One takes a rest because the fatigue is too great. taoscopy.com
Following17
Flow with changes, adapt to circumstances, and align with others for mutual support.
↓ Line 1
Adaptability and willingness to follow the right path lead to success. Collaboration brings results.
↓ Line 4
Success comes from following, but blind persistence can lead to trouble. Sincerity and clarity prevent blame.
↓ Line 5
Sincerity in pursuing what is good leads to favorable outcomes.
↓ Line 6
Strong alliances and loyalty lead to recognition and honor.
↓ Splitting Apart23
Unraveling structures; necessary endings. Prepare for new beginnings. Embrace the change, allowing the old to fall away.
Original Readings
17 Following
Other titles: According With, Acquiring Followers, Adapting, Adjusting, To Accord With, To Accompany, Concordance, Conformance to The Work, "Learn to serve in order to rule. Quit the old ways." -- D.F. Hook
Judgment
Legge: Following indicates successful progress and no error through firm correctness.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Following has supreme success. Perseverance furthers. No blame.
Blofeld:Following. Sublime success! Righteous persistence brings reward -- no error! [This sublime success comes, of course, only to those who follow what is right, namely the will of heaven or of those whose own will embodies it.]
Liu:Following. Great success. It is of benefit to continue. No blame.
Ritsema/Karcher: Following. Spring Growing Harvesting Trial.
Without fault. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of being impelled or drawn into moving forward. It emphasizes that yielding to the impulse by accepting guidance is the adequate way to handle it. To be in accord with the time, you are told to: follow!]
Shaughnessy:Following: Prime receipt; beneficial to determine; there is no trouble.
Cleary (1):Following is greatly developmental: it is beneficial if correct; then there is no fault.
Cleary (2): Following is very successful, etc.
Wu: Following is primordial, pervasive, prosperous, and persevering. There will be no blame.
The Image
Legge: Thunder in the marsh: the image of Following. The superior man, in accordance with this, at nightfall enters his house and rests.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Thunder in the middle of the lake: the image of Following. Thus the superior man at nightfall goes indoors for rest and recuperation.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes thunder rumbling within a swamp! When darkness falls, the Superior Man goes within and rests peacefully. [The component trigrams can be read as thunder and marsh, but also as movement and joy. In the Book of Change, joy is frequently associated with willing obedience to and glad acceptance of what is right.]
Liu: Thunder in the lake symbolizesFollowing. In the evening, the superior man rests and relaxes in his home.
Ritsema/Karcher: Marsh center possessing thunder. Following. A chun tzu uses turning-to darkening to enter a reposing pause.
Cleary (1): There is thunder in the lake, Following. Thus do superior people go inside and rest when the sun goes down.
Cleary (2): … Leaders go in and rest at sundown.
Wu: Thunder in the marsh is the symbol of Following. Thus the jun zi retires toward the twilight of the day.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: In Followingthe dynamic trigram places itself under the magnetic. We see in them the attributes of Movement and Pleasure. Through firm correctness all under heaven will be found following at such a time.
Legge: Following comes after Enthusiasm, the symbol of harmony and satisfaction. When these conditions prevail men are sure to follow. The hexagram includes the ideas of both following others and being followed by others.(Emphasis mine, Ed.) The good auspice is due to this flexibility, but in either instance the following must be guided by a reference to what is correct. The lower trigram of Movement represents the eldest son, and the upper trigram of Pleasure represents the youngest daughter. The strong places itself under the weak -- esteeming others higher than himself, and giving the idea of following. The union of Movement with Pleasure suggests the same idea.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: Following means advancement through willpower.
The Superior Man rests on his inner virtue.
In Following, the trigram of Movement "follows" the trigram of Cheerfulness: independent action subordinates itself and allows itself to be led by cheerful obedience. In terms of the Work, this symbolizes our willingness to "follow" or adhere to its principles. Psychologically interpreted, Followingmeans the compliant subordination of ego-autonomy to the Great Work of psychic integration.
Blofeld points out that the trigram of Joy, or Cheerfulness is often associated with "willing obedience to and glad acceptance of what is right." Hence the cheerful following of the intent of the Self. He explains the role of the superior man in the Image as: "It is not hard to see the connection between following and resting peacefully; for, once we have given our allegiance to others [the Self], we no longer have to worry about what should be done."
At seventy ... Confucius allowed his mind to follow whatever it desired, yet everything he did was naturally right of itself. His actions no longer needed a conscious guide. He was acting without effort. This represents the last stage in the development of the sage. Fung Yu-Lan -- A Short History of Chinese Philosophy
When received without changing lines this hexagram often takes the meaning of: "To accord with" -- in such instances the answer is an affirmation to your query.
Line 1
Legge: The first line, dynamic, shows us one changing the object of his pursuit; if he is firmly correct there will be good fortune. Going beyond his own gate to find associates, he will achieve merit.
Wilhelm/Baynes: The standard is changing. Perseverance brings good fortune. To go out of the door in company produces deeds.
Blofeld: Those in power undergo a change -- righteous determination brings good fortune! Going forth from home and mingling with those outside will produce tangible results.
Liu: One's position is changing. To continue brings good fortune. Both friends and business are gained by going out. Success.
Ritsema/Karcher: An office: possessing denial. Trial: significant. Issuing-forth from the gate, mingling possesses achievement.
Shaughnessy: The office perhaps notifies; determination is auspicious; going out of the gate to interact has results.
Cleary (1): Standards change; it is good to be correct. Going outside and mixing is effective.
Cleary (2): … Interaction outside the gate is successful.
Wu: The way of conducting public affairs is subject to change. Perseverance will bring good fortune. Success can be had by communicating with people from without.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legg e: He will not fail in the method he pursues. Wilhelm/
Baynes: To follow what is correct brings good fortune. One does not lose oneself. Blofeld: The first sentence presages the good fortune derived from officials undergoing a change of heart and following what is right. The tangible results mentioned at the end of the passage imply that we shall not fail. Ritsema/Karcher: Adhering-to correcting significant indeed. Not letting-go indeed. Cleary (2): It is good to follow what is right …In the sense of not losing. Wu: Because following what is correct is auspicious … Because his position is not compromised.
Legge: The dynamic first line is the lord of the lower trigram. The magnetic lines ought to follow him, but he is beneath them in the lowest place in the figure. This suggests that he should change his pursuit. Because of his strength and correct position, he will be fortunate in this. Going beyond his gate for associates shows public spirit and an absence of selfish motivation.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: At the outset, the man changes his objectives. He will succeed if he remains firm in principle and goes beyond selfish considerations to mingle freely with those who do not share his feelings, as well as those who do.
Wing: A change is occurring, whether in your own objectives or in the situation around you. In order to accomplish something you should now communicate with persons of all persuasions and opinions. Yet remain internally principled and discerning.
Editor: Psychologically, an inner transformation is taking place. If this is the only moving line, hexagram number forty-five, Contraction, is created, so a (possibly unconscious) re-arrangement of attitudes and perceptions is suggested. To "go beyond one's own gate" implies a need to expand your horizons during a shift in the balance of forces.
When I reached thirty I looked back on my past. The previous victories were not due to my having mastered strategy. Perhaps it was natural ability, or the order of heaven, or that other schools' strategy was inferior. After that I studied morning and evening searching for the principle, and came to realize the Way of Strategy when I was fifty. Miyamoto Musashi -- A Book of Five Rings
A. Change your focus, marshal your forces, and seek wider horizons.
Line 4
Legge: The fourth line, dynamic, shows us one followed and obtaining adherents. Though he is firm and correct, there will be evil. If he is sincere however in his course, and make that evident, into what error will he fall?
Wilhelm/Baynes: Following creates success. Perseverance brings misfortune. To go one's way with sincerity brings clarity. How could there be blame in this?
Blofeld: Following someone with an ulterior motive -- persisting in this course would bring misfortune. But, if as he goes his way he makes sincerity his beacon, what harm can come to him?
Liu: Success is gained by following. But to continue brings misfortune. Going the correct way leads to glory (brightness). How can there be blame?
Ritsema/Karcher: Following possessing catching. Trial: pitfall. Possessing conformity, locating-in tao uses brightening. Wherefore faulty? [Possessing conformity: "Inner and outer are in accord; confidence of the spirits has been captured..."]
Shaughnessy: In following there is a catch; determination is inauspicious. There is a return on the way; at the end of brightness, what trouble is there?
Cleary (1): Following has gain. Even if right, it is inauspicious. Truthfully remaining on the path, using understanding, what blame is there?
Cleary (2): Following gains, but it bodes ill even if right. Having faith in the way, thereby understanding, what fault is there?
Wu: To have a following may be advantageous. Despite perseverance, it will be foreboding. With confidence in his course, he can explain his intention. What blame can there be?
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: "He is followed and obtains adherents" -- according to the idea of the hexagram, this is evil. "He is sincere in his course" -- showing his intelligence, and leading to achievement. Wilhelm/Baynes: This bodes misfortune...This brings clear-sighted deeds. Blofeld: Following others with ulterior motives is surely evil; whereas sincerity along the way produces brilliant results. Ritsema/Karcher: One's righteousness: pitfall indeed... Brightening achieving indeed. Cleary (2): When following gains, the meaning is inauspicious. Having faith in the way, the understanding is successful. Wu: With confidence in his course, he can be successful.
Legge: Line four is dynamic, and in the place of a minister next to the ruler in line five. His having adherents will be injurious to the authority of the supreme ruler, and only sincere loyalty will save him from error and misfortune.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man acquires followers who flatter, scheme, and act subservient to seek personal gains. There is a chance that he will become dependent on them because of gratifying associations, which will detract from his authority in his position of influence. He must see through such adherents and free himself from egotistical encumbrances.
Wing: Those whom you appear to influence actually have ulterior motives in their allegiance to you. Look beyond the current flattering situation into your original principled aim. Strive to act independently.
Editor: The line is a clear warning about being corrupted by the projections of others. Viewed objectively, the ego is only a temporary personality created for the purpose of transforming psychic energy – a transitional tool or vessel emanated into matter by the Self for one brief lifetime. It is only a servant--never a master. Long dedication to the Work can concentrate power which the ego may be tempted to use for its own benefit--a dangerous seduction which can only harm the Work.
By permitting credulous and vulgar admirers to congregate about thee, there is liability of falling into the error of becoming puffed up with worldly pride. Guru Gampopa --Precepts of the Gurus
A. Don't let power go to your head. Sincerity prevents ego-trips.
B. Beware of elements which would distract you from the Work. That which seems "reasonable" is often just the voice of a demon: a temptation for the misuse of power.
C. What worked previously is now obsolete. A new strategy is now appropriate.
Line 5
Legge: The fifth line, dynamic, shows us the ruler sincere in fostering all that is excellent. There will be good fortune.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Sincere in the good. Good fortune.
Blofeld: Confidence is admirable -- good fortune! [ Confidence in the context of this hexagram implies perfect trust in those we follow.]
Liu: There is confidence in goodness. Good Fortune.
Confucius/Legge: His position is correct and in the center. Wilhelm/ Baynes: The place is correct and central. Blofeld: The suitable position of this line. Ritsema/Karcher: Situation correctly centering indeed. Cleary (2): Because the state is correctly balanced. Wu: Because his position is correct and central.
Legge: Line five is dynamic in his central and correct place, with line two as a proper correlate. Hence the auspicious symbolism.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The ruler fosters excellence, which brings on good fortune.
Wing: If you sincerely insist upon the very best, the chances are that you will get it. Set your sights high. Good fortune.
Editor: Wilhelm points out that the ruler in line five "follows" the sage in line six, who represents the way of heaven -- or, in our terms, the ideals of the Work. When the "ruler" (psychologically in this case, the ego) follows the way of heaven (the Work), then his subjects (inner aspects) will follow him, and the kingdom (psyche) will prosper.
Everything that happens to us, properly understood, leads us back to ourselves; it is as though there were some unconscious guidance whose aim it is to deliver us from all ties and all dependence and make us dependent on ourselves. Jung --Letters
A. Your attitude is in accordance with the advancement of the Work.
Line 6
Legge: The sixth line, magnetic, shows us that sincerity held and clung to, yea, and bound fast. We see the king with it presenting his offerings on the Western Mountain.
Wilhelm/Baynes: He meets with firm allegiance and is still further bound. The king introduces him to the Western Mountain.
Blofeld: He obtained people's allegiance and his followers clung to him. During the time he spent on the Western Mountain, the King made sacrifice.
Liu: Deeply involved with one's fellows, one tries to continue. The King offers the Western Mountain.
Ritsema/Karcher: Grappling, tying-to it. Thereupon adhering holding-fast-to it. The king availing-of Growing tending- towards the Western mountain.
Shaughnessy: Grabbing and tying him, and thereafter binding him; the king uses aromatic grass on the western mountain.
Cleary (1): Binding and tying up; the king sacrifices on west mountain.
Cleary (2): In a binding involvement, the king sacrifices on the western mountain.
Wu: He is constrained and bound in order to follow. May a king make offerings to the gods of the western mountain.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: The idea of the hexagram has reached its extreme development. Wilhelm/Baynes: At the top it ends. Blofeld: Those above us have exhausted their merit. Ritsema/Karcher: Exhausting the above indeed.
Cleary (2): This is the upper impasse of involvement. Wu: Because he has reached the upper limit.
Legge: The concept of Followingreaches its highest representation in the topmost line. The action, directed by the most sincere devotion to what is right, influences both men and spiritual beings. The Western Mountain is Mt. Khi, at the foot of which was the original settlement of the house of Kau in 1325 B.C.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The sage, who is retired, is recalled by the king because of his unique qualifications. The faithful and effective subject is rewarded.
Wing: You are called upon, by virtue of your wisdom and expertise, to lead another. You will unquestionably become involved, but you will be rewarded for your unselfish commitment.
Editor: Psychologically, Legge's commentary suggests the idea of devotion and sacrifice uniting forces in both conscious and unconscious realms of the psyche. The Confucian commentary suggests that the principle of Followingcomes to an end when ego and Self merge. To offer a sacrifice on the peak of the Western mountain: a high spiritual place where the sun sets (an image of the completed Work), implies this. Getting this line doesn't mean the Work is literally completed (it never is in this space-time dimension), but that you have probably integrated some significant inner complexes. Compare this line with 46:4.
The surrender of the limited purposes of the ego to the much larger goals of the Self -- goals within which the lesser egoic purposes are in fact meaningfully encompassed -- does not do away with the sense of freedom. On the contrary, only by subordinating the limitations of the ego to the Self do we truly justify our freedom and do we meaningfully validate our responsibility for our actions and decisions. S.A. Hoeller -- The Gnostic Jung
A. Devotion to the Work brings unity to the psyche.
23 Splitting Apart
Other titles: Splitting Apart, The symbol of Falling or Flaying, Peeling Off, Decay, Flaying, Stripping Away, Intrigue, Deterioration, Collapse, Fracturing, Tearing, Disintegration, Ruin, Unraveling, "Can refer to a physical parting. Making a secure foundation." -- D.F. Hook
Judgment
Legge:Disintegration means that it is not advantageous to make a movement in any direction whatever.
Wilhelm/Baynes:Splitting Apart. It does not further one to go anywhere.
Blofeld: Peeling off. At present, there is no goal (or destination) which can be sought with advantage. [Peeling off in the sense of getting rid of hindrances (or hinderers) one after another. The first four lines of this hexagram symbolize a process of ridding ourselves progressively of all those upon whom we are accustomed to rely, for the powers of darkness are in the ascendant and no one can be trusted. However, in the long run, virtue triumphs, as indicated by line five, and ultimately we are all the more esteemed for our steadfastness, as can be seen from line six.]
Liu: Decay. It is unfavorable to undertake anything.
Ritsema/Karcher:Stripping not Harvesting: possessing directed going. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of something outmoded or worn out. It emphasizes that eliminating what has become unusable is the adequate way to handle it...]
Shaughnessy: Flaying: Not beneficial to have someplace to go.
Cleary (1):Stripping away does not make it beneficial to go anywhere.
Cleary (2): … It is not beneficial, etc.
Wu: Tearing indicates that it is not advantageous to have any undertaking.
The Image
Legge: The image of a mountain adhering to the earth forms Disintegration. Superiors therefore strengthen their inferiors to secure the peace and stability of their own position.
Wilhelm/Baynes: The mountain rests on the earth: the image of Splitting Apart. Thus those above can ensure their position only by giving generously to those below.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes a mountain resting upon the earth. The truly great shower generosity upon those under them to enable them to live in peace and comfort. [The upper and lower trigrams, mountain and Earth, symbolize the Superior Man and the people in his care.]
Liu: The mountain stands on the earth, symbolizing Decay. Those above should act with benevolence toward those below. Then there will be peace and security.
Ritsema/Karcher: Mountain adjoining with-respect-to earth. Stripping. Using munificence above to quiet the position below.
Cleary (1): Mountains are joined to the earth. Those above secure their homes by kindness to those below.
Wu: The mountain is subordinated to the earth; this is Tearing .Thus those above treat those below with liberal rewards to secure their own positions.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge:Disintegration means overthrowing or being overthrown: the magnetic lines attack the dynamic line at the top in order to change it into one of themselves. It is unwise to move in any direction because inferior elements are now increasing in power. The superior man, observing this, stops all forward movement. He defers to the exigency of the time, realizing that increase and decrease, ripeness and decay are cyclic rhythms.
Legge:Disintegrationis the symbol of falling or causing to fall, and refers to the process of decay or overthrow in both the natural and political worlds. The figure consists of five yin lines below and one yang line on top. Decay has begun at the bottom and crept upward. The hexagram symbolizes the ninth month when summer has passed and the year is about to fall into the sterile arms of winter. In the political world, inferior men have gradually displaced good men until only one remains. The lesson for him is to wait because the power operating against him is too strong. Eventually a change for the better will appear. The specific image is that of a bed and its occupant, and the symbolism describes the attempts made to overthrow him. The lower trigram of Docility and the upper trigram of Keeping Still suggest to the superior man of line six how he can best deal with the prevailing circumstances. The situation is not hopeless -- winter is followed by spring, night by day, and the waning moon soon grows full again. So will it be in the course of human affairs.
The idea behind the Image is that a mountain has the earth for its foundation. If the earth is thick, the mountain preserves its height. So it is with the sovereign and people.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment:Disintegration means do not act.
The Superior Man stabilizes his responses and seeks tranquility.
The twenty-third hexagram is the inverse ofReturn, the hexagram immediately following it. Each figure depicts an opposite pole in a cyclic progression. Here the old cycle has disintegrated to the point of dissolution. The following hexagram depicts theReturnto the beginning of a new cycle.
The first four lines of Disintegration show the gradual erosion of a position or frame of reference, symbolized by a bed or couch. The inferior forces creep up from below like termites to undermine a solid foundation. The fifth line shows a gathering of forces for a potentially positive transformation, and the top line suggests the first stages of this transformation. The implication is that times of disintegration needn't always be regarded as negative, or a foregone conclusion. We still have the choice to alter conditions in our favor.
That the superior man "strengthens his inferiors" to insure the stability of his position, means that one stabilizes one's psychological situation by defusing the causes of rebellion -- safeguard the foundation where it is weak. Hexagram number forty-three, Resoluteness, is a negative picture of this figure, and the message in the Image is very similar: "The superior man does not hoard his wealth, but shares it with his subordinates." The idea is subtle -- it doesn't mean to indulge your weaknesses, but to monitor them encouragingly so that they may become transformed into positive forces.
Whenever we go deep enough toward the core of a sub- personality, we find that the core -- which is some basic urge, or need -- is good. For practical purposes, this can be considered an absolute. No matter how many layers of distortion may surround it, the basic need, the basic motivation, is a good one -- and if it becomes twisted, it was because of not being able to express itself directly. The real core -- not what the sub- personality wants, but what it needs -- is good. A basic purpose of the coordination phase is to discover this central urge or need, to make it conscious, and to find acceptable ways in which it can be satisfied and fulfilled. And, provided we have sufficient understanding and skill, it can be satisfied -- if not fully, at least enough to maintain the process of growth. James Vargiu -- Subpersonalities