↓ Line 1
It is wise to pause and reflect before proceeding. Seeking advice or help from others can lead to success.
↓ Line 3
Recognizing when to retreat is wise. Returning to a safer position can prevent further difficulties.
↓ Line 4
By seeking collaboration and unity with others, one can overcome obstacles and find support.
↓ Line 5
Even in difficult times, allies and friends will appear to offer assistance and support.
↓ Shock51
Sudden change or shock, like thunder, that can jolt you awake. Embrace the disruption as an opportunity for growth, respond calmly, and align your actions with the new reality.
Original Readings
39 Obstruction
Other titles: Obstruction, The Symbol of Difficulty, Arresting Movement, Trouble, Obstacles, Barrier, Halt, Halting, Limping, Afoot, “Sit Tight—Don’t move” "One is surrounded by an underwater reef and should wait for assistance." -- D.F. Hook
Judgment
Legge: During an Impasse advantage is found in the southwest, disadvantage in the northeast. See the great man. Firm correctness brings good fortune.
Wilhelm/Baynes:Obstruction. The southwest furthers. The northeast does not further. It furthers one to see the great man. Perseverance brings good fortune.
Blofeld: Trouble. The west and the south are favorable, but not the east and north. [That is to say, if we try to forward our plans by proceeding in either of those directions, we shall get bogged down or lost. It could also mean that we should be driven to unvirtuous conduct.] It is advisable to see a great man. [We should seek advice from someone of lofty moral stature and profound wisdom.] Persistence in a righteous course brings good fortune.
Liu: Obstruction. The southwest is of benefit. The northeast -- no benefit. It benefits one to visit a great man. To continue brings good fortune.
Ritsema/Karcher: Limping, Harvesting: Western South. Not Harvesting: Eastern North. Harvesting: visualizing Great People. Trial: significant. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of being weak, afflicted or hampered. It emphasizes that going ahead even though haltingly is the adequate way to handle it. (Sic) To be in accord with the time, you are told to: limp!]
Shaughnessy: Afoot: Beneficial to the southwest, not beneficial to the northeast; beneficial to see the great man; determination is auspicious.
Cleary (1): When halted, the southwest is beneficial, not the northeast. It is profitable to see a great person; innocence is auspicious.
Cleary (2): When in trouble, it is beneficial to go southwest; it is not beneficial to go northeast. It is beneficial to see a great person. Correctness leads to good results.
Wu:Difficulty indicates that it will be advantageous in the southwest, but not so in the northeast. There will be advantage to meet with the great man. Auspiciousness will come with perseverance.
Hua-Ching Ni: The good direction is where there is no abyss or high mountains, like the Southwest, but not the Northeast. One should go to the great leader who can work with people in breaking through obstructions.
The Image
Legge: Water on the mountain -- the image of Impasse. The superior man turns around to examine himself and cultivate his virtue.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Water on the mountain: the image of Obstruction. Thus the superior man turns his attention to himself and molds his character.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes water upon a mountain. The Superior Man cultivates virtue by bringing about a revolution within himself.
Liu: Water on the mountain symbolizes Obstruction. The superior man reexamines himself and improves his character.
Ritsema/Karcher: Above mountain possessing stream. Limping. A chun tzu uses reversing individuality to renovate actualizing-tao.
[Actualize-tao: Ability to follow the course traced by the ongoing process of the cosmos... Linked with acquire, TE: acquiring that which makes a being become what it is meant to be.]
Cleary (1): There is water atop a mountain, halting. Thus do superior people examine themselves and cultivate virtue.
Cleary (2): Water on a mountain – trouble. Developed people examine themselves to cultivate virtue.
Wu: There is water on the mountain; this is Difficulty. Thus, the jun zi examines his own person to polish his virtue.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge:Impasse means difficulty, with the trigram of Peril up ahead. It is a wise man who can stop his advance at the first sign of danger. Advantage in the southwest means that the dynamic line has advanced to the central position. In the northeast, however, progress is halted. Seeing the great man insures progress and success. All of the lines except the first are in their appropriate places, suggesting the firm correctness in which the regions of the kingdom are brought to their natural order. Great indeed is the work to be done during an Impasse.
Legge: Impasse is the symbol of incompetency in the feet and legs involving difficulty in walking. Hence it represents a state of the kingdom which makes government an arduous task. The figure teaches how to perform this task under the prevailing circumstances.
The Judgment requires three things: the attention to place, the presence of the great man, and the observance of firm correctness. According to King Wen's arrangement of the trigrams, the southwest is occupied by the trigram of the Earth, and the northeast by the trigram of the Mountain. The former is the fertile lowland, the latter the mountain peaks; the former is easily traversed and held, while the latter presents obstacles. Thus the attention to place becomes a calculation of circumstances -- differentiating those that are promising from those that are likely to fail.
The great man is the correctly dynamic ruler in the fifth place, with the proper magnetic correlate in line two. However, favorable position and circumstances, and the presence of the great man do not relieve us from the observance of firm correctness -- this principle is consistent throughout the I Ching.
Ch'eng-tzu says: "We see here a steep and difficult mountain, on the top of which is water. Each trigram represents perilousness -- there is peril above and below. Hence it shows the difficulties of the state." The application of the symbolism is illustrated by the words of Mencius: "When our actions do not realize our desires, we must turn inwards and examine ourselves in every point."
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: Dissolve the polarities of an Impasseby seeking its most fertile integration. Use your will in harmony with the principles of the Work.
The Superior Man seeks his center and refines his commitment.
Lines two and five of this difficult hexagram show those who struggle with hardship; all of the other lines show images of an improper advance followed by a proper return to a former position. Ritsema/Karcher's characterization of the hexagram's overall meaning as an injunction to "(go) ahead even though haltingly is the adequate way to handle (the situation)" is anomalous and at variance with the general import of this figure. Legge's Confucian commentary is more in keeping with its meaning: "It is a wise man who can stop his advance at the first sign of danger."
Legge also chooses an excellent paraphrase of the role of the superior man in the Image with his quotation from Mencius: "When our actions do not realize our desires, we must turn inwards and examine ourselves in every point." In other words, the chances are good that the Impassemay be self-created, and when the ego introspects with care the reasons usually become apparent.
It is not unknown at a certain stage of development for the ego, overwhelmed with the enormity of the Work, to evade its responsibilities and vainly try to return to the bliss of its former ignorance. At such times it soon becomes clear that no matter what you attempt, success will be blocked: where others succeed with ease, it will take you five times as much effort just to break even. ThisImpasse is permanent until you reassume responsibility for the Work. The following quotation is an allegory of this condition:
Yahweh Saboath says this: Reflect carefully how things have gone for you. You have sown much and harvested little; you eat but never have enough, drink but never have your fill, put on clothes but do not feel warm. The wage earner gets his wages only to put them in a purse riddled with holes ... The abundance you expected proved to be little. When you brought the harvest in, my breath spoiled it. And why? It is Yahweh Saboath who speaks. Because while my house lies in ruins you are busy with your own, each one of you. Haggai 1: 6-10
In one way or another, the Self will attain its intent. To ignore this hard truth is to experience Impasse.
Line 1
Legge: The first line, magnetic, shows that advance on the part of its subject will lead to greater difficulties, while remaining stationary will afford ground for praise.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Going leads to obstructions, coming meets with praise.
Liu: Going leads to obstruction. Coming brings praise. [People should remain in their present positions.]
Ritsema/Karcher: Going Limping, coming praise.
Shaughnessy: Going afoot, coming in a cart.
Cleary (1): Going results in trouble, coming in praise.
Wu: Going forth is difficult; coming back is commendable.
Hua-Ching Ni: If one moves forward, obstruction will be encountered. Honorable growth naturally comes to the one who keeps still.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: The proper course is to wait. Wilhelm/Baynes: Because it is right to wait. Blofeld: This passage stresses the advantage of waiting for some time. Ritsema/Karcher: Proper to await indeed. Cleary (2): It is best to wait. Wu: This means that waiting is in order.
Legge: Line one is magnetic in a dynamic place. If she advances she won't be able to cope with the difficulties of the situation, but will be overwhelmed by them. Let her wait for a more favorable time.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: At the outset, the man forges ahead in the face of an impasse and is overwhelmed by complications. He should wait for a favorable moment.
Wing: If you have met with an obstacle in your path, do not attempt to overcome it. Instead, pull back from the situation and wait out the trouble. You will know the right moment for action when you can move with ease.
Editor: Most translators use the words "going" and/or "coming" in every line of this hexagram except number two. The respective differences between these two words, "going" and "coming," are the differences between analysis and synthesis. To "go" is to disperse, to create differences; to "come" is to return to center, to reunite. Legge chooses the phrase "remaining stationary" in place of "coming," which is not quite the same idea, though it nicely stresses the idea of waiting mentioned in the Confucian commentary.
The teaching without words and the benefit of taking no action are without compare in the universe. Lao-Tzu
A. “Don’t go there” -- "Wait and see."
Line 3
Legge: The third line, dynamic, shows its subject advancing, but only to greater difficulties. He remains stationary, and returns to his former associates.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Going leads to obstructions, hence he comes back.
Blofeld: To proceed would lead to trouble; therefore turn back!
Liu: Going leads to obstruction. Therefore he returns. He will be happy. [Caution will prevent loss or injury.]
Ritsema/Karcher: Going Limping, coming reversing.
Shaughnessy: Going afoot, coming in return.
Cleary (1): Going leads to trouble. Come back.
Wu: Going forth is difficult; coming back is the opposite.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: His associates, represented by the lower trigram, rejoice
in him. Wilhelm/Baynes: Those within rejoice over it. Blofeld: This passage presages happiness for the women of the family (literally, happiness for those within). [This could also be translated "internal happiness," but I think the above rendering is what the author meant.] Ritsema/Karcher: Inside rejoicing-in-it indeed. Cleary (2): Those inside will rejoice at this. Wu: Because he will be greeted from inside.
Legge: Line three is dynamic, and in a place of strength, but his correlate sixth line is magnetic, so that his advance would not be supported. He waits therefore for a better time, and nurtures the two lines below, who naturally cling to him. On line three, K'ung Ying-ta says: "Of the three lines of the lower trigram only the third is yang, above the two others who are of the yin nature. They cling to him, and are represented as rejoicing."
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: Under certain circumstances, however, it is the duty of the man to refrain from dealing with obstructions. Should the father, for example, fail to return from his reckless venture, the dependents entrusted to his care may not survive.
Wing: If you abandon your present concerns in order to struggle with an external obstacle, you are in danger of jeopardizing the security of those close to you and, perhaps, undermining the structure of your life. It would be a good idea to return to your center and reconsider your plan.
Editor: This line changes the hexagram to number eight, Holding Together, the corresponding line of which states: "We see its subject seeking for union with such as ought not to be associated with." This reinforces the idea in the present case of returning from a dangerous position. There seems to be very little difference between lines one and three -- as in the former, the psychological correlations of "going" and "coming" with "analysis" (differentiation), and "synthesis" (union), are sometimes useful.
Much that I sought, I could not find;
Much that I found, I could not bind;
Much that I bound, I could not free;
Much that I freed returned to me.
-- L.W. Dodd
A. Avoid adversity by returning to a former alliance, attitude or discipline.
Line 4
Legge: The fourth line, magnetic, shows its subject advancing, but only to greater difficulties. She remains stationary, and unites with the line above.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Going leads to obstructions, coming leads to union.
Blofeld: To proceed would lead to trouble, whereas those coming will forge useful connections.
Liu: Going leads to obstruction. Coming brings about unity.
Cleary (1): Going leads to trouble; come form associations.
Cleary (2): Going means trouble; coming back brings company.
Wu: Going forth is difficult; coming back will find an associate.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: To advance will only be to encounter greater difficulties; she remains stationary, and unites with the line above who is in his proper place and has the ruler's stability. Wilhelm/Baynes: In the appropriate place one finds support. Blofeld: Because this line is suitably placed and possesses solidity. Ritsema/Karcher: Appropriate situation, substance indeed. Cleary (2): One’s position is solidified. Wu: What is in place is solid.
Legge: Line four is magnetic, and though in her proper place, she can do very little by herself. She is immediately below the king or great man however, and cultivates her loyal attachment, waiting for the time when she shall be required to act.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man charges ahead, only to fall back because of insufficient strength. He needs to gather trustworthy associates for the venture before it can succeed.
Wing: In order to meet the challenge and overcome Obstacles facing you, you must rely upon someone who can help you. You will need a unified approach, employing the help of another person or an organization. A single-handed maneuver will surely fail. Hold back and unite.
Editor: Blofeld's rendering of "union with the line above" in terms of "forging useful connections" is sometimes an apt interpretation in contemporary idiom. Psychologically it can refer to reuniting with your essence via meditation on the principles of the Work. Note that both lines 4 and 6 are magnetic, and both are counseled to focus on the 5th line ruler: dimensionally, the inner Self: the one who is both "above" and "inside." The structure of the upper trigram symbolizes these relationships in the context of Impasse.
They also serve who only stand and wait. Milton
A. Remain in place and develop your higher potential.
Line 5
Legge: The fifth line, dynamic, shows its subject struggling with the greatest difficulties, while friends are coming to help him.
Wilhelm/Baynes: In the midst of the greatest obstructions, friends come.
Blofeld: In the midst of severe trouble, friends (or a friend) arrive.
Liu: One meets great obstruction. Friends come. [You can expect help in your undertakings and good fortune in everything.]
Ritsema/Karcher: The great Limping, partnering coming.
Shaughnessy: Greatly afoot, the friend comes.
Cleary (1): Great trouble; a companion comes.
Cleary (2): In great trouble, companions come.
Wu: There is great difficulty. Friends will come.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: He is in the central position and possesses the requisite virtue. Wilhelm/Baynes: For they are ruled by the central position. Blofeld: This is indicated by the line's central position in the upper trigram. Ritsema/ Karcher: Using centering articulating indeed. Cleary (2): Because of balance and moderation. Wu: The difficulty will be assuaged around the center.
Legge: Line five is the king, the man great and strong. He can cope with the difficulties, and his "friends" are his correlate line two and the other two lines of the lower trigram who also give their help.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man meets the obstruction head-on in an emergency. His spirit attracts able helpers.
Wing: Even in the most desperate struggles, your spirit alone will attract others. This co-operation will bring you success in your endeavors. Obstacles will give way.
Editor: The image suggests an impasse about to be resolved by forces currently outside your sphere of awareness.
I was living in a constant state of tension; often I felt as if gigantic blocks of stone were tumbling down upon me. One thunderstorm followed another. My enduring these storms was a question of brute strength. Others have been shattered by them -- Nietzsche, and Holderlin, and many others. But there was a demonic strength in me, and from the beginning there was no doubt in my mind that I must find the meaning of what I was experiencing in these fantasies. When I endured these assaults of the unconscious I had an unswerving conviction that I was obeying a higher will, and that feeling continued to uphold me until I had mastered the task. Jung -- Memories, Dreams, Reflections
A. Forces for integration are on the threshold of awareness.
51 Shock
Other titles: The Arousing, Thunder, The Symbol of Startling Movement, Shake, The Beginning of Movement, Shocking, The Thunderclap, Action, Motion, Sudden Change, Surprise! "The necessity to keep tranquil in the midst of upheaval." -- D.F. Hook
Judgment
Legge:Shock intimates ease and development. When the time of movement which it indicates comes, the subject of the hexagram will be found looking out with apprehension, and yet smiling and talking cheerfully. When the movement like a crash of thunder terrifies all within a hundred miles, he will be like the sincere worshipper who is not startled into dropping his ladle and cup of sacrificial spirits.
Wilhelm/Baynes:Shock brings success. Shock comes --oh, oh! Laughing words -- ha, ha! The shock terrifies for a hundred miles, and he does not let fall the sacrificial spoon and chalice.
Blofeld: Thunder -- success! Thunder comes with a terrible noise, laughing and shouting in awesome glee and frightening people for a hundred miles around. The sacrificial wine is not spilt. [This suggests that the holder of the sacrificial vessel is not easily alarmed or else that he is very wise and able to distinguish between the apparently dangerous and the truly dangerous.]
Liu: Thunder. Success. Thunder comes -- ho ho! Speaking and laughing -- ha ha! It shocks and terrifies for a hundred miles. But one does not drop the spoon or chalice.
Ritsema/Karcher: Shake, Growing. Shake coming: frightening, frightening. Laughing words, shrieking, shrieking. Shake scaring a hundred miles. Not losing the ladle, the libation. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of a disturbing and inspiring shock. It emphasizes that rousing things to new activity, the action of Shake is the adequate way to handle it. To be in accord with the time, you are told to: stir things up!]
Shaughnessy:Thunder: Receipt; thunder comes so renewingly; laughter and talk yaya; thunder alarms one hundred miles; not losing the ladle or goblet.
Cleary (1): Thunder is developmental. When thunder comes, there is alarm, then laughter. Thunder startles for a hundred miles, but one does not lose the spoon and wine.
Cleary (2):Thunder comes through. Etc.
Wu:Motion indicates pervasiveness. When Motioncomes, it frightens people. Later, it makes people talk and laugh. Its majesty reaches one hundred li in all directions. There is no misplacement of the ladle or sacrificial wine.
The Image
Legge: The image of Thunder, being repeated, forms Shock. The superior man, in accordance with this, is fearful and apprehensive, cultivates his virtue, and examines his faults.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Thunder repeated: the image of Shock. Thus in fear and trembling the superior man sets his life in order and examines himself.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes continuous thunder. The Superior Man in fear and trembling seeks to improve himself.
Liu: Thunder doubled symbolizes shock. The superior man contemplates himself with fear and caution.
Ritsema/Karcher: Reiterated thunder. Shake. A chun tzu uses anxious fearing to adjust inspecting.
Cleary (1):Traveling thunder reverberates. Thus superior people cautiously practice introspection.
Cleary (2): Repeated thunder reverberates.Developed people practice introspection with caution.
Wu: One thunderclap after another constitutes hexagram Motion. Thus the jun zi reflects and rectifies for fear of being wrong.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: His feeling of dread leads to happiness because he is thereby made to adopt proper laws for himself. The movement startles the distant and frightens the near, yet he makes the proper sacrifices the same as always.
Legge: Shock consists of the trigram for Thunder doubled. (This trigram also represents Movement and the Eldest Son.) The hexagram therefore symbolizes a crash or peal of thunder, and combined with the idea of movement shows a sudden change taking place in the kingdom. The lesson is the conduct to be pursued in a time of sudden change through an awareness of danger and the proper regulation of oneself.
A successful issue is predicted if the dynamic first line can be superior to the two magnetic lines above him. It is in the idea of the hexagram that he should be moving and advancing. Although sensible of the danger, he is confident and self-possessed -- so much so that he can calmly perform his religious duties during the prevailing chaos. This is proper behavior for the eldest son, who must eventually assume the duties of his father.
Anthony: In the I Chingshock means being subjected to unsettling events. It also means perceiving and reacting to these events … perceiving, in any of these changes, that a new set of limits, or deprivations, has been placed on our life which seems to restrict or even penalize us. This sense of being projected by events into a sort of emotional trap is what this hexagram calls “Fate.” Acknowledgement of this fate, or trap, and the imperative – to find the way out – is one of the purposes of shock. As far as the I Ching is concerned, there is only one way out – to undergo spiritual development.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: During sudden changes, adjust your tempo and move ahead, remembering that while conditions may alter, the goal remains the same.
The Superior Man double-checks his premises, confronts his weak spots and adheres to the rules and ideals of the Work.
The image here is one of a sudden, dramatic release of energy, power and force. To receive this hexagram without changing lines can refer to almost any abrupt, startling or unexpected situation. Sometimes it is the oracle's way of saying: "Surprise!” It can also be a kind of reprimand for asking a dumb or inappropriate question -- the oracle is "shocked” by your temerity, ignorance, etc. In such instances there is often an element of wry humor in the situation -- usually at the ego's expense. On rare occasions, it is possible to receive this hexagram as a warning about an upcoming event which has no bearing on the question posed. Should you receive such an oracle, be extremely vigilant – as always, the advice to the superior man in the Image suggests the proper course.
A true test of devotion to the Work is to maintain one's will under all circumstances. The world may be falling apart around us, but the adept does not ruin the performance of his sacrifice: the ego continues the Work regardless of conditions, and keeps a cool head under all circumstances.
Have no fear of sudden terror
or of assault from wicked men,
since Yahweh will be your guarantor,
He will keep your steps from the snare.
Proverbs 3: 25-26
Both Yahweh and Christ are what Jung calls "god images” which exist in one form or another in every human psyche, whether it is consciously religious or not. The god image is synonymous with the Self, and the implication of the above quotation from Proverbsis that as long as the ego remains devoted to the Work -- in I Chingterms: "maintains the sacrifice” -- it is under the protection of the Self.
The Perfect Man is godlike. Though the great swamps blaze, they cannot burn him; though the great rivers freeze, they cannot chill him; though swift lightning splits the hills and howling gales shake the sea, they cannot frighten him. A man like this rides the clouds and mist, straddles the sun and moon, and wanders beyond the four seas. Even life and death have no effect on him, much less the rules of profit and loss! Chuang Tzu