One disapproves of the use of particular methods. taoscopy.com
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.
↓ Line 2
Even with partial vision, one can see clearly. Perseverance in solitude can lead to progress.
↓ Line 3
Accepting a lower status can lead to a form of union, but it may not be fulfilling.
↓ Line 5
True worth is not in outward appearances. Inner value and timing bring good fortune.
↓ Line 6
Efforts are in vain when the essential elements are missing. Actions may not lead to desired outcomes.
↓ Fellowship13
Unity through shared purpose and community effort.
Original Readings
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.
Line 2
Legge: The second line, dynamic, shows her blind of one eye, and yet able to see. There will be advantage in her maintaining the firm correctness of a solitary widow.
Wilhelm/Baynes: A one-eyed man who is able to see. The perseverance of a solitary man furthers.
Blofeld: The one-eyed man can see. Righteous persistence brings advantage to the recluse. [It is not unusual for a one-eyed man to see, more or less, or for a recluse to benefit from persistence in his meditations and devotions; neither of them symbolizes anything at all remarkable.]
Liu: A one-eyed man can see. It benefits the solitary man to keep quiet.
Shaughnessy: The blind are able to see; beneficial for a dark man to determine.
Cleary (1): The one-eyed can see. It is beneficial to be chaste as a hermit.
Wu: It is like looking with one injured eye. It is advantageous to having a recluse’s perseverance.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: She has not changed from the constancy proper to a wife. Wilhelm/Baynes: The permanent law is not changed. Blofeld: As yet, no change occurs in the ordinary course of events. Ritsema/Karcher: Not-yet transforming the rules indeed. Cleary (2): The benefit of the chastity of a hermit is not changing the norm. Wu: He has not yet deviated from his course.
Legge: Line two is dynamic in a magnetic place, and her correlate is magnetic in a dynamic place. Both, however, are central in their respective trigrams. With a weak correlate, line two can't do much in the discharge of her duties, but if she thinks only of her husband, like the widow who will die rather than marry again, such devotion will have its effect and reward. Though blind in one eye, she still manages to see -- devoted loyalty in an officer will compensate for many disadvantages.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: Devoted loyalty on the part of the man will compensate for many weaknesses on the part of his associates as well.
Wing: The situation is disappointing. It is up to you, alone, to carry on the original vision. Such devotion and loyalty will ultimately bring progress.
Editor: The line does not lend itself to the usual gender designations used in this book. Blofeld's Confucian commentary: "As yet, no change occurs in the ordinary course of events” suggests that although we may not perceive or understand what is going on, we still haven't violated the Work. Legge's rendition of "the firm correctness of a solitary widow” implies virtuous abstinence -- not giving one's energy to any force that would compromise our integrity.
It is high time we realized that it is pointless to praise the light and preach it if nobody can see it. It is much more needful to teach people the art of seeing. For it is obvious that far too many people are incapable of establishing a connection between the sacred figures and their own psyche: they cannot see to what extent the equivalent images are lying dormant in their own unconscious. In order to facilitate this inner vision we must first clear the way for the faculty of seeing. How this is to be done without psychology, that is, without making contact with the psyche, is, frankly, beyond my comprehension. Jung -- Psychology and Alchemy
A. The situation has yet to clarify -- go it alone until the way becomes clear.
B. Partial vision is better than none. Remain uncommitted, and do not depart from your accustomed routine.
Line 3
Legge: The third line, magnetic, shows the young woman who was to be married off in a mean position. She returns and accepts an ancillary position.
Wilhelm/Baynes: The Marrying Maiden as a slave. She marries as a concubine.
Blofeld: From being a servant, the marriageable maiden becomes a concubine. [Again, a small advance is made, but nothing very satisfying is won.]
Liu: The marrying girl is to be a maidservant. She marries as a concubine.
Ritsema/Karcher:Converting Maidenhood: using hair-growing. Reversing Converting: using the junior-sister.
Shaughnessy:The returning maiden with consorts turns around and returns with younger sisters.
Cleary (1): When the bride-to-be seeks, it will be the little sister who is married instead.
Wu: The marrying of the young woman is being put on hold. Instead, her younger sister is married in her place.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: This is shown by the improprieties indicated in the line. Wilhelm/ Baynes: She is not yet in the appropriate place. Blofeld: Her former state is indicated by the unsuitable position of this line. Ritsema/Karcher: Not- yet appropriate indeed. Cleary (2): The bride-to-be who seeks is not right. Wu: Because her position is improper.
Legge: The third line is magnetic in a dynamic place at the top of the trigram of Frivolity. She is of so mean a character and such a slave of passion that no one will marry her. She returns and accepts the position of a concubine.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: It is preferable to be a concubine rather than a slave. The inferior person enters into situations incompatible with self-esteem, in pursuit of joys that cannot be attained legitimately.
Wing: To attain your desires, it will be necessary for you to compromise your Self.
Editor: There are at least two interpretations of this line: one portrays moving from an abject position (slavery) to accept a correct, albeit still subservient role. On the other hand, the line can suggest an attempt at a union or synthesis which is unstable or premature: The imbalances within the situation cause its dynamics to be re-adjusted at a lower level than desired. An inherent instability cannot be maintained no matter how much we want it to be otherwise.
Those who do not seek release from the bondage of the instinctive drives by the road of inner development remain the slaves of their own passionate desirousness or suffer the sterility resulting from its ruthless repression. In any time of crisis these persons have no power to curb their own barbaric reactions. M.E. Harding --Psychic Energy
A. An image of modestly improving one's position -- better a servant than a slave.
B. "You can't always get what you want” – accept the best alternative.
C. Don't compromise yourself.
Line 5
Legge: The fifth line, magnetic, reminds us of the marrying of the younger sister of King Ti-yi, when the sleeves of the princess were not equal to those of the still younger sister who accompanied her in an inferior capacity. The case suggests the thought of the moon almost full. There will be good fortune.
Wilhelm/Baynes: The sovereign I gave his daughter in marriage. The embroidered garments of the princess were not as gorgeous as those of the serving maid. The moon that is nearly full brings good fortune.
Blofeld: The Emperor's second marriageable daughter wore regal garments less splendid that those of her bridesmaid. [The implication is that the princess showed better taste than her maid in not dressing too grandly. We must be on our guard against ostentation.] Close upon the full moon comes good fortune!
Liu: Emperor I gives his daughter in marriage. The embroidered dress of the princess is not as splendid as that of the concubine. The moon is nearly full. Good fortune.
Ritsema/Karcher: The supreme burgeoning Converting Maidenhood. One's chief's sleeves: One's junior-sister's sleeves not thus fine. The moon almost facing, significant.
Shaughnessy: Di Yi marries off the maiden: the primary wife's sleeves are not as fine as her younger sister's sleeves; the day's moon is past full; auspicious.
Cleary (1): The emperor marries off his younger sister; the attire of the empress is not as good as the attire of the young wife. The moon is nearly full. Good fortune.
Cleary (2): ... The attire of the lady is not as good as that of the junior wives. The moon is almost full. This is auspicious.
Wu: Di Yi married off his younger sister. Her dress was not so elaborate as her younger sister’s. The moon was almost full. Auspicious. [ This was considered proper, for what was proper was the virtuous union, not the wedding dress.]
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: That her sleeves were not equal to her inferior's shows her noble character, indicated by the central position of the line. Wilhelm/Baynes: The place is in the middle, hence action has value. Blofeld: The first sentence means that, though we may be of only middle rank, we should behave with true nobility. Ritsema/Karcher: One's situation located-in the center. Using valuing movement indeed. Cleary (2): The position is one of balance, behaving in a noble manner. Wu: Her position was central and royal. She had no need for ornamentations.
Legge: The King's sister is here honorably married, suggesting that the adornment she preferred was the "ornament of the hidden man of the heart.” Ch'eng-tzu says: "The moon is not full, but only nearly full. A wife ought not to eclipse her husband.” She is in the place of honor, with a proper correlate in line two.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man is reminded that the sister of King I placed herself graciously below her outranked husband and remained free of vanity. The moon that is full does not face the sun.
Wing: When you can overlook your social position and stature and place yourself in the service of another, you will realize good fortune. To accomplish this you must overcome vanity, pride, and any ostentatious behavior. To Subordinate yourself to others, regardless of their position, is now a good thing.
Editor: It is instructive to compare this line with the fifth line of hexagram number eleven,Harmony, which also refers to King Ti-yi's younger sister. A clue to the symbolism comes from the Neo-Confucian classic, The Doctrine of the Mean:
The Book of Odes says, "Over her brocaded robe, she wore a plain and simple dress,” for she disliked the loudness of its color and patterns. Thus the way of the superior man is hidden but becomes more prominent every day, whereas the way of the inferior man is conspicuous but gradually disappears. It is characteristic of the superior man to be plain, and yet people do not get tired of him. He is simple and yet rich in cultural adornment. He is amiable and yet systematically methodical. He knows what is distant begins with what is near. He knows where the winds (moral influence) come from. And he knows the subtle will be manifested. Such a man can enter into virtue.
We see here a princess-bride who is less attractively arrayed than her bridesmaid, and a waxing moon which has yet to reach full illumination. The context of the line is a royal marriage -- the hieros gamos or holy marriage of the alchemists which is also described in hexagram number eleven. Psychologically, the image can suggest that during a time when forces are coming together for synthesis, less important elements in the situation may seem more attractive than the true essence. Since the moon isn't full yet, we haven't seen all of the light -- full comprehension has yet to dawn. Sometimes the line simply boils down to the idea that "things are not what they seem.”
It should also be pointed out that the reaching up into the realm of the super-conscious and its exploration, while approaching the consciousness of the Self, may sometimes even constitute an obstacle to full Self- realization, to the reaching of the summit where the personal-I awareness blends into awareness of the spiritual Self. One can become so fascinated by the wonders of the super-conscious realm, so absorbed in it, so identified with some of its special aspects or manifestations as to lose or paralyze the urge to reach the summit of Self-realization. Roberto Assagioli -- Psychosynthesis
A. "You can't see the forest for the trees." The truth is hidden by distracting elements, but in the fullness of time it will be revealed. Seek simplicity.
B. The true goal may seem less attractive than lesser, more seductive elements.
C. The simple solution is the best.
Line 6
Legge: The sixth line, magnetic, shows the young lady bearing the basket, but without anything in it, and the gentleman slaughtering the sheep, but without any blood flowing from it. There will be no advantage in any way.
Wilhelm/Baynes: The woman holds the basket, but there are no fruits in it. The man stabs the sheep, but no blood flows. Nothing that acts to further.
Blofeld: A woman holds a basket with nothing inside; a man stabs a sheep without drawing blood. No goal (or destination) is favorable now.
Liu: The woman's basket is empty. The man stabs the sheep, but no blood comes. Nothing beneficial.
Ritsema/Karcher: A woman receiving a basket without substance. A notable disemboweling a goat without blood. Without direction: Harvesting.[ Without direction: Harvesting, WU YU LI: no plan or direction is advantageous; in order to take advantage of the situation, do not impose a direction on events.]
Shaughnessy: The woman holds up the basket, there is no fruit, the man stabs the sheep, there is no blood; there is no place beneficial.
Cleary (1): The woman receives a chest, but there is nothing in it. The man sacrifices a goat, but there is no blood. No benefit is gained.
Wu: The woman carries a basket that is bottomless; the man sacrifices a sheep that has no blood. There is nothing to be gained.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: The basket is empty. Wilhelm/Baynes: The reason that the top line has no fruits is because it holds an empty basket. Blofeld: This top line implies absence of solid worth, hence the symbol of holding an empty basket. Ritsema/ Karcher: Six above, without substance. Receiving an empty basket indeed.
Cleary (2): The top (line) has no fulfillment. This is receiving an empty chest. Wu: The top line does not have anything substantial to offer, because she carries a bottomless basket.
Legge: The sixth line is magnetic at the top of the hexagram, and without a proper correlate, hence the unfortunate auspice. The marriage contract is broken, and union does not take place. The parties concerned offer sacrifices in the temple, but the woman's basket is empty and the man's effort is fruitless.
Cleary (2): When one does not accumulate virtue in life, then one has no spirit after death and cannot cause one’s descendants to flourish. Developed people, knowing what is wrong by thinking of the lasting results, see this at the outset.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man goes through superficial actions, such as offering an empty basket and a pre-slaughtered sheep to the gods, solely to preserve the form. This disregard for content bodes no good for lasting associations.
Wing: Are you just going through the motions? Is there content to the refined manner you present? If you are acting out of adherence to form, don't bother. Nothing will come of it.
Editor: Like everything else in the Book of Changes, this line can symbolize an enormous range of situations. At its most basic level, a union of opposites does not take place. Whether or not blame is involved depends upon the circumstances. Note that blame is not mentioned in the line itself.
Sacrifices, charities and penances performed without faith in the Supreme are nonpermanent. O son of Prtha, they are useless both in this life and in the next. Bhagavad-Gita 17: 28
A. An empty sacrifice, a fruitless offering, wasted effort.
B. A missed connection or fruitless union -- any further striving would be a waste of energy.
C. "Don't cast your pearls before swine."
D. An image of hypocrisy of some sort.
13 Fellowship
Other titles: Fellowship with Men, The Symbol of Companionship, Lovers, Beloved Friends, Like-minded persons, Concording People, Gathering Men, Sameness with People, Universal Brotherhood, Fellowship, Community, United, Human Association, Union of Men, Integration of Forces, Minor Synthesis, Cliques, Concordance, To Be In Accord With, Confirmation
Judgment
Legge: Union of Forces appears in the remote districts of the country, indicating progress and success. It will be advantageous to cross the great stream. It will be advantageous to maintain the firm correctness of the superior man.
Wilhelm/Baynes:Fellowship with Men in the open. Success. It furthers one to cross the great water. The perseverance of the superior man furthers.
Blofeld:Lovers (friends) in the open -- success! It is advantageous to cross the great river (or sea). [To make any kind of journey.] The Superior Man will benefit if he does not slacken his righteous persistence.
Liu: Fellowship of men in the open (countryside). Success. It benefits one to cross the great water. It benefits the superior man to continue his task.
Ritsema/Karcher: Concording People , tending-towards the countryside. Growing. Harvesting: wading the Great River. Harvesting: chun tzu, Trial. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of sharing a goal with others. It emphasizes that finding ways to cooperate with and harmonize people's efforts is the adequate way to handle it...]
Shaughnessy: Gathering men in the wilds; receipt; beneficial to ford the great river; beneficial for the gentleman to determine.
Cleary (1):Sameness with people in the wilderness is developmental. It is beneficial to cross great rivers. It is beneficial for a superior person to be upright.
Cleary (1): … Beneficial for a leader to be correct.
Wu: Fellowship in the open is pervasive, etc. … It will be advantageous to the jun zi who perseveres.
The Image
Legge: The images of heaven and fire form Union of Forces. The superior man, in accordance with this, distinguishes things according to their kinds and classes.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Heaven together with fire: the image of Fellowship with Men. Thus the superior man organizes the clans and makes distinctions between things.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes heaven (the sun) and fire representing a pair of lovers. The Superior Man treats everything in a manner proper to his kind. [an analogy (based on the component trigrams) between the sun and fire, which to some extent are of a kind.]
Liu: Fire goes up to heaven, symbolizing Fellowship with Men. The superior man organizes his kinship group (party), and sorts them out.
Ritsema/Karcher: Heaven associating-with fire. Concording People. A chun tzu uses sorting the clans to mark-off the beings.
Cleary (1): Heaven with fire, sameness with others; superior people distinguish things in terms of categories and groups.
Cleary (2): … Leaders distinguish beings in terms of classes and families.
Wu: Heaven above and fire below form Fellowship. The jun zi distinguishes things by their kinds.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: In Union of Forces the magnetic line has the central place of influence and responds to her correlate line in the upper trigram of Strength. The hexagram takes its name from the upper trigram of Strength lending its power to the lower trigram of Clarity and Intelligence. This represents the correct course of the superior man. It is only the superior man who can comprehend and affect the minds of all under the sky.
Legge: Union of Forces describes a condition which is the opposite of the preceding hexagram of Divorcement. What was there distress and obstruction is here a union of forces. But it must be based entirely on the good of the whole, without any taint of selfishness.
The dynamic line correctly in the fifth place occupies the most important position, and has for his correlate the magnetic second line, also in her correct place. The one female line is naturally sought after by all the male lines. The editors of the K'ang-hsi edition would make the second line respond to all of the lines of the upper trigram, as being more agreeable to the idea of union.
The upper trigram is that of Heaven, the lower is of Fire, whose tendency is to mount upwards. This image suggests the fire ascending, blazing to the sky and uniting with it. All these ideas are in harmony with the notion of union, but it must be free of all factionalism, and this is indicated by its being in the remote districts of the country, where people are unsophisticated and free from the corrupting effects of urban intrigue. Although a union from such motives can cope with the greatest difficulties, yet a word of caution is added.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: Connections are being made. If you are able to maintain your will, it is advisable to push for a synthesis .
The Superior Man differentiates and prioritizes; he sorts and evaluates his options.
This is another image of union -- not the supreme union of hexagram number eleven, Harmony, but a subordinate union of forces within the psyche which builds toward an eventual grand alliance. The component trigrams show the union of Strength and Clarity, suggesting that a certain level of mental comprehension is involved. To receive the hexagram without changing lines is often a confirmation of your particular thought -- saying, in effect: "You've made the connection."
Comprehension (synthesis) involves making distinctions (analysis) -- a paradoxical process in which one must divide before one can (re)unite. (This is the solve et coagula of alchemy.) Thus we see the superior man in the Image creating categories to bring about union -- this is discrimination directed toward reclassification or rectification. For example, a heterogeneous mixture of vegetable and flower seeds is made meaningful when one sorts them into their separate categories. The disparate elements then become coherently "united" -- in I Chingterms, each line obtains its proper correlate as in Hexagram number 63.
(Dialectic) alternates between synthesis and analysis until it has gone through the entire domain of the intelligible and has arrived at the principle. Stopping there, for it is only there that it can stop, no longer busying itself with a multitude of objects since it has arrived at unity, it contemplates. Plotinus -- The Enneads
The Chinese name of this hexagram includes the word Jen, which is apparently a difficult concept, since many philosophers have spent a good deal of energy in trying to define it:
Jen has been variously translated as benevolence, perfect virtue, goodness, human-heartedness, love, altruism, etc. None of these expresses all the meanings of the term. It means a particular virtue, benevolence, and also the general virtue, the basis of all goodness. ...Neo-Confucianists interpreted it as impartiality, the character of production and reproduction, consciousness, seeds that generate, the will to grow, one who forms one body with Heaven and Earth, or "the character of love and the principle of mind." In modern times, it has even been equated with ether and electricity... Wing-Tsit Chan -- A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy
Chu Hsi defines Jen as the "character of the mind" (psyche) and "the principle of love" (union). Interpreted in this way we are enabled to apprehend the essence of the word "love," which is union -- becoming one with its object. I have chosen the title of Union of Forces to emphasize intra-psychic dynamics which are not immediately obvious in Wilhelm's title of Fellowship with Men. For example in dealing with questions pertaining to the Work, the concept of "ego states" or "subpersonalities" is often relevant to the symbolism of this hexagram:
The human self has been described here as composed of different ego states separated by boundaries. It has been likened to the structure of political principalities. From clinical observation we find that ego states can cooperate for mutual well-being, like allied nations against a common enemy. An ego state may become split, like East and West Germany, or fracture into many segments, like the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Ego states may become cognitively dissonant and hostile to each other, like Syria and Israel. In fact, the behavior of ego states within an individual is not unlike that between individuals, and between those groups of individuals called countries. Why should the behavior of human "stuff" not be substantially similar at all levels of its organizations? ...The evidence of self division into ego states is significant, and an equally tenable hypothesis might be that the states and boundaries of political entities have been imposed by men on each other because these represent an externalization of the internal divisions in their own selves. J.G. Watkins -- The Therapeutic Self
This hexagram's "shadow side" reveals circumstances preventing the union of entities or forces, more than those conditions promoting fruitful affiliation. Note that only the first and fifth lines of the figure depict a positive synthesis; the first one is minor, and in the case of line 5, union is attained only after much struggle. Line 2 reveals a clique or faction situation opposed to the general welfare, and lines 3 and 4 are images of recalcitrant forces unable to either join or attack the alliance. The sixth line depicts a partial union (probably the most common outcome in general experience), which the Confucian commentary nevertheless minimizes. Out of six lines then, only two describe anything like complete fellowship. I have received this hexagram without changing lines when the context of the question revealed an “incestuous,” clique-type situation, so not all "fellowship" or Union of Forcesis necessarily an ideal configuration.