might be moved; but not the well. It neither overflows nor runs dry. People come and go, drawing from the well. The rope nearly reaches the water, but not quite; the jug breaks -- misfortune.
Ritsema/Karcher: The Well: amending the capital, not amending the Well. Without losing, without acquiring. Going, coming: Welling, Welling. Muddy culmination: truly not-yet the well- rope Well. Ruining one's pitcher: Pitfall. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of the life water coming from the depths that everyone may draw on. It emphasizes that maintaining access to this central source is the adequate way to handle it. To be in accord with the time, you are told to go to the well!]
Shaughnessy: The Well: Changing the city but not changing the well; there is no loss, there is no gain. Going and coming so orderly; when the drying up arrives one also has not yet drawn from the well; burdening its formed earthenware jug; inauspicious.
Cleary (1):The Well: Changing the village, not changing the well; no loss, no gain. Those who come and go use the well as a well. If the rope does not reach all the way into the well, of if the bucket breaks, that is unfortunate.
Cleary (2): … People come and go, but the well remains a well. Lowering the bucket to the water, if you overturn the bucket before drawing it up from the well, this is unlucky.
Wu:The Well indicates that the planning of a district may be changed, but the location of the well may not. The water level of a well will neither increase nor decrease from use. There are wells here and there. When one is drawing water from a well, if he tangles the rope and damages the bucket just before it clears the well, it will be foreboding.
The Image
Legge: The image of water over wood forms The Well. The superior man comforts the people and stimulates their mutual cooperation.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Water over wood: the image of The Well. Thus the superior man encourages the people at their work and exhorts them to help one another.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes water over wood. The Superior Man encourages the people with advice and assistance.
Liu: Water on wood symbolizes The Well. The superior man inspires people to work diligently, and advises them to help each other.
Ritsema/Karcher: Above wood possessing stream. The Well. A chun tzu uses toiling commoners to encourage mutualizing.
Cleary (1): There is water above wood – A Well. Thus do superior people comfort the people and encourage reciprocity.
Wu: There is water above wood; this is The Well. Thus, the jun zi encourages people to work for the good of the public and to help one another for a better life.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: Wood penetrates the water and raises it, giving the image ofThe Wellwhich gives nourishment yet is not exhausted. The dynamic central lines in the second and fifth places indicate that the town site may change, but the well does not. If the rope does not reach the water the well does not serve its purpose. A broken bucket brings about evil.
Legge: The upper trigram represents Water, and the lower symbolizes Wood, giving the image of a wooden bucket in the water of a well. What is said on this hexagram might be styled: "Lessons to be learned from a well for the proper government of a country." A well is to its users what a government is to its subjects, and if rulers would only apply the ancient precepts of government to the present circumstances, they and their people would benefit greatly.
In the Judgment we see the well remaining substantially the same through many changes of society -- a dependable source of refreshment to its users. As the fashion of the well remains changeless, so do the principles of human nature and good government. The value of the well depends upon the water being drawn up and used -- and so must the principles of good government be implemented.
Anthony: This hexagram usually indicates that we have a hidden doubt or fear. We may secretly disbelieve our path.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: Amid the changes of life the only constant is the psyche itself -- to be alive is to draw upon its energy. The ego’s challenge lies in the correct comprehension of its images.
The Superior Man promotes the harmonious interplay of his thoughts and feelings. (Works on the integration of his complexes.)
A well is a universal symbol of a source of inner truth, and is often associated with a place that is sacred to the gods:
There he built an altar and invoked the name of Yahweh. There he pitched his tent, and there Isaac's servants sank a well. Genesis 26: 25
From the first well, which is of animal nature and deep, the father drinks, together with his children and cattle; from the second, which is yet deeper and on the very margin of nature, there drink only the children of men, namely those whose reason has awakened and whom we call philosophers; from the third, the deepest of all drink the sons of the All-Highest, whom we call gods and true theologians. Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa
Psychologically interpreted, a well symbolizes the continuously flowing unconscious psyche, the fountain of all awareness. In this hexagram each line represents a level within the well -- by extension suggesting a hierarchy of value in the unconscious. It is important to remember that not all of our inner images, intuitions or impulses come from the Self. Note that lines one through four all show the water of the well not being utilized for one reason or another -- only in lines three, five and six is it actually available for use.
In some sensitive individuals there is an awakening of para-psychological perceptions. They have visions, which they believe to be of exalted beings; they may hear voices, or begin to write automatically, accepting the messages at their face value and obeying them unreservedly. The quality of such messages is very varied. Sometimes they contain fine teachings, but they should always be examined with much discrimination and sound judgment, and without being influenced by their uncommon origin or by any claim by their alleged transmitter. No validity should be attributed to messages containing definite orders and commanding blind obedience, and to those tending to exalt the personality of the recipient. Roberto Assagioli --Psychosynthesis
The ego's point of view in relation to The Well is from the outside looking in – the insights emerge from beneath the surface of awareness and can be held in the light of consciousness only if one’s comprehension is able to contain them. If "the bucket breaks," our understanding is unequal to our observation and the insights are lost. (One might plausibly find the image for a cancer cure within one's psyche, but without a conscious frame of reference to acknowledge it, it would be unrecognized and lost.) Those who closely monitor their dreams know that there is an endless outpouring of strange images within the psyche which might be of inestimable value if only we knew what they referred to.
Wilhelm emphasizes the idea of "nourishing the people," which psychologically means that the role of the ego is to facilitate the cooperation of intra-psychic forces.
The solution lies, rather, along the lines of a harmonious integration of all drives into the total personality, first through the proper subordination and coordination, and then through the transformation and sublimation of the excessive or unused quota of energy. Roberto Assagioli --Psychosynthesis
Line 2
Legge: The second line, dynamic, shows a well from which by a hole the water escapes and flows away to the shrimps and such small creatures among the grass, or one the water of which leaks away from a broken bucket.
Wilhelm/Baynes: At the well-hole one shoots fishes. The jug is broken and leaks.
Blofeld: Perch dart from the water in the well hole; the pitcher is worn out and leaks. [We are doubly unfortunate in that natural conditions (signified by fish in the water) and our own ineptitude or misfortune combine to ensure our failure.]
Liu: The well is like a valley (it is collapsed). The fish can be seen. The jug is old and it leaks. [One should be cautious now to avoid disaster.]
Ritsema/Karcher: The Well : a gully, shooting bass. The jug cracked, leaking. [Bass, FU: freshwater fish, said to go in pairs and be faithful.]
Shaughnessy: If the well is murky shoot the smelt; it is only the worn-out fish-trap.
Cleary (1): The depths of the well water a frog. The jar leaks. [While in the middle of self-development, if one wants to develop others before one’s own development is sufficient, one will be of no benefit to others, and will harm oneself first.]
Cleary (2): The depths of the well a minnow. The jar is broken and leaks. [This second yang is intellectual Buddhahood, where one has been influenced somewhat by learning but has not yet become a vessel of truth.]
Wu: The well is nearly dried up, with little water left for small fish. If one tries to draw water from it, the bucket will be damaged. [Apparently the water table has changed, which prevents water from flowing into the well. Trying to draw water from it not only is unsuccessful, but also will damage the bucket. The little water may be enough for small fish, but it is not enough for people.]
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: He has none cooperating with him above. Wilhelm/Baynes: He has no one to do it with him. Blofeld: This is indicated by the failure of this line to win response from the other lines. Ritsema/Karcher: Without associating indeed. Cleary (2): It has no partner. Wu: It has nothing to offer.
Legge: Line two is dynamic, and might very well symbolize an active spring which feeds the well, and through it, the ground and its cultivators. But it is in an inappropriate place, and has no proper correlate. Its cool waters cannot be brought to the top.
Wilhelm/Baynes: The water itself is clear, but it is not being used. Thus the well is a place where only fish will stay, and whoever comes to it, comes only to catch fish. But the jug is broken, so that the fish cannot be kept in it. This describes the situation of a person who possesses good qualities but neglects them. No one bothers about him. As a result he deteriorates in mind. He associates with inferior men and can no longer accomplish anything worthwhile.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: As in the case of able statesmen who refuse to serve as ministers of the government, the man possesses precious qualities but neglects them. His talents are dissipated in miscellaneous directions.
Wing: Because you may not be using your abilities and talents in a worthwhile way, you may go unnoticed in the world. When you are not sought out and challenged by your contemporaries, your talents will dissipate. When it becomes most important, you cannot fulfill your function.
Anthony: Doubt that we can achieve our goal through following the path causes good nourishment to be useless.
Editor: This line reiterates the ideas presented in the Judgment: "If the drawing has nearly been accomplished, but before the rope has quite reached the water, the bucket is broken, this is evil." Psychologically, the image can suggest an insight or idea which is lost because it is not comprehended.
In the training analysis the doctor must learn to know his own psyche and to take it seriously. If he cannot do that, the patient will not learn either. He will lose a portion of his psyche, just as the doctor has lost that portion of his psyche which he has not learned to understand. Jung --Memories, Dreams, Reflections
A. For some reason you are unable to retain something or make a connection.
B. Wasted energy, lost power.
C. An asset now in decline.
Line 3
Legge: The third line, dynamic, shows a well which has been cleared out, but is not used. Our hearts are sorry for this, for the water might be drawn out and used. If the king were only intelligent, both he and we might receive the benefit of it.
Wilhelm/Baynes: The well is cleaned, but no one drinks from it. This is my heart's sorrow, for one might draw from it. If the king were clear-minded, good fortune might be enjoyed in common.
Blofeld: The well has been cleaned out; to my heart's sorrow, no one drinks from it, though it could well be used to supply drinking water. [If we fail now, it is not for lack of opportunity but because we do not make use of opportunity.] The King is wise and it is possible for the people to share his good fortune.
Liu: The well has been cleared, but still no one drinks from it. This is sorrowful for me (the well), for others might draw from it. If the king is enlightened, he will use it for the benefit of all.
Ritsema/Karcher: The Well: oozing, not taking-in. Activating my heart aching. Permitting availing-of drawing water: Kingly brightness. Together-with acquiescing-in one's blessing.
Shaughnessy: If the well is seeping do not drink; it makes my heart blocked; it can be used to draw water; the king's brightness together receives its blessing.
Cleary (1): The well is cleared, but not drunk from; this is the concern of one’s heart. It is worth drawing from. When the ruler is enlightened, all receive the blessing. [This line refers to one whose self-development is fulfilled.]
Wu: The well water is clean, but it is not used for drinking. It is a pity. If it were drawn for drinking, as it should be, then we all would benefit from it like people enjoying the reign of a perspicacious king.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: Even passersby would be sorry that the well isn't used. A prayer is made that the king were intelligent, for then blessing would be received. Wilhelm/ Baynes: This is the sorrow of the active people. They beg that the king may be clear-minded, in order to attain good fortune. Blofeld: The first sentence implies activities which call forth pity; the second, that we should accept our good fortune. Ritsema/ Karcher: Moving: aching indeed. Seeking kingly brightness: acquiescing-in blessing indeed. Cleary (2): When the well is cleared but not drunk from, travelers are concerned; they seek enlightenment in the king to receive blessings.[Because it subdues the basic afflictions of the mind, the well is cleared, but because it does not yet realize essence, it is not drunk from. Here one should seek the aid of the buddhas; then one can help oneself and help others.] Wu: The people pray that the king may be perspicacious, such that they may all benefit from his reign.
Legge: Line three is dynamic and in its proper place -- it represents an able minister or officer.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man has competence which is being overlooked and unused. Were the chief executive clear-sighted, such a man would have been employed for the benefit of all. Those who know his abilities are deeply saddened to see them go to waste.
Wing: You may be overlooking an opportunity that has come your way or you, and your talents, may be overlooked by others. This is very unfortunate. If somehow this could be recognized, you and everyone around you would benefit.
Anthony: In spite of understanding things correctly, we cling to traditional defenses. The king, our inner self, is not clear-minded enough to trust and draw upon rich inner resources: to ask for help, to trust the unknown, to persevere in allowing ourself to be led docilely and receptively. Our path is trustworthy.
Editor: Legge is unusually terse here. Since this is the only line in the lower trigram that is correctly positioned above its two incorrect companions, it suggests an asset which is ignored to the disadvantage of potential users. Perhaps an insight or connection within the psyche is going unrecognized by conscious awareness. The Well is very hierarchal in the progression of its lines, and it is instructive to compare it with hexagram number fifty, The Sacrificial Vessel, the third line of which has a similar meaning to this one.
Here we confront a puzzling space-time transcendent dimension of a quasi-absolute knowledge from within, which is not, however, directly accessible to the rational ego. In dreams the unconscious dimension operates as if it encompassed unknown events outside of space and time (and to the dreamer often enough unknowable) and also subjective problems which lie ahead in the dreamer's development. E.C. Whitmont -- The Symbolic Quest
A. An asset is ignored -- to the stress of those who might benefit from it.
B. Unused power is wasted power.
C. You don’t see an advantage available to you.
Line 4
Legge: The fourth line, magnetic, shows a well, the lining of which is well laid. There will be no error.
Wilhelm/Baynes: The well is being lined. No blame.
Blofeld: The well is being tiled -- no error!
Liu: The well is being rebuilt. No blame.
Ritsema/Karcher: The Well: lining, without fault.
Shaughnessy: The well is walled; there is no trouble.
Cleary (1): The well is tiled, without fault.
Cleary (2): When the well is tiled, there is no fault.
Wu: There is no error in repairing the well.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: The well has been put in good repair. Wilhelm/Baynes: The well is being put in working order. Blofeld: For it is under repair. [We are likely to suffer a necessary delay, but the situation is hopeful.]Ritsema/Karcher: Adjusting the well indeed. Cleary (2): This means fixing the well. Wu: Because it is functioning.
Legge: Line four is magnetic, but in its proper place. She is neither to be condemned nor praised. She takes care of herself, but does nothing for others. The cultivation of one's self, which is represented here, is fundamental to the government of others.
Wilhelm/Baynes: …In life also there are times when a man must put himself in order. During such a time he can do nothing for others, but his work is nonetheless valuable, because by enhancing his powers and abilities through inner development, he can accomplish all the more later on.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man begins to organize his life and develop his capacities. He is too occupied in this task to help others at the moment. For this he deserves no blame, since he will be able to contribute more later on.
Wing: The time has come to pull back and reorganize your life or re-evaluate your goals. This means that you will not be taking an active part in the affairs of others. By putting your life in order, however, you will be able to contribute more fully later on.
Editor: Wilhelm, Blofeld and Liu all translate this line in terms of an incomplete process: the well is undergoing reconstruction. It isn't "well laid" it is "being well laid." That is, the well is undergoing repairs now and cannot be used until the repairs are completed. Psychologically, an inner transformation is taking place.
While the hidden life forces are performing their mysterious work of transformation, the rational and willed attitude of the conscious ego can only interfere. It can neither assist nor guide. The libido is withdrawn from it, and it is left high and dry. When this happens one can do nothing but await the re- emergence of the psychic energy, alert to profit by the creative work in which it has been taking part. M.E. Harding -- Psychic Energy
A. While inner forces are being transformed they are unavailable for conscious use.
B. The image suggests the idea of "putting one's house in order." Something is being transformed.
45 Gathering Together
Other titles: Gathering Together, Massing, The Symbol of Gathering into One, Assembling, Congregation, Gathering, Unity, Accord, Making Whole, Focusing, Marshalling One's Forces, Clustering, Finished
Judgment
Legge: When forces are gathering, the King goes to his ancestral temple. For successful progress, maintain firm correctness and see the great man. A large sacrifice brings good fortune -- proceed toward your destination.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Gathering Together . Success. The king approaches his temple. It furthers one to see the great man. This brings success. Perseverance furthers. To bring great offerings creates good fortune. It furthers one to undertake something.
Blofeld: Gathering Together -- success! The King approaches the temple. It is advisable to see a great man, which will ensure success. Persistence in a righteous course brings reward. Great sacrifices are offered -- good fortune! [These were religious sacrifices, but they may be taken to mean that the time has come for us to make important sacrifices of another sort.] It is favorable to have in view a goal (or destination).
Liu:Gathering. Success. The king attends the temple. It is of benefit to see the great man; this leads to success. Continuance benefits. Offering a great sacrifice leads to good fortune. It benefits one to go somewhere.
Ritsema/Karcher:Clustering, Growing. The king imagines possessing a temple. Harvesting: visualizing Great People. Growing. Harvesting Trial. Availing-of the great: sacrificial-victims significant. Harvesting: possessing directed going. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of collecting and assembling. It emphasizes that bringing people and things together through a common feeling or goal is the adequate way to handle it...]
Shaughnessy: Finished: The king enters into the temple; beneficial to see the great man; receipt; beneficial to determine. Using the great animal offering is auspicious; beneficial to have someplace to go.
Cleary (1): Gathering is developmental. The king comes to have a shrine. It is beneficial to see a great person; this is developmental. It is beneficial to be correct. It is good to make a great sacrifice. It is beneficial to go somewhere.
Cleary (2):Gathering is successful. The king goes to his shrine. It is beneficial to see a great person; this leads to success, etc.
Wu: Congregation indicates that the king comes to his ancestral temple. It will be advantageous to see the great man. There will be pervasion, if persevering. It will be auspicious to use big sacrificial animals in the offerings. It will be good to have undertakings.
The Image
Legge: A marsh above the earth -- the image of Contraction. The superior man, in accordance with this, assembles his weapons in readiness for unseen contingencies.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Over the earth, the lake: the image of Gathering Together. Thus the superior man renews his weapons in order to meet the unforeseen.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes a marshy lake rising above the earth. The Superior Man gathers together his weapons in order to provide against the unforeseen. [This is a time when foresight is required of us, too.]
Liu: The lake on the earth symbolizes Gathering. The superior man keeps his weapons prepared to meet the unexpected.
Ritsema/Karcher: Above marsh with-respect-to earth. Clustering. A chun tzu uses eliminating arms to implement. A chun tzu uses warning, not precautions.
Cleary (1): Moisture rises onto the earth, gathering. Thus do superior people prepare weapons to guard against the unexpected. [When practitioners of the Tao get to where the five elements are assembled and have been returned to the source, when everything acquired is obedient to their will, if they do not know how to prevent danger and take perils into consideration, eventually what has been gathered will again disperse, and they will not be able to avoid the trouble of losing what has been gained… “Weapons” means the tools of wisdom, the work of silent operation of spiritual awareness. When the primordial has been congealed, it is not subject to injury by acquired conditioning, but it is still necessary to dissolve the influence of personal history before nature and life can be stabilized. If there is any remaining contamination, eventually conditioning will reassert itself and the primordial will again become fragmented. Therefore the work of guarding is indispensable.]
Wu: The marsh is above the earth; this is Congregation . Thus the jun zi causes the nation to be armed in preparation for contingencies.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: Contraction shows massing for union through Cheerfulness and Obedience. The dynamic line is responded to in his ruling central place, hence the idea of union. With the utmost piety the king presents his offerings to the spirits in his ancestral temple. Union with the great man is effected through correctness. The law of heaven demands a sacrifice. Contemplation of the way forces are gathered shows us the way of heaven, earth and all of nature.
Legge:Contractionmeans collecting together, or things so collected. The hexagram deals with the union between the ruler and his ministers -- between high and low in the kingdom. This state is to be preserved through the influence of religion and the great man, who is a kind of philosopher king who meets the spirits of his ancestors in the temple. Whatever he does will succeed because he is correct and right, and his great sacrifices are in harmony with the times.
The two trigrams represent Docility and Cheerfulness. The dynamic fifth line has his proper magnetic correlate in line two -- which gives the idea of union. Ch'eng-tzu says that the ordinances of heaven are simply the natural and practical outcome of heavenly principle.
A marsh above the earth must be kept in by dykes -- so the Contraction must be preserved by precautionary measures, the chief of which is to be prepared to resist attack from without, and to quell internal rebellion.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: Forces are assembling for integration -- focus inward, sacrifice your autonomy and allow the Self to guide the Work.
The Superior Man pulls himself together to face the unknown and preserve the Work. “Forewarned is forearmed.”
Psychologically, Contraction depicts a time when inner components of the psyche assemble for recombination into a new pattern. It is significant that this is the time when “the king goes to his ancestral temple.” That is, the governing intelligence turns toward the template or ideal image of the Work as it exists in its consummate state. (See commentary on hexagram number fifty-nine, Expansion, for further discussion of the symbolism of the ancestral temple.) If the gathering forces integrate in conformity with this archetype, the Work is thereby advanced.
He, therefore, who perceives himself to associate with God, will have himself the similitude of Him. And if he passes from himself as an image to the archetype, he will then have the end of his progression. Plotinus
In addition to being a gestalt of future perfection, the temple is the home of the ancestors: a karmic repository of all that has gone into the Work via the will and intent of former historical ego-personalities. This archetype of "the ancestors" is described by the Lakota shaman, Black Elk, in his Great Vision. Note that the "grandfathers and grandmothers" are present when the people are "walking in a sacred manner" -- i.e., conforming to the ideal archetypal pattern of the Work:
But I was not the last; for when I looked behind me there were ghosts of people like a trailing fog as far as I could see -- grandfathers of grandfathers and grandmothers of grandmothers without number. And over these a great Voice -- the Voice that was the South -- lived, and I could feel it silent. And as we went the Voice behind me said: "Behold a good nation walking in a sacred manner in a good land!"
The Ancestral Temple then, symbolizes the Work in progress as it exists outside of temporal awareness. At death the karmic complexes of the psyche, released from their spacetime ego-body, assume new configurations in hyperspace in accordance with the accomplishments of the just completed lifetime. Ideally, the ancestors and their heirs (choices and their consequences) within the Ancestral Temple undergo purification: this is what Individuation (the Work) is all about.
At the end of the dying process consciousness divides into the consciousness of one's parents and one’s children, and then it moves through these modalities, and then divides again. It's moving forward into the future through the people who come after you, and backward into the past through your ancestors. Terence McKenna --The Archaic Revival
In the multidimensional realms "beyond" our material world, time does not exist. In some way unimaginable to us, past, present and future are consolidated into an eternal Here and Now. Thus our choices in spacetime can have consequences in hyperspace which are inconceivable to us in the current situation. So if the Self (as manifested in the oracle) often seems to be tyrannically unreasonable, it is arguably because of the ego's dimensional myopia.
The Spirit ... may know the most violent love and hatred possible, for it can see the remote consequences of the most trivial acts of the living, provided those consequences are part of its future life. In trying to prevent them it may become one of those frustrators dreaded by certain spirit mediums. It cannot, however, without ... assistance ... affect life in any way except to delay its own rebirth. With that assistance it can so shape circumstances as to make possible the rebirth of a unique nature. W. B. Yeats --A Vision
Such conceptions of cause and effect seem irrational to ordinary awareness, yet quantum physicists hypothesize future events which affect the present as well as the past. The idea is not a new one:
Indeed, the hero of Hebrew myth is not only profoundly influenced by the deeds, words and thoughts of his forebears, and aware of his own profound influence on the fate of his descendants; he is equally influenced by the behavior of his descendants and influences that of his ancestors. Thus King Jeroboam set up a golden calf in Dan, and this sinful act sapped the strength of Abraham when he pursued his enemies into the same district a thousand years previously. Graves and Patai --Hebrew Myths
Should the ego's choices and their consequences not conform to the Self's intent, a rather cancerous growth is implied in which dynamic and magnetic forces are improperly consolidated -- in I Chingterms, dynamic and magnetic are mismatched. Through this "infidelity" of correlates the Work is thus adulterated and falls short of the archetypal ideal.
That the greatest effects come from the smallest causes has become patently clear not only in physics but in the field of psychological research as well. How often in the critical moments of life everything hangs on what appears to be a mere nothing! Jung -- The Phenomenology of the Spirit in Fairytales
Contraction is a compression inward toward a center. Psychologically, this can be regarded as an integration of complexes. Once the implosion completes itself, it is implied that the growth cycle reverses itself to expand away from the center. (Cf., hexagram number fifty-nine, Expansion, in which the ancestral temple is also mentioned.) The following hexagram, Pushing Upward,is the inverse of this one, and depicts a similar upward expansion of energy.
The archetypal themes displayed here are those of Solve et coagula, Implosion-Explosion, Contraction-Expansion, Black Hole-White Hole, Day and Night of Brahma, etc.