Wiki I Ching

Wealth 14.1.4.5.6 48 The Well

From
14
Wealth
To
48
The Well

Summarizing the requests
One follows the instructions while taking into account the changes that others have requested.
taoscopy.com


Wealth 14
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 4
Maintaining clear boundaries and self-awareness leads to a blameless life.


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.


The Well 48
Seek renewal and sustenance from shared resources and deep wells of knowledge.
Nurture the source to ensure lasting abundance.



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 4

Legge: The fourth line, dynamic, shows its subject keeping his great resources under restraint. There will be no error.

Wilhelm/Baynes: He makes a difference between himself and his neighbor. No blame.

Blofeld: Pride is not involved -- no error!

Liu: He distinguishes between himself and his friends. This brings no blame.

Ritsema/Karcher: In-no-way one's preponderance . Without fault.

Shaughnessy: It is not his fullness ; there is no trouble.

Cleary (1): Repudiate self-aggrandizement and there is no fault.

Cleary (2): Negating self-inflation, there is no blame.

Wu: He who keeps his strength under restraint will not be humiliated.

 

COMMENTARY

Confucius/Legge: His wisdom discriminates clearly what he ought to do. Wilhelm/Baynes: He is clear, discriminating, and intelligent. Blofeld: Implies the possession of very great discriminatory powers. [Such as the power to recognize how very little of our success is really due to our own merits.]Ritsema/Karcher: Brightness differentiating clearly indeed. Cleary (2): Because the understanding is clear. Wu: Because he exercises clear discriminations.

Legge: The strength of line four is tempered by his position in a magnetic place. Hence he will do no injury to the mild ruler just above him.

 

NOTES AND PARAPHRASES

Siu: The man discriminates clearly what should be done. He keeps his strength under control, yields not to competition and envy, and does not injure the mild ruler.

Wing: Quell your pride and envy and do not attempt to compete with others or emulate those in power. Give your full attention to the business at hand and you will avoid mistakes.

Anthony: When we argue, we engage and compete with other people’s inferiors. We should remain disengaged. Even when we mentally argue with or inwardly look at the problem, we remain engaged, thinking of ways to deal with their inferiors. Such looking to the side causes us to deviate from our own direction.

Editor: Wilhelm and Liu both render this line in terms of making a distinction between oneself and others. The distinction to be made is to see the difference between the minister in line four and the ruler in line five -- i.e., don't overstep your authority or aspire above your proper place. The line can also refer to co-dependence to other people's illusions. You have your own unique path to follow: you cannot acquiesce to the unenlightened expectations of others without doing damage to yourself, to them, and to the Work. Choices like this are often extremely painful. This, however, does not absolve the aspirant from doing what the Work demands.

Better is one's own dharma, though imperfectly performed, than the dharma of another well performed. Better is death in the doing of one's own dharma: the dharma of another is fraught with peril.
Bhagavad-Gita
3:35

A. Follow your own path and let others follow theirs.

B. The situation calls for discrimination and restraint.

C. Differentiate the difference between a superior and an inferior element in the situation.

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

A. "God is on your side."

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