Exposing one's wealth
One tries to delight one's guests by showing them one's most precious. taoscopy.com
Wealth14
Abundance is present. Use your resources wisely and share generously. Celebrate success with humility and grace, knowing that true wealth comes from balance and integrity.
↓ Line 1
Avoiding harmful influences leads to a blameless path.
↓ Line 2
Preparedness and capability allow for successful undertakings.
↓ Line 5
Being open and honest while maintaining dignity brings good fortune.
↓ Line 6
Divine favor and alignment with higher principles ensure success in all endeavors.
↓ Influence 31
Mutual attraction fosters influence and inspiration. Connect deeply to inspire change and strengthen bonds.
Original Readings
14 Wealth
Other titles: Possession in Great Measure, The Symbol of Great Possession, Sovereignty, Great Having, Great Possessing, The Great Possessor, Great Wealth, Abundance, Having What is Great, "Often means things other than material possessions or achievement. Count your blessings for they are many." -- D.F. Hook
Judgment
Legge:Wealth means great progress and success.
Wilhelm/Baynes:Possession in Great Measure. Supreme success.
Blofeld: He who possesses much -- supreme success!
Liu: Great Possessions. Great Success.
Ritsema/Karcher: Great Possessing, Spring Growing. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of your relation to an overriding concern or central idea. It emphasizes that organizing all your efforts around this idea is the adequate way to handle it...]
Shaughnessy: The Great Possession: Prime receipt.
Cleary (1): In great possession are creation and development.
Cleary (2): Great possession is great success.
Wu: Great Wealth is primordial and pervasive.
The Image
Legge: Fire over Heaven -- the image of Wealth. The superior man represses evil and nurtures virtue in accordance with the benevolent will of heaven.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Fire in heaven above: the image of Possession in Great Measure. Thus the superior man curbs evil and furthers good, and thereby obeys the benevolent will of heaven.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes fire in the heavens. [When the trigram for heaven is above, whatever is below may be separated from it; when it is below, it indicates fusion or intermixture with what is above. The significance here is that the splendor of a very great man lights up the heavens.] The Superior Man suppresses those who are evil and upholds the virtuous. Most gladly he accords with heaven and carries out its commands.
Liu: Fire over heaven symbolizes Great Possessions. The superior man suppresses evil and honors virtue, and thus follows the will of heaven and waits upon destiny.
Ritsema/Karcher: Fire located above heaven. Great Possessing. A chun tzu uses terminating hate to display improvement. A chun tzu uses yielding-to heaven to relinquish fate.
Cleary (1): Fire is in the sky;great possession.Thus does the superior person stop evil and promote good, obeying heaven and accepting its order.
Cleary (2): … Leaders obey nature and accept its order by stopping the bad and promoting the good.
Wu: Fire above and heaven below form Great Wealth.Thus the jun zi suppresses the evil and promotes the good; he abides by the will of heaven to enrich his life.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge:Wealth shows the magnetic line in the central ruler's place, and honored by the dynamic lines above and below. The figure is composed of the trigrams of Strength and Clarity. The central line of Clarity responds to the central line of Strength, eventuating in timely action. This indicates great progress and success.
Legge: Wealth means "great havings," and symbolizes a kingdom, family or individual in a state of prosperity. The danger in such a position arises from the pride it is likely to engender. Here however, everything is against that: the place of honor is occupied by a magnetic line, so that the ruler will be humble, and all the dynamic lines will respond to her with sympathetic allegiance. The ruler's seat is in the central position of the trigram of Clarity, and hence her strength is directed by intelligence, and all her actions are timely, like the seasons of heaven.
Fire above the sky shines far -- symbolizing the vastness of the territory of wealth. To develop virtue and repress evil is in accordance with the will of heaven, which has given to all men a nature fitted for goodness.
Cleary (2): All states of being have this essence inherent in them and are indeed made of this essence, but all states other than that of complete enlightenment are out of harmony with this essence in some way. Buddhahood is when you accord with this essence.
Wu: As the sun shines brightly high in the sky, both the good and the bad will be exposed. The responsibility of the jun zi is to discriminate between them. He acts in accordance with the nature of goodness (the will of heaven) to enrich his life.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: The greatest kind of Wealth accrues from furthering the Work.
The Superior Man manages his forces in accordance with the goals of the Work.
Wealthis the inverse of the preceding figure, Union of Forces. If the thirteenth hexagram depicts a process of uniting, the fourteenth might be seen as the completion of that process. To have one's inner forces correctly united is indeed Possession in Great Measure, which is the title that Wilhelm gives to this figure.
It is emphasized in the Image that this Wealth must be administered in accordance with the "benevolent will of heaven,” which is to say: the principles of the Work must always guide one's choices if one is not to lose equilibrium and become pauperized by illusion.
The superior man considers a rich possession of moral principles to be honor, and peace in his person to be wealth. Chou Tun-I
Line 1
Legge: The first line, dynamic, shows that there is no approach to what is injurious, and there is no error. Let there be a realization of the difficulty and danger of the position, and there will be no error to the end.
Wilhelm/Baynes: No relationship with what is harmful. There is no blame in this. If one remains conscious of difficulty, one remains without blame.
Blofeld: Having no contact with evil, he is blameless; therefore, even if he is involved in trouble, he remains without fault.
Liu: Avoidance of the harmful brings no blame. Awareness of difficulty -- also no blame. [This line indicates sadness and confusion but also that one can avoid them by being cautious.]
Ritsema/Karcher: Without mingling harm. In-no-way faulty. Drudgery by-consequence without fault.
Shaughnessy: There is no exchanging of harm that is not trouble; if in difficulty then there will be no trouble.
Cleary (1): If there is no association with what is harmful, one is not blameworthy. If you struggle, there will be no fault.
Cleary (2): As long as there is none of the harm that comes from association, this is not blameworthy. If one struggles, there will be no blame.
Wu: His disadvantage is having no association, but it is not an error of his doing. If he is aware of his difficult position, he will be blameless.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: Shows no approach to what is injurious. Wilhelm/ Baynes: If the first line of Possession in Great Measure has no relationships, this is harmful. Blofeld: This line means that we shall avoid any intercourse with evil. Ritsema/Karcher: Without mingling harm indeed. Cleary (2): The absence of harm that comes from association. Wu: His disadvantage is having no association.
Legge: Line one, though dynamic, is at the lowest part of the figure, and has no correlate above. No external influences have as yet acted injuriously on him. Let him do as directed, and no hurtful influence will ever affect him.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: At the outset, no threats have been received and no challenges met. The man avoids harm by realizing the dangers caused by opulence and exercising appropriate restraint.
Wing: Although you possess a great deal, you have not yet been challenged in your position. Therefore, you have made no mistakes. Keep in mind that the situation is at its beginning and difficulties may lie on the road ahead. With forewarned awareness you can remain blameless.
Editor: The image suggests a situation of great potential which could be ruined through bad choices of action. Recognize the difficulty of maintaining your will under such circumstances. Wilhelm’s version of the Confucian commentary and Wu’s translations of both line and commentary don’t follow the other translators. Their interpretations seem anomalous unless the specific situation concurs.
There is merely a thin borderline between individuation as a conscious process and the disruption and dissolution of the personality -- breakdown or even psychosis -- which takes place when the unconscious gains the upper hand. (Hence also the closeness of genius and insanity and the danger of "short cut” methods of entering the unconscious, such as drugs.) The outcome of the confrontation with the numinous powers depends upon the attitude of the ego. E.C. Whitmont -- The Symbolic Quest
A. Despite difficulty, stay clear of anything which might threaten the Work.
B. Be very careful in your choices now.
Line 2
Legge: The second line, dynamic, shows a large wagon with its load. In whatever direction advance is made, there will be no error.
Wilhelm/Baynes: A big wagon for loading. One may undertake something. No blame.
Blofeld: There are large supply wagons. [Apparently we need not fear failure through lack of resources.] If there is some desired goal (or destination), setting out (to attain it) will involve no error.
Liu: Loading the big wagon. Undertaking without blame. [One can expect to achieve his undertaking and acquire property.]
Ritsema/Karcher: The great chariot used to carry. Possessing directed going. Without fault.
Shaughnessy: The great cart is used to carry; there is someplace to go; there is no trouble.
Cleary (1): Using a great car for transport, when there is a place to go there is no fault.
Cleary (2): Using a large car for transport, there is a place to go, etc.
Wu: To haul in a cart to a certain destination is without fault.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: This refers to the virtue accumulated by the subject of the line, so that he will suffer no loss in the conduct of affairs. Wilhelm/ Baynes: Accumulating in the middle; thus no harm results. Blofeld: Some place where supplies have been accumulated will escape from danger. Ritsema/Karcher: Amassing centering, not destroying indeed. Cleary (2): If the load is balanced you will not fail. Wu: Means to accumulate at the center with no failure.
Legge: The dynamic second line has his proper correlate in the fifth line ruler of the figure, and will subordinate his strength to his humility.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: Accumulated virtues and competent helpers enable the man to assume great responsibilities. Like a huge wagon ready for loading, he subordinates strength to humility.
Wing: You not only have tremendous resources to work with, but you also possess the wherewithal to coordinate these assets and make them work for you. Such ingenuity will allow you to fearlessly attempt ambitious endeavors.
Editor: A wagon is a "vessel" which contains something as well as a vehicle which can go somewhere. Thus the image suggests the power to accomplish a task or reach a goal.
If a man worships the Self only as his true state, his work does not perish, for whatever he desires that he gets from that Self. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
A. The image favors progress in furthering the Work.
B. A receptive vehicle.
C. An accumulation of virtue permits progress.
Line 5
Legge: The fifth line, magnetic, shows the sincerity of its subject reciprocated by that of all the others represented in the hexagram. Let her display a proper majesty, and there will be good fortune.
Wilhelm/Baynes: He whose truth is accessible, yet dignified, has good fortune.
Blofeld: His sense of confidence enables him to be sociable and well respected. A dignified bearing is an asset (literally, good fortune).
Liu: One is confident, sociable, and dignified. Good fortune. [Proud or aggressive actions will cause trouble. One should not be hasty but wait for the proper opportunity to act.]
Ritsema/Karcher: Your conforming: mingling thus, impressing thus. Significant.
Shaughnessy: His return is crossed-like, stooped-like; in the end it is auspicious.
Cleary (1): The trust is mutual. Power is auspicious.
Cleary (2): … It is fortunate to be awesome.
Wu: His sincerity matches the confidence the people place in him. His majesty matches the authority the people accord him. This will be auspicious.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: Her sincerity is reciprocated by all the others because it serves to stir and call out what is in their minds. Without a display of proper majesty they might otherwise feel too easy, and make no preparation to serve her. Wilhelm/Baynes: By his trustworthiness he kindles the will of others. The good fortune of his dignity comes from the fact that he acts easily, without prearrangements. Blofeld: His good fortune in winning the respect of others enables him to make changes without prior preparation. [This means that we shall be trusted even if we act unexpectedly.] Ritsema/Karcher: Trustworthiness uses shooting-forth purpose indeed. Impressing thus, having significance. Versatility and-also without preparing indeed. Cleary (2): Aspirations are aroused through faith ... Ease and freedom from preparation. Wu: His sincerity is to pursue what he sets out to do … Auspiciousness comes from simplicity and unpretentiousness.
Legge: Line five symbolizes the ruler. Mild sincerity is good in her, and influences her ministers and others. But a ruler must not be without an awe-inspiring majesty.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man and his people are mutually attracted to each other through unaffected sincerity. Benevolence on his part, however, must be accompanied by the proper display of majesty. Otherwise, the people will become insolent and lose their attitude of service.
Wing: Those whom you may influence are attracted to you through the bond of sincerity. Thus a truthful relationship exists. If you are overly familiar, however, attitudes may become too casual to get things accomplished. A dignified approach brings good fortune.
Editor: Psychologically, this line expresses the idea that the will of the ego to maintain the letter and spirit of the Work creates a climate of compliance among the other complexes within the psyche.
Whatever a great man does, that others follow;
Whatever he sets up as a standard, that the world follows.
Bhagavad-Gita 3: 21
A. A good example evokes virtue.
B. The ego is sincere yet firm with the psychic forces under its influence.
C. The image suggests a reciprocity of forces -- you get as good as you give.
Line 6
Legge: The sixth line, dynamic, shows its subject with help accorded to him from Heaven. There will be good fortune, advantage in every respect.
Wilhelm/Baynes: He is blessed by heaven. Good fortune. Nothing that does not further.
Blofeld: Those under heaven's protection enjoy good fortune and success in everything. [The top line of a very favorable hexagram is sometimes taken to symbolize heaven. Whoever receives (this line) may expect utmost success.]
Liu: One is blessed by heaven. Good fortune. Benefit in everything.
Ritsema/Karcher: Originating-from heaven shielding it. Significant, without not Harvesting.
Shaughnessy: From heaven blessing it; auspicious; there is nothing not beneficial.
Cleary (1): Help from heaven is auspicious, unfailingly beneficial.
Cleary (2): Good fortune that is a blessing from heaven is beneficial to all.
Wu: With blessings from heaven, there will be good fortune and nothing disadvantageous.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: Good fortune arises from the help of heaven. Wilhelm/ Baynes: The place at the top of Possession in Great Measure has good fortune. This is because it is blessed by heaven. Blofeld: The great good fortune presaged by this line is that of being specially protected by heaven. Ritsema/Karcher: Great Possessing the above: significant. Originating-from heaven shielding indeed. Cleary (2): A blessing from heaven. Wu: The blessings come from heaven.
Legge: Even the topmost line takes its character from line five. His strength is still tempered, and heaven gives its approval.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man attains the fullness of blessings. He recognizes the bases for the favorable state of affairs, remains devoted in his actions, and honors the sage who exerted the beneficent influence.
Wing: Here lies the potential for great blessings and good fortune. Know how to keep things in balance; be devoted in your endeavors and openly appreciative to those who help you. In this way you might expect supreme success.
Editor: Of all the lines and hexagrams in the I Ching, this is one of the most favorable combinations that one can receive. If it is the only changing line, the hexagram of Wealth is transformed into the thirty-fourth hexagram of Great Power -- a most energetic combination of images.
I cannot define for you what God is. I can only say that my work has proved empirically that the pattern of God exists in every man, and that this pattern has at its disposal the greatest of all his energies for transformation and transfiguration of his natural being. Jung -- Letters
Legge: Upon fulfillment of the conditions implied in Initiative, there will be free course and success. Advantage depends upon firm correctness, as in marrying a young lady. Good fortune.
Wilhelm/Baynes:Influence. Success. Perseverance furthers. To take a maiden to wife brings good fortune.
Blofeld: Attraction. Success! Righteous persistence brings reward. Taking a wife will result in good fortune.
Liu: Attraction. Success. To continue is of benefit. To marry a girl is good fortune.
Ritsema/Karcher: Conjoining, Growing. Harvesting Trial. Grasping womanhood significant. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of the influence that separated parts of an intrinsic whole have on each other. It emphasizes that bringing these parts into contact is the adequate way to handle the situation...]
Shaughnessy: Feelings : Receipt; beneficial to determine; to take to wife a woman is auspicious.
Cleary (1): Sensitivity is developmental. It is beneficial to be correct. Marriage brings good fortune.
Cleary (2):Sensing gets through, beneficial if correct. Marriage is auspicious.
Wu:Affection indicates pervasion and advantage to be persevering. There will be good fortune to marry a young woman.
The Image
Legge: The image of a marsh over a mountain forms Initiative. The superior man frees his mind of preoccupation so that he is open to the influence of others. [Lit: "Thus the superior man receives people by virtue of emptiness."]
Wilhelm/Baynes: A lake on the mountain: the image of Influence. Thus the superior man encourages people to approach him by his willingness to receive them.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes a lake situated upon a mountain. In dealing with men, the Superior Man shows himself to be entirely void of selfishness.
Liu: The lake on top of the mountain symbolizes Attraction. With a humble manner the superior man receives people.
Ritsema/Karcher: Above mountain possessing marsh. Conjoining. A chun tzu uses emptiness to acquiesce people.
Cleary (1): There is a lake on a mountain. Thus does the superior person accept people with openness.
Cleary (2): There is a lake atop a mountain – Sensing. Developed people accept others with openness.
Wu: There is a marsh in the mountain; this is Affection. Thus the jun zi receives people with humility.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: Initiative is here used in the sense of mutually influencing. The magnetic trigram is above and the dynamic trigram is below -- their two influences move, respond and unite with each other. The male is placed below the female -- his repression is her satisfaction and brings fulfillment. Advantage depends upon firm correctness, as in the marrying of a young lady. Heaven and earth stimulate each other and all things attain birth. The sages stimulate the minds of men and harmony is born. If we examine the pattern of these influences, the nature of heaven and earth is revealed.
Legge: The lines of the hexagram all deal with moving or influencing to movement, and the figure is an essay on the different ways of creating an influence, and the results engendered thereby. The lower trigram of the youngest son supports the upper trigram of the youngest daughter in happy union. This is correct because the lower trigram (here yang) should always take the initiative. No influence is so powerful and constant as that between husband and wife, and where they are both young, it is especially active. Therefore, mutual influence, correct in itself, and for correct ends is sure to be effective.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: Initiative succeeds only when it originates from the Self.
The Superior Man clears his mind and remains receptive to the will of the Self.
Wilhelm's translation of the name of this hexagram is Influence, but I have chosen Initiative to emphasize the idea of the proper source of the influence implied in the symbolism. Webster's Third New International Dictionary defines initiative as follows:
Initiative 1 : an introductory step or movement: an act designed to originate or set on foot, as a process or train of events. Often used in the phrase: on one's own initiative, as in: "Don't blame me, he acted on his own initiative."
The Judgment states that the situation can be furthered only by the firm correctness associated with the proper contracting of a marriage. We already know that the symbolism of marriage refers to a union of opposites within the psyche. To understand what is meant by the proper contracting of a marriage, we need only look at hexagram number fifty-four,Propriety (The Marrying Maiden), to see the improper way to do it -- that is, when the woman takes the initiative.
Far from being a sexist idea, the symbolism reveals a profound archetypal truth. The polarity of forces in the psyche shows the ego as magnetic to the dynamic Self. That is, the conscious ego-complex in any psyche, male or female, is feminine, or magnetic in relation to the Self, which is masculine, or dynamic. In the I Ching the Self is symbolized by heaven, and the ego is symbolized by earth. This primordial relationship between the two qualities is found in many symbol systems. Here's the Kabbalistic version:
This clearly indicates the function of polarity that prevails between the planes of form and the planes of force; the planes of form being the female aspect, polarized and made fertile by the influencesof the planes of force. D. Fortune -- The Mystical Qabalah
The Hermetic tradition describes it this way:
There is this dual aspect in the mind of every person. The "I" [Self] represents the Masculine Principle of Mental Gender -- the "Me" [ego] represents the Female Principle. The Kybalion
In the contracting of a marriage between heaven and earth (uniting the polarities within the divided psyche), the ego must learn, usually through great suffering, that its correct role is a magnetic one in relation to that of the Self. The Work cannot progress until this lesson has been learned and accepted completely. As long as the ego insists on taking dynamic initiative “as usual" in the illusory world of appearances, the results can only be the kind of objective world we inhabit -- one of chaos and strife. The lesson of this hexagram then, is the realization that the only correct source of power lies with the Self, and that the ego must yield to that source as a bride to her bridegroom. (Unfortunately, the contemporary relationship between the sexes has become so confused that this metaphor is seldom effective in conveying the profound truth it represents.)
The Self (the Causal Body of Theosophy) dwells beyond the restrictions of spacetime and is pre-eminently suited for directing the Work, since it can "see ahead” so to speak, and it knows the effects of all of the available choices. The ego, on the other hand, dwells in spacetime and is able to take action: by its choices it makes or breaks the Work. The ideal reciprocity between ego and Self is a simple and logical division of labor -- the Self can see ahead but cannot take direct action, and the ego can take direct action but cannot see ahead. For the ego to act without direction from the Self is to grope blindly in the dark -- and the Work clearly cannot progress under such circumstances. The superior man therefore, "clears his mind and remains receptive to the will of the Self.” Obviously, it takes time to learn how to do this properly; in its initial stages, that's what the Work is all about.
The majority of people are more or less the slaves of heredity, environment, etc., and manifest very little freedom. They are swayed by the opinions, customs and thoughts of the outside world, and also by their emotions, feelings, moods, etc. They manifest no Mastery, worthy of the name. The Kybalion
The second and third sentences in the Confucian commentary elicit the sexual symbolism in this hexagram quite clearly: "The [female] trigram is above and the [male] trigram is below -- their two influences move, respond and unite with each other. The male is placed below the female -- his repression is her satisfaction and brings fulfillment.” Blofeld comments on this in a footnote:
I doubt if this should be regarded as shedding light upon the ancient Chinese concept of the most acceptable position for intercourse; it is more likely to mean that the girl is able to depend upon the man as a plant depends upon the earth for its nourishment.
Symbolism works on many levels, and Blofeld's aborted insight does apply to some of them. It is an established fact that the sentences in question accurately describe tantric sexual techniques practiced in the Orient for millennia. To understand the principles of the Work we must be able to see the "obvious" as symbolic of an abstraction -- and vice- versa. Sexual polarity is a very tricky and volatile symbol because we are predisposed to confine it to its most literal meaning. The hardest part of symbolic interpretation is to know where in the continuum a specific symbol belongs in any given situation.
Without changing lines this hexagram suggests that you examine your impulses and motivations to act and see if they are truly in accordance with the goals of the Work. The figure can sometimes take on the meaning of importuning: "to press or urge with frequent or unreasonable requests or troublesome persistence.” In other words, you might be importuning the oracle for answers which it is of no mind to give you. It is also significant to note that every line has a more or less negative connotation. These are all very strong warnings to the ego to control its compulsive need to take the Initiative, to influence the situation. Calm down -- reality is not what it appears to be. Please allow the Self to direct the Work.
SUGGESTIONS FOR MEDITATION
Compare the concepts in this hexagram with hexagram number fifty-four,Propriety; number fifty-three, Gradual Progress; and number eleven, Harmony. How do they all deal with the symbol of marriage as an aspect of the Work? Compare the first three lines with hexagram number 52,Keeping Still.
Initiativeis the first hexagram of Part II of the I Ching. Why do you suppose the book was divided into two unequal sections? Why did the division appear between the thirtieth and thirty-first hexagrams? (An even division would be between the thirty-second and thirty-third.)
The (I Ching) was originally divided into two books. (Appendix VI) considers the first of these as dealing with the world of nature, and the second as dealing with that of man. Fung Yu-Lan -- A Short History of Chinese Philosophy
What insights does the alchemical concept of the Unus Mundus bring to bear on these questions?