Other titles: The Creative, The Symbol of Heaven, The Creative Principle, Force, The Key, Creativity, The Originating, Creative Power, Primal Power, Yang, The Life Force, Kundalini, God the Father
Judgment
Legge:The Dynamic represents what is great and originating, penetrating, advantageous, correct and firm.
Wilhelm/Baynes:The Creative works sublime success, furthering through perseverance.
Blofeld: The Creative Principle . Sublime Success! Persistence in a righteous course brings reward.
Liu:The Creative brings great success, benefiting all through perseverance.
Ritsema/Karcher:Force: Spring Growing Harvesting Trial. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of the primal spirit power that both creates and destroys. It emphasizes that dynamic, unwearied persisting, the action of Force, is the adequate way to handle it. To be in accord with the time, you are told to: persist!]
Shaughnessy:The Key: Primary reception; beneficial to determine.
Cleary(1):Heavencreates, develops, brings about fruition and consummation.
Cleary(1): The creative is successful; this is beneficial if correct.
Wu:The Originator is primordial, pervasive, prosperous and persevering.
The Image
Legge: Heaven, in its motion, gives the idea of strength. The superior man, in accordance with this, nerves himself to ceaseless activity.
Wilhelm/Baynes: The movement of heaven is full of power. Thus the superior man makes himself strong and untiring.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes the power of the celestial forces in motion, wherewith the Superior Man labors unceasingly to strengthen his own character.
Liu: Heaven moves powerfully; the superior man strengthens himself unceasingly.
Ritsema/Karcher: Heaven moves persistingly. A Chun tzu uses originating strength not to pause.
Cleary(1): The activity of heaven is powerful; superior people thereby strengthen themselves ceaselessly.
Wu: Heaven moves in full strength. Thus the jun zi strives ceaselessly to be self-reliant.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: All things owe their inception to the vast and originating power of The Dynamic. It contains all the meaning of the word: Heaven. Clouds move, rain falls, and the myriad things appear in their created forms. The sages comprehend the link between the end and the beginning. They understand how the changes of the six lines of the hexagram are accomplished, each in its season, and with this knowledge they ascend toward Heaven as though mounted on six dragons. The intent of The Dynamic is to transform everything so that it reflects its correct nature as originally conceived by the mind of Heaven. Thereafter, this great harmony is preserved in union and firm correctness. The sage appears aloft, high above all things, and the myriad states are harmoniously united.
Legge: For the Chinese, the dragon has been from the earliest times a symbol of dignity, wisdom, sovereignty and sagehood. It is the symbol of the superior man, and especially the "great man," exhibiting all the virtues and attributes of Heaven. Although the dragon's home is in the water, it can disport itself on land, and also fly through the air.
The sage rules in the world of men as Heaven rules nature. He sees the connection between the end and the beginning as the law of cause and effect in the operations of nature and human affairs. The various steps in that course are symbolized by the lines of the hexagram, and the ideal sage, conducting his ideal government, is represented as driving through the sky in a carriage drawn by six dragons.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment:The Dynamic is the life force itself.
The Superior Man tirelessly furthers the Great Work of Transformation.
The image of a dragon appears in every line of this hexagram, except the third. Like most symbols, the dragon has both a positive and a negative aspect. In Western myth, it is usually an adversary which the hero must conquer before he can obtain a treasure or often, a captive maiden. The Chinese, on the other hand, regard the dragon positively. Blofeld comments:
In China, the dragon has always been regarded as a highly admirable creature of celestial origin. Dragons provide rain; make rivers run and rule the ocean. The European dragon is clearly of another species.
This seeming anomaly may say more about how east and west perceive the forces of nature, rather than refer to any true differences in the forces perceived.
Wilhelm compares the dragon to the electrical energy within a thunderstorm -- as lightning it can destroy us, but in the form of electricity it can be harnessed to do useful work. A dragon is nothing if not a huge serpent, and this suggests the idea of the "serpent power," or Kundalini energy which when aroused in the human body has been likened to a sudden jolt of electricity running up from the base of the spine to the top of the head. The Kundalini force is equated in turn with sexual energy -- dynamic power which ensures the continuance of all but the most primitive of living organisms. Without the powerful energy of sexuality, life as we know it could not exist.
When the dragon remains unconquered in the cave-like depths of the unconscious, the life force autonomously rules our lives and we become passive vehicles for random desires and appetites. This "electricity" will flow wherever it finds a circuit of least resistance, and under these conditions an individual's life is largely "created" by chance and circumstance. When one begins the Work, the task of Individuation, one assumes the role of the hero or warrior, who does battle with the dragon in order to bring it under his will. This is a great struggle, and success is not guaranteed, but if one is able to control the primordial power of the life force, the treasure (or the maiden, which in the male psyche amounts to the same thing), is obtained. This is tantamount to attaining a higher level of consciousness -- in its highest form it constitutes "enlightenment."
The symbolism of all of the hexagrams works on many different levels, and this is especially true of the first two, which must be studied together for a full comprehension of each. (Kabbalists, for example, will recognize in these two figures the same forces found in Chokmah and Binah on the Tree of Life.) For the purposes of this comparison it must be noted that the first hexagram symbolizes Heaven, and the second symbolizes Earth: Force and Form. (As consciousness is to the body it inhabits, so Force is to Form and Heaven to Earth.) Form is magnetic, or "negative" in polarity, and Force is dynamic, or "positive."
In esoteric symbolism "Heaven" does not mean the universe above us -- it means the consciousness within us. This polarity is also reflected in the relationship between the ego and the Self -- in a properly regulated psyche, the ego is always magnetic to the dynamic Self.
There is an invisible universe within the visible one, a world of causes within the world of effects. There is force within matter, and the two are one, and are dependent for their existence on a third, which is the mysterious cause of their existence. There is a world of soul within a world of matter, and the two are one, and caused by the world of spirit. F. Hartmann -- Paracelsus: Life and Prophecies
SUGGESTIONS FOR MEDITATION
To get a fuller grasp of the numinously beautiful structure of the I Ching and the transcendent reality which it reflects, one should meditate on each of the hexagrams as often as possible -- one can never exhaust their meaning. The first two hexagrams (because they are the "cosmic parents" of all the others), are especially rich in their associations. Here are a few suggestions for meditation:
1. Compare and contrast the general ideas in the first three hexagrams, noting how the third is a logical progression of the first two.
2. The Confucian commentary on The Dynamic is particularly rich in meaning. Read it over and over again -- it contains the principles of the Work as outlined in more detail in the other hexagrams. Compare the sixth sentence with the ideas in hexagram number twenty, Contemplation.
3. Compare the first two hexagrams with hexagram number eleven, Harmony, and number twelve, Divorcement, noting the implications of the symbolism in terms of the proper management of the Work.
Line 1
Legge: In the first line, dynamic, we see its subject as the dragon lying hid in the deep. It is not the time for active doing.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Hidden dragon. Do not act.
Blofeld: The concealed dragon refrains from action.
Liu: The hibernating dragon does not act.
Ritsema/Karcher: Immersed dragon, no availing-of.
Shaughnessy: Submersed dragon; do not use.
Cleary(1): Hidden dragon: Do not use it.
Cleary(2): The hidden dragon is not to be employed.
Wu: The dragon lying submerged is not to be used.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: This appears from the dynamic and undivided line being in the lowest place. Wilhelm/Baynes: For the light-giving force is still below. Blofeld: The life- sustaining force is still submerged. Ritsema/ Karcher: Yang located below indeed. Wu: Because the yang is in the lowest position.
The Master said:"There he is, with the powers of the dragon, and yet lying hid. The world cannot influence him, for he does not pander to its approval. He lives withdrawn from the world without regret, and its disapproval doesn’t bother him. He rejoices in this opportunity to further his work, but if circumstances do not favor this he can as easily retire. He cannot be separated from the source of his being. This is the dragon lying hid."
Miscellaneous notes: The position is too low. The dynamic power is stored up and hidden. This is the originating power which is the source of life and growth. The actions of the superior man demonstrate his virtue every day, but when concealment is required he restrains the full expression of his work and takes no action.
Legge: The dragon can be the symbol of the superior man, or the great man -- the sage on the throne.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: At the outset, the man is unknown, like a dragon lying hidden. The occasion is not yet ripe for his appearance. He is not moved by public opinion and the desire for fame. He bides his time in self-confidence and silence.
Wing: The time is not ripe for action. You have all the Creative Power that you need to achieve your aim, but you must wait for the opportune moment. If necessary, you may direct activities from behind the scenes.
Editor: The image suggests the dragon in its cave. The forces of the unconscious psyche are hidden from conscious awareness and constitute a potential threat. To take action under such circumstances would at the very least be to risk an unpleasant or unmanageable confrontation with a superior force. Since this is the bottom line of the hexagram, the image reminds us of the serpent power, or Kundalini, lying coiled and asleep at the base of the spine. Those who have experienced the premature and uncontrolled release of this force have attested to its extremely negative qualities -- both physical pain and acute psychological stress are commonly described. If this is the only changing line, the hexagram becomes number forty-four,Temptation, the corresponding line of which reads in part: "...If she moves in any direction, evil will appear." This reinforces the idea of taking no action whatsoever under the prevailing conditions, despite your possible temptation to do so.
The unconscious is not a demoniacal monster, but a natural entity which, as far as moral sense, aesthetic taste, and intellectual judgment go, is completely neutral. It only becomes dangerous when our conscious attitude to it is hopelessly wrong. To the degree that we repress it, its danger increases. Jung -- The Practice of Psychotherapy
A. There are concealed forces in the situation. Take no action when you are unaware of the hidden consequences.
B. Energy is gathering in the unconscious psyche. Leave it alone -- it will express itself when the time is ripe.
Line 4
Legge: In the fourth dynamic line we see its subject as the dragon looking as if he were leaping up, but still in the deep. There will be no mistake.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Wavering flight over the depths. No blame.
Blofeld: Leaping about on the brink of a chasm, he is not at fault.
Liu: The dragon leaps from the abyss. No blame.
Ritsema/Karcher: Maybe capering located-in the abyss. Without fault.
Shaughnessy: And now jumping in the depths; there is no trouble.
Cleary(1): Sometimes leaping, or in the abyss: no error.
Cleary(2): One may leap in the abyss. No error.
Wu: The dragon may leap out of the abyss. There will be no blame.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: He seems to be leaping up, but is still in the deep. If he advances there will be no error. Wilhelm/Baynes: Advance is not a mistake. Blofeld: For him to advance would involve no fault. Ritsema/Karcher: Advancing without fault indeed. Wu: It is blameless to proceed.
The Master said:"Without a permanent home either above or below, the superior man yet commits no error. He advances or retreats as circumstances require and conforms to the law of his nature. The superior man, devoted to his work and the evolution of his virtue, advances only at the proper time, and therefore avoids mistakes."
Miscellaneous notes: He tests himself. A change is in process. The power is not central: neither in Heaven above, nor in the field beneath, nor in the human realm between them. Because he is perplexed and anxious about his choices he will incur no blame.
Legge: Both the third and fourth lines of any hexagram belong to man, and are intermediate between those of Heaven above and those of Earth beneath. K'ung Ying-ta, to explain the difficulty in what is said on this fourth line, says that man is actually nearer to Earth than to Heaven, and is aptly represented therefore by the third line and not by the fourth. In any event, the subject of this fourth line will move very cautiously, and so escape blame.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: After a while the man is confronted with a choice for public service in world affairs or solitude in further personal development. Either is appropriate if pursued in virtue and at the proper time.
Wing: A time of choice is at hand. Because of amplification in your Creative Power you must decide whether to enter the public eye and serve society, or whether to withdraw and work on your inner development. Follow your deepest intuition and you will not make a mistake.
Editor: The fourth line bears a certain similarity to the third: as the lowest line of the upper trigram, it is also in a threshold position of transition. Although hesitation and uncertainty are implied, one is counseled to take action when it is appropriate to do so. This implies that you are on the right track, but that certain self-confidence is required. The line can sometimes just portray a confused situation.
Every advance in culture is, psychologically, an extension of consciousness, a coming to consciousness that can take place only through discrimination. Therefore an advance always begins with individuation, that is to say with the individual, conscious of his isolation, cutting a new path through hitherto untrodden territory. To do this he must first return to the fundamental facts of his own being, irrespective of all authority and tradition, and allow himself to become conscious of his distinctiveness. Jung -- The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche
A. Keep trying.
B. The will is being tested through a transitional period. The power for advancement depends upon the self- confidence that comes with knowing you have made a correct choice.
C. To stay on top of a changing situation, keep the faith and play it by ear.
Line 6
Legge: The sixth dynamic line shows its subject as a dragon exceeding the proper limits. There will be occasion for repentance.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Arrogant dragon will have cause to repent.
Blofeld: A willful dragon has cause for regret.
Liu: The dragon is arrogant and will have cause to repent.
Confucius/Legge: A state of fullness cannot be made to last forever. Wilhelm/Baynes: What is full cannot last. Blofeld: This signifies that not for long will his cup be full. Ritsema/Karcher: Overfilling, not permitting lasting indeed. Wu: A state of fullness may not be had for long.
The master said: "Although noble, he is not in his proper place; although exalted, there are none to acknowledge him. There are men of virtue and ability below, but he does nothing to assist them. Hence whatever he does will lead to regret."
Miscellaneous notes: When the mean is exceeded, calamity ensues. It is too late now -- the time of opportunity has passed. He only knows how to advance, but not how to retreat; he knows life, but not death; how to gain, but not how to lose. He can dish it out, but he can't take it --only the sage understands such things, but he is not a sage.
Legge: The dragon appears in the sixth line as going beyond the proper limits. The ruling-sage has gone through all the spheres in which he is called on to display his attributes, and now it is time for him to relax. The line should not always be pulled tight, the bow should not always be kept drawn. The continuous use of force will give occasion for repentance. In short, the exalted shall be abased.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: There is always danger in circumstances of abundance. The inferior man pushes forward through excessive ambition, thereby losing touch with men of talent and virtue in positions below him. The ruling sage knows when to display his qualities and to relax, to maintain and to let go, to win and not to lose.
Wing: Your ambitions far exceed the possibilities of your Creative Power. If you pursue this dream you will lose touch with reality and lose contact with your community. You will no longer know how to behave appropriately and will ultimately regret your actions.
Editor: The high-flying dragon of the fifth line has gone too far and the energy which began in the unconscious depths of line number one has now become unbalanced power which is doomed to exhaustion and failure. We are reminded of the saying: "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." If this is the only changing line, the hexagram becomes number forty-three, Breakthrough -- in this instance suggesting break-down into a condition of chaos. The corresponding line of that hexagram says: "Shows its subject without any helpers on whom to call. Her end will be evil." The injunction to maintain connected with the Self has been ignored, and one is left to suffer the consequences. Note however that there is an implicit qualifier in this line: it states what happens when one is arrogant: it doesn’t necessarily state that the querent is arrogant. Often the line seems to be more of a reminder about cause and effect than a fait accompli. Wilhelm/Baynes show this best: “[An] Arrogant dragon will have cause to repent.”
Just as a negative inflation brings life to a standstill, so a positive inflation, causing the ego to feel itself powerful, dominant, and "always right," is likewise against life. For a person whose ego suffers from such an invasion of nonpersonal powers does not contact life directly either. Instead of facing life and its tasks realistically on the level of his actual attainments, he approaches them with the assumption that he is master. M.E. Harding -- Psychic Energy
A. Arrogant illusions of power will destroy you.
B. Without guidance from the Self, the ego creates chaos.
SPECIAL NOTE:
Editor: If all of the lines of The Dynamic are changing, an extremely momentous situation is indicated. This and hexagram number two, The Magnetic,are the only figures in which such a configuration is commented upon; hence, these are arguably the two strongest images the oracle has to offer.
Legge: If the host of dragons thus appearing were to divest themselves of their heads, there would be good fortune.
Wilhelm/Baynes: There appears a flight of dragons without heads. Good fortune.
Blofeld: A brood of headless dragons appears; good fortune.
Ritsema/Karcher: Visualizing flocking dragons without a head. Significant.
Shaughnessy: See the flock of dragons without heads; auspicious.
Cleary(1): Having dragons appear without heads is good.
Cleary(2): Using yang, you see a group of headless dragons; this is auspicious.
Wu: There appears a group of dragons without a leader. Auspicious. [If the transformation of all the six yang (dragons) takes place together as a group without any one yang trying to lead the others, hence “without a leader,” the transformed hexagram will be The Magnetic, the pure yin hexagram. And this will be great … In terms of human affairs, the message here simply is: Do your work the best you can, but don’t think you are very much better than everyone else. When you are ready to lead, your purpose should be serving your fellow men, but not self-serving.]
Further Commentaries (from Wilhelm)
"When The Creative, the great, undergoes change in all the [lines], the world is set in order."
"When The Creative, the great, undergoes change in all the [lines], one perceives the law of heaven."
Editor: Wu’s interpretation of “head” as “leader” makes more sense than any of the other translations.
Personal Note: The very first time I ever consulted theI ChingI received The Dynamic with all changing lines. At the time I didn't understand it, and it meant nothing to me; in retrospect I see that it was a portent which has changed my entire life.
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