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The Well48
Seek renewal and sustenance from shared resources and deep wells of knowledge. Nurture the source to ensure lasting abundance.
↓ Line 1
The well is neglected and not used. There is no benefit in a resource that is not maintained.
↓ 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.
↓ Line 5
The resource is in excellent condition and provides benefit to all. It is a source of nourishment and refreshment.
↓ The Marrying Maiden54
Proceed cautiously, recognizing limitations and external influences. Adapt to circumstances with humility and patience, but remain aware of your own path and intentions.
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 1
Legge: The first line, magnetic, shows a well so muddy that men will not drink of it; or an old well to which neither birds nor other creatures resort.
Wilhelm/Baynes: One does not drink the mud of the well. No animals come to an old well.
Blofeld: The muddy water at the well bottom is undrinkable; an old well attracts no animals.
Liu: No one drinks from a muddy well. Even animals do not come to an old well. [A time of obstacles.]
Ritsema/Karcher:The Well: a bog, not taking-in. The ancient well without wildfowl. [Wildfowl, CH’N: all wild and game birds; untamed.]
Shaughnessy: If the well is muddy do not drink; the old well does not have game.
Cleary (1): Mud in a well is not to be consumed. There are no animals at an abandoned well.
Wu: The muddy water is not drinkable. The old well has nothing to offer.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: It has been forsaken in the course of time. Wilhelm/Baynes: Time forsakes it. Blofeld: The first clause signifies that our affairs take a downward trend; the second, that it is time to give up. Ritsema/Karcher: The below indeed. The season stowed-away indeed. Cleary (2): It is below. Because its time is gone. Wu: It has been abandoned.
Legge: Line one is magnetic and at the bottom of the figure - suggesting the mud at the bottom of a well. Many men in authority are like such a well: corrupt, useless, unregarded. It is said of line one: "Those who have a mind to do something in the world, when they look at this line and its symbolism will learn how they ought to exert themselves."
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: At the outset, the man's life is immersed in corrupt, useless, and repulsive muck. No one is attracted to him.
Wing: You rely too much upon your own opinions and perceptions and therefore have little to offer others in the way of insight or nourishment. When there is no longer an exchange with others, you are lost and forgotten.
Editor: The Legge and Ritsema/Karcher translations are the only ones which mention "birds" or "wildfowl" here; the other translators use "animals," “game,” or "creatures." I have often found the attribute of the bird to be useful in interpreting the psychological intent of this line. Birds symbolize the realm of intellect, ideas or thought, and often this line has clearly meant that my idea or concept of the matter at hand was stagnant or out-moded. For example, the notion that the world is flat is an idea which was once widely held, but which has since been "forsaken in the course of time." The image also suggests a very primitive level within the psyche which is best shunned by consciousness.
In order to seize hold of the fantasies, I frequently imagined a steep descent. I even made several attempts to get to the very bottom. The first time I reached, as it were, a depth of about a thousand feet; the next time I found myself at the edge of a cosmic abyss ... I had the feeling that I was in the land of the dead. Jung --Memories, Dreams, Reflections
A. Image of an archaic, stagnant level of awareness or point of view. Obsolete thinking.
B. Avoid primitive or inferior elements within the situation.
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.
Line 5
Legge: The fifth line, dynamic, shows a clear, limpid well, the waters from whose cold spring are freely drunk.
Wilhelm/Baynes: In the well there is a clear, cold spring from which one can drink.
Blofeld: The well is cool; its water tastes like water from an icy spring. [All goes well with us.]
Liu: The water of the well is clear and cool. People drink from it. [People will succeed in their undertakings and profit from them.]
Ritsema/Karcher: The Well: limpid, cold spring water taken-in.
Shaughnessy: If the well is crisscrossed with cold springs, drink.
Cleary (1): The well is pure, the cold spring is used for drinking.
Cleary (2): The cold spring in the well is drunk from.
Wu: The well water is fresh and clean. It is like drinking from a cool spring.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: This is indicated by the central and correct position of the line. Wilhelm/Baynes: Drinking from the clear, cold spring depends on its central and correct position. Blofeld: This is indicated by the suitable position of the line, which is central to the upper trigram. Ritsema/Karcher: Centering correcting indeed. Cleary (2): Balance and correctness. Wu: Central and correct.
Legge: Line five is dynamic and in his correct place -- the seat of the ruler. As a well full of clear water is accessible to its users, so should a ruler be to his subjects.
Wilhelm/Baynes: A well that is fed by a spring of living water is a good well. A man who has virtues like a well of this sort is to be a leader and savior of men, for he has the water of life. Nevertheless, the character for “good fortune” is left out here. The all-important thing about a well is that its water be drawn. The best water is only a potentiality for refreshment as long as it is not brought up. So too with leaders of mankind: it is all-important that one should drink from the spring of their words and translate them into life.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The natural-born leader performs wide and useful services for the people.
Wing: You possess all the potential possible for insight and wisdom. This gift is the mark of an unparalleled leader. Such abilities and insights, however, must be applied to your daily life in order to continue growing and developing.
Anthony: It is not enough to have the water of the well; to be of use we must drink it. If we have doubts about our path, it cannot work for us. We can only make knowledge ours by putting it to experience, and accepting the hazard of depending on it.
Editor: When our conscious attitude is open to inner truth, that truth is reflected in the world. The image suggests that an outer attitude reflects an inner reality. See line six for the subtle difference between the two images.
For when the surface of those waters is disturbed by no slightest ripple of thought, Then shall the glory of my Self, Which is thy true Self, Be mirrored unto thee. P.F. Case -- The Book of Tokens
A. Integrated energy is at the surface of awareness.
B. You have what you need to succeed.
54 The Marrying Maiden
Other titles: The Marrying Maiden, The Symbol of the Marriage of the Younger Sister, Marriageable Maiden, The Marrying Girl, Subordinate, The Second Wife, Converting Maidenhood, Returning maiden, Making a young girl marry, Marrying a young girl, Marrying a Maiden, Unilateral Action, Impropriety, Improper Advances, "Deals with life and death, sex and birth. It contains a warning about a person or situation. It deals essentially with discrimination. The first step on the Path without which we are useless." -- D.F. Hook
Judgment
Legge:Propriety indicates that action will be evil, and in no wise advantageous.
Wilhelm/Baynes: The Marrying Maiden. Undertakings bring misfortune. Nothing that would further.
Blofeld:The Marriageable Maiden. Advance brings misfortune. No goal (or destination) is now favorable.
Liu: The Marrying Girl. Undertaking leads to misfortune. Nothing benefits.
Ritsema/Karcher: Converting Maidenhood, chastising: pitfall. Without direction: Harvesting. [Without direction: Harvesting: ... In order to take advantage of the situation, do not impose a direction on events.] [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of the changing status of someone who cannot control their circumstances. It emphasizes that finding a real field of activity through accepting this imposition is the adequate way to handle it...]
Shaughnessy:Returning maiden: To be upright is inauspicious; there is no place beneficial.
Cleary (1): Making a young girl marry: To go on will lead to misfortune; no profit is gained.
Cleary (2):Marrying a young girl. To go on an expedition leads to misfortune, with nothing gained.
Wu: Marrying a Maiden indicates that it will be foreboding to make moves. There is nothing to be gained.
The Image
Legge: The waters of a Marsh with Thunder over it form the hexagram of Propriety. The superior man, in accordance with this, having regard to the far-distant end, knows the mischief that may be done at the beginning.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Thunder over the lake: the image of The Marrying Maiden. Thus the superior man understands the transitory in the light of the eternity of the end.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes thunder over a pool. The Superior Man knows that, to achieve an enduring end, he must be aware of his mistakes at the beginning.
Liu: Thunder over the lake symbolizes the Marrying Girl. The superior man knows the cause of error, and persists in his virtue to the end.
Ritsema/Karcher: Above marsh possessing thunder. Converting Maidenhood. A chun tzu uses perpetually completing to know the cracked.
Cleary (1): There is thunder above a lake, making a young girl marry. Thus superior people persist to the end and know what is wrong.
Cleary (2): Thunder over a lake – Marrying a young girl. Developed people consider lasting results and know what is wrong. [The way developed people handle things is that before they take the time to ask how to start something, they first consider lasting results. If they think of lasting results, they know what is wrong with acting prematurely, like marrying an immature girl. If you understand the meaning of this, you can apply it to government and to contemplating mind as well.]
Wu: There is thunder above the marsh; this is Marrying a Maiden. Thus, the jun zi in the pursuit of lasting excellence realizes the flaws and corrects them.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: In the marriage of a young bride the proper relationship between heaven and earth is seen. Nothing could grow or flourish if heaven and earth did not unite. The marriage of a young bride is therefore both the commencement and goal of humanity. But here the desire of pleasure employs movement to attain union. This action will be evil because the lines are in inappropriate places, and the magnetic three and five are mounted on dynamic lines.
Legge: The Chinese phrase for this hexagram might be equivalent to the English "giving in marriage,” but there are some special meanings in this case which must be understood. The Judgment gives a bad auspice because the trigram of the Youngest Daughter is beneath the trigram of the Eldest Son. Since the action of the hexagram begins with the lowest trigram, we have two violations of propriety. First, the marriage is initiated by the woman and her friends. She goes unilaterally to her future home instead of the bridegroom coming to fetch her. Second, the parties are unequally matched -- there is too great a disparity in their ages. In addition, all the lines in the hexagram except the top and the bottom are in places inappropriate for them. Some commentators insist that the symbol of the contracting of a marriage in this hexagram sets forth some principles which should obtain in the relation between a ruler and his ministers.
The growth of things in nature from the interaction of heaven and earth is analogous to the increase of mankind through the interaction between male and female in marriage. The K'ang-hsi editors reconcile this good auspice with the unfavorable Judgment by saying: "The interaction of the yin and yang cannot be dispensed with, but we ought to be careful about it in the beginning in order to prevent mischief in the end.” The error here is that the desire for the marriage originated with the lady, and that she is heedless of the disparity in their ages.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: Propriety means that unilateral action is inappropriate.
The Superior Man understands that the Work is guided from within, and that choices which ignore this truth can only retard its progress. (Present actions originate future consequences: pay heed to your choices.)
The traditional name for this hexagram is The Marrying Maiden -- a title which does not convey to modern western readers the subtlety of its symbolism. Blofeld says: "This hexagram is, on the whole, a most unfortunate omen ... We must not suppose that it deals only with marriage. What is said about the maiden symbolizes in some way or other what we may expect for ourselves within the context of our enquiry." The figure is certainly difficult, but "unfortunate" only if its import is resisted or denied: any portrayal of our situation which eliminates illusion (however painful the realization), must be regarded as a positive lesson.
Although the Confucian commentary describes this hexagram in terms of self-seeking aspiration, the wretched protagonist of the figure is not invariably culpable, and neither Judgment nor Image imply this. In addition to being at the very bottom of the social pecking order, the maiden is portrayed as half-blind, crippled and a "slave." Although condemned by the commentators for importuning a marriage that would raise her status, a close reading of the lines reveals that only the sixth place suggests possible impropriety -- the others all contain advice about how one of extremely low status should cope with restricted circumstances. The hexagram therefore can deal with either of two possible conditions: those involving Proprietyand those involving Making-do as an adaptation to adversity.
In the first instance, it is useful to compare the symbolism here with that of the preceding hexagram of Gradual Progress. There we see the organic progression of the Work allegorized as the proper marriage of a young woman. In this case, Gradual Progress has been turned upside down and the symbolism reversed: this young woman improperly pursues a marriage on her own initiative. Psychologically interpreted, it can be regarded as an image of the ego pushing its own agenda or desire for union.
The ego may move in directions and toward actions that are at variance with the intentions and standards of the Self ... The mature adult needs to recognize eventually his or her relative limitedness vis-à-vis the "Self- field" and the cosmic organism of which s/he is but a cell. We are subject to the ordering and growth intents of the entelechy of the whole. E. C. Whitmont -- The Alchemy of Healing
To recognize our `relative limitedness “vis-à-vis the Self-field” is to renounce our claim to unilateral action. Though the ego ardently desires a marriage with the Self, only the Self can initiate such a union. Chou Tun I, an early Neo-Confucian, makes an observation which illuminates Legge's Image:
"The superior man, in accordance with this, having regard to the far-distant end, knows the mischief that may be done at the beginning. The most important things in the world are tendencies. Tendencies may be strong or weak. If a tendency is extremely strong, it cannot be controlled. But it is possible to control it quickly if one realizes that it is strong. To control it requires effort. If one does not realize early enough, it will not be easy to apply effort.”
To receive this hexagram without changing lines can be an admonition to examine your motives and actions in the matter at hand. Where are you out of line? If no obvious impropriety is involved, it could also portray an essentially impotent predicament. At such times Ritsema/Karcher's synopsis bears repetition: "This hexagram describes your situation in terms of the changing status of someone who cannot control their circumstances. It emphasizes that finding a real field of activity through accepting this imposition is the adequate way to handle it.”
SUGGESTIONS FOR MEDITATION
Compare Propriety with hexagram number fifty-three, Gradual Progress, then compare them both with hexagram number thirty-one,Initiative. What are the similarities in their ideas? Now look at hexagrams number eleven, seventeen and twenty-two and observe the over-all philosophy which begins to emerge.