Rise with grace and courage, navigating the delicate path to harmony, where challenges give way to serene balance.
From
10
Treading
To
11
Peace
Hurrying up
One is active to keep one's commitments. taoscopy.com
Treading 10
Careful progress ensures safety; walk with awareness and integrity.
↓ Line 3
Acting beyond one's capabilities leads to danger and misfortune. Caution is advised.
↓ Line 4
With careful and cautious conduct, one can avoid danger and achieve good fortune.
↓ Line 5
Firmness and awareness of potential dangers lead to success.
↓ Line 6
Reflecting on one's actions and recognizing favorable signs leads to supreme good fortune.
↓ Peace11
Harmony and prosperity arise when opposites attract and balance is maintained. Positive energies are in alignment, and collaborative efforts lead to growth and advancement. Embrace peace and cooperation for continued success.
Other titles: Treading, Conduct, The Symbol of Stepping Carefully, Proper Conduct, Cautious Treading, Proceeding Cautiously, Watch Your Step, Proceed at Your Own Risk, Advancing With Care "Illustrates the difference between courage and foolhardiness." -- D.F. Hook
Judgment
Legge: Cautious Advance suggests the idea of one treading on the tail of a tiger, which does not bite him. There will be progress and success.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Treading . Treading upon the tail of the tiger. It does not bite the man. Success. [For the weak to take a stand against the strong is not dangerous here, because it happens in good humor and without presumption, so that the strong man is not irritated but takes it all in good part. Such simplicity and unpretentiousness is faith derived from reality -- neither from love of happiness nor fear of unhappiness, but free of fear and hope. The concern here is with the art of action by means of proper conduct, and presupposes being childlike in its highest sense.]
Blofeld: Though he treads upon the tiger's tail, it does not bite him. Success! [The general idea of this hexagram is that success can be won, but that the situation is dangerous enough to require extreme caution. The `tiger' MAY not bite, but on the other hand, as lines three and five demonstrate, we cannot be certain of this. To consort with rulers and people in high places may be most beneficial; but, should we fail to please, they may make us regret our temerity.]
Liu: Treading: Stepping on the tail of a tiger, but it does not bite one. Success. [You should act only after you have planned carefully, and then with resolution.]
Ritsema/Karcher: Treading a tiger tail. Not snapping-at people. Growing.
[This hexagram describes your situation in terms of finding and making your way. It emphasizes that doing this step by step is the adequate way to handle it.]
Shaughnessy: Treading on a tiger's tail; not a real man; receipt.
Cleary (1): Even when they tread on a tiger’s tail, it doesn’t bite people. This is developmental.
Cleary (2): Someone treads on a tiger’s tail without being bitten, thus getting through.
Wu:Treading after a tiger without being bitten indicates pervasion.
The Image
Legge: The image of the sky above, and below it the waters of a marsh, formCautious Advance. The superior man, in accordance with this, discriminates between high and low, and gives settlement to the aims of the people.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Heaven above, the lake below: the image of Treading. Thus the superior man discriminates between high and low, and thereby fortifies the thinking of the people. (Thus the superior man creates in society the differences in rank that correspond with differences in natural endowment, and in this way fortifies the thinking of the people, who are reassured when these differences accord with nature ... We see a universe moved from within, without external manipulation. Since the universe is also within the human being, internal universal order leads to order without by the force of necessary differentiation.) [Cf. the ideal society in Plato’s Republic.]
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes a body of water lying open to the sky. The Superior Man consults both high and low and thereby steadies the people's will.
Liu: The heaven above and the lake below symbolize Treading. The superior man differentiates between high and low, and thus fixes the minds of the people.
Ritsema/Karcher: Heaven above, marsh below. Treading. A chun tzu uses differentiating Above and Below. A chun tzu uses setting-right the commoners, the purpose.
Cleary (1): Above is the sky, below is a lake: Treading. Thus do superior people distinguish above and below, and settle the will of the people.
Cleary (2): … Leaders stabilize the wills of the people by distinguishing positions.
Wu: Heaven above and marshes below, this is Treading. Thus the jun zi discriminates various levels of governmental services and sets the goals of the people.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: In Cautious Advance we have the symbol of Weakness treading on that of Strength. The lower trigram indicates Pleasure and Satisfaction, and responds to the upper indicating Strength. Hence it is said, "He treads on the tail of a tiger." The fifth line is dynamic, in the center, and in his correct place. He occupies the God-given position, and falls into no distress or failure -- his action will be brilliant.
Legge: Cautious Advance is made up of the lower trigram of Pleased Satisfaction or "Naiveté," and the upper trigram of Heaven, or Primal Power. Being situated below the great symbol of Strength, Naiveté is seen to be stepping on a tiger's tail. To emerge unscathed from such a danger depends entirely upon propriety and a strict observance of all the rules of correct behavior. On these, as so many stepping stones, one may tread safely amid scenes of disorder and peril.
The symbol of weakness, according to Wang Shen-tzu is the third line which is urged on by the two lines below it to encounter the three strong lines above. Other commentators say that the whole lower trigram, partaking of the yin nature, is the symbol of weakness, and the entire upper trigram is symbolic of strength. The Chen-Chung editors say that to get the full meaning, we must hold both views.
Ch'eng-tzu says of the Image: "The sky above and a marsh lying
below it is true in nature and reason, and so should be the rules of propriety
on which men tread."
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: A cautious advance in the face of potentially volatile conditions will lead to safety.
The Superior Man orders his priorities realistically and gets a grip on himself.
Cautious Advance depicts the lower trigram of the joyful Youngest Daughter stepping on the heels of the upper trigram of Heaven -- the stern Pater Familias: Yahweh Saboath, or Zeus with his thunderbolt. In her innocence she doesn't realize the danger of her action. This is "treading on the tail of the tiger," and the hexagram teaches us how to do this without being bitten. The original Judgment suggests that superior powers realize the innocent intent of the action, and may be inclined to be lenient.
You should not resist fate,
nor need you escape it;
if you go to meet it,
it will guide you pleasantly.
Goethe
Wilhelm's notes on The Image illustrate the undemocratic truth that although all men are created equal in the eyes of God, every human being possesses clearly differentiated strengths, weaknesses, talents and incapacities. In Lectures on the I Ching, he says:
The secret of proper conduct is in inequality. Uniformity alone cannot give rise to proper conduct. To be sure, uniformity might produce rule and regulation or law and force. But tedious force and brutal law never led people to convictions that legitimately resulted in proper conduct (the term includes that which produces proper conduct and proper conduct achieved). Instead, as Confucius said: "Force produces only alienation and people transgress secretly that which is public regulation."
Cautious Advance often images a test situation, or it can be a warning that you are walking on the edge of a precipice. The image of The Fool in the tarot deck has similar associations. Without changing lines, this hexagram implies a need for extreme caution, or that your actions are tempting fate.
The passions, instead of having to be painfully exterminated, are yoked like snarling tigers to the adept’s carriage. The dangers of such a course are obvious. As one of my Lama teachers put it: "While you were traveling in that cart, a tumble would have done you little harm. Now I have given you an airplane. Don't crash in flames!" J. Blofeld -- The Tantric Mysticism of Tibet
Line 3
Legge: The third line, magnetic, shows a one-eyed man who thinks he can see; a lame man who thinks he can walk well; one who treads on the tail of the tiger and is bitten. All this indicates ill fortune. We have a mere bravo acting the part of a great ruler.
Wilhelm/Baynes: A one-eyed man is able to see, a lame man is able to tread. He treads on the tail of the tiger. The tiger bites the man. Misfortune. Thus does a warrior act on behalf of his great prince.
Blofeld: Though a man have but one eye he can still see; though he be lame, he can still walk; but he who treads upon the tiger's tail will get bitten -- disaster! [Here the significance of the line runs counter to the benign significance of the hexagram; in all such cases, it is the line which provides the main indication of what is going to happen with regard to the matter forming the subject of the enquiry.] The warrior undertakes things for his lord. [This is no time to stand up to our superiors (tread on the tiger’s tail); it is a time for obedience.]
Liu: A one-eyed man can see; a lame man can walk. But when they step on the tail of a tiger, the tiger will bite. Misfortune. The warrior conducts himself like a great prince.
Ritsema/Karcher: Squinting enabling observing. Halting enabling Treading. Treading a tiger's tail. Snapping-at people: pitfall. Martial people activating: tending-towards a Great Chief.
Shaughnessy: The blind are able to see, the lame are able to tread. Treading on a tiger's tail; for a real man inauspicious. A military man is united with the great lord.
Cleary(1): Able to see with a squint, able to walk with a limp. When they tread on the tiger’s tail, it bites people. Inauspicious. A soldier becomes a ruler.
Cleary(2): The squint-eyed can see, the lame can walk. Treading on a tiger’s tail, they get bitten, unfortunately. A military man becomes a civil leader.
Wu: A person can look with one injured eye. A person can tread with one lame leg. He will get bitten by treading behind a tiger. It will be foreboding. He is like a warrior trying to be a ruler.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: "A one-eyed man who thinks he can see" : he is not fit to see clearly. "A lame man who thinks that he can tread well": one cannot walk along with him. "The ill fortune of being bitten" arises from the place not being the proper one for him. "A mere bravo acting the part of a great ruler": this is owing to his aims being too violent.
Confucius/Wilhelm/Baynes:"A one-eyed man is able to see," but not enough for clarity. "A lame man is able to tread," but not enough to tread with others. The misfortune in the biting of the man is due to the fact that the place is not appropriate. "Thus does a warrior act on behalf of his great prince," because his will is firm.
Confucius/Blofeld: The one-eyed man does see, but not clearly; the lame man can walk, but not keep up with the others. The disaster suffered by the man who gets bitten is indicated by this line's unsuitable position. The warrior undertakes his lord's affairs because the latter is strong of will.
Confucius/Ritsema/Karcher:"Squinting enabling observing." Not the stand to use possessing brightness indeed. "Halting enabling Treading." Not the stand to use associating-with moving indeed. "Snapping-at people's pitfall." Situation not appropriate indeed. "Martial people activating: tending-towards a Great Chief." Purpose solid indeed.
Confucius/Cleary(2): The squint-eyed can see, but not clearly; the lame can walk, but not well enough to be companions on a journey. The misfortune of being bitten is that of being in an inappropriate place. When a military man becomes a civil leader, his determination is adamant.
Confucius/Wu:“A person can look with one injured eye,” but he cannot see clearly. “A person can tread with one lame leg,” but he cannot walk with firm steps. He will have the misfortune of being bitten, because his position is improper. “A warrior wants to be a ruler,” because his idea is adamant.
Legge: Line three is neither central nor in a magnetic place, which would be proper to it. But with the strength of will which the occupant of a dynamic place should possess, he goes forward with the evil results cited. The editors of the imperial edition, in illustration of the closing sentence, refer to Analects VII, x.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man recklessly exposes himself to danger, which exceeds his powers of handling. He invites disaster thereby.
Wing: You are not suited for the ambitiousness of your goals. Your powers are not adequate. Willfulness on your part could end in disaster. Such Conduct is only for someone willing to throw himself away for a superior.
Editor: The content here does not lend itself to the usual gender symbolism for a magnetic line. Legge and Wu’s interpretation of the line and Confucian commentary differ conceptually from the other translators. For purposes of comparison I have rendered all versions of the Confucian commentary more thoroughly than usual. As the only magnetic line in the hexagram, three is outclassed and overwhelmed, yet still serves the ruler. If this is the only changing line, The Dynamicemerges, with a corresponding line of: "We see its subject as the superior man active and vigilant all the day, and in the evening still careful and apprehensive. The position is dangerous, but there will be no mistake." The image suggests a warrior who has only partial comprehension of a dangerous situation; his ability to serve his ruler is also impeded. Despite these handicaps, his devotion is such that he will expose himself to great danger in the service of his Lord, and suffer because of it.
If one were to say in a word what the condition of being a Samurai is, its basis lies first in seriously devoting one's body and soul to his master . Yamamoto Tsunetomo -- The Book of the Samurai
A. The image is one of inadequate strength or resources to deal with a superior force. Regardless, the confrontation seems to be mandated: thus does the ego serve the Self.
B. Serve the Work with a warrior's spirit: "Yours is not to reason why, yours is but to do or die."
C. Even when one's heart is in the right place, partial comprehension and insufficient ability can be expected to create distress.
Alternate: This line can also suggest foolhardy arrogance rather than blind obedience to a superior. In such instances, the familiar Lady from Liger limerick seems more appropriate:
There was an old lady of Liger
Who went riding on the back of a tiger.
They came back from the ride
With the lady inside
And a smile on the face of the tiger.
D. Incompetence plus arrogance equals disaster.
Line 4
Legge: The fourth line, dynamic, shows its subject treading on the tail of a tiger. He becomes full of apprehensive caution, and in the end there will be good fortune.
Wilhelm/Baynes: He treads on the tail of the tiger. Caution and circumspection lead ultimately to good fortune.
Blofeld: To tread with impunity upon a tiger's tail, breathless caution is required -- good fortune in the end. [This is an occasion for doing something dangerous, provided we are very cautious.]
Liu: He steps on the tail of the tiger. Caution and fearfulness. Good fortune in the end. [Trouble or disaster threaten and one must be very careful.]
Ritsema/Karcher: Treading at tiger's tail. Pleading, pleading; completing significant.
Shaughnessy: Treading on a tiger's tail so panicky; in the end auspicious.
Cleary(1): Treading on the tail of a tiger, with caution it will turn out well.
Cleary(2): Treading on a tiger’s tail with utmost caution turns out lucky.
Wu: Treading after a tiger is awesome, but it will be auspicious in the end.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: His aim takes effect. Wilhelm/Baynes: What is willed is done. Blofeld: The ruler's will is carried out. Ritsema/Karcher: Purpose moving indeed. Cleary(2): Utmost caution turning out lucky is determined action. Wu: With awe there will be auspiciousness in the end, because the aspiration will prevail.
Legge: Line four is dynamic in a magnetic place just below the ruler in line five. He recognizes his weak position and walks with care.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man successfully undertakes dangerous enterprises by proceeding with caution and circumspection.
Wing: You can now undertake even dangerous endeavors if you proceed with great caution.
Editor: This is the first line of the upper trigram, symbolizing the tiger's tail. The image depicts impeccable courage and willpower that conquers a dangerous situation.
The step to higher consciousness leads us out and away from all rear-guard cover and from all safety measures. The individual must give himself to the new way completely, for it is only by means of his integrity that he can go further, and only his integrity can guarantee that his way does not turn out to be an absurd adventure. Jung --The Secret of the Golden Flower
A. Proceed with caution. "Discretion is the better part of valor."
Line 5
Legge: The fifth line, dynamic, shows the resolute tread of its subject. Though he be firm and correct, there will be peril.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Resolute conduct. Perseverance with awareness of danger.
Blofeld: He treads delicately. Persistence could lead to trouble.
Liu: Continue in a decisive manner. Danger. [There is now a tendency to rush and be careless. By all means stop this, or troubles will mount and disaster will come.]
Shaughnessy: Resolute treading; determination is dangerous.
Cleary (1): Treading decisively. Even if one is upright, there is danger. [It is necessary to be upright and undivided, to master oneself in danger, so that one can avoid the problem of losing what has been gained. This is treading the Path in which there is no one but oneself.]
Cleary (2): Decisive treading is correct yet dangerous.
Wu: He decides on treading. Despite perseverance, he is in a difficult situation. [Use your power wisely and judiciously, or you will fall.]
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: This is due to his being in the position that is correct and appropriate to him. Wilhelm/Baynes: The place is correct and appropriate. Blofeld: This trouble could arise despite the suitable position of the line. [A firm line between two firm ones is usually an omen of strength and compatibility, but not in this case. Thus, even though we are quite certain our course is a right one and we therefore follow it boldly, trouble cannot be avoided; we should either walk delicately or refrain from the course altogether.] Ritsema/Karcher: Situation correcting appropriate indeed. Cleary(2): Decisive treading is correct yet dangerous; the position is appropriate. Wu: (This is) his proper position notwithstanding.
Legge: Beneath the symbolism under line five lies the principle that humility is the better part of propriety. Line five, who is dynamic and central, will not be lacking in this, but bear in mind that the higher he is exalted, the greater may be his fall.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: Peril is evident, as when treading on the tail of a tiger. But the man remains aware and resolute, acting with propriety and humility.
Wing: What you propose to do is dangerous, yet your awareness of such danger will give you the strength to succeed. The time requires a firm commitment to your endeavor. If you do not have a real commitment in your heart you should re- examine your path.
Editor: Line five is mentioned in the Confucian commentary for the hexagram as occupying the "God-given position." Nevertheless, despite his will and intelligence, he faces a volatile situation which will demand all of his resources if he is to succeed. Ritsema/Karcher render "adversity," (LI) as: Danger, threatening, malevolent demon ... It indicates a spirit or ghost that seeks revenge by inflicting suffering upon the living. Pacifying or exorcizing such a spirit can have a healing effect. Wu’s commentary offers a useful slant on this: “De-emphasize (your) own opinions – listen to the deliberations of others.”
The good or ill of man lies within his own will. Epictetus
A. Walking a razor's edge -- maintain vigilance over your choices and be aware of their consequences. The image suggests willpower in the face of potentially disruptive forces. "It all depends on you."
Line 6
Legge: The sixth line, dynamic, tells us to look at the whole course that is trodden, and examine the presage which that gives. If it be complete and without failure, there will be great good fortune.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Look to your conduct and weigh the favorable signs. When everything is fulfilled, supreme good fortune comes.
Blofeld: If they watch their step (or look to their conduct) and heed the omens, sublime good fortune will be theirs.
Liu: Observe your conduct and examine the signs carefully. There will be great good fortune.
Ritsema/Karcher: Observing Treading, predecessor auspicious. One's recurring Spring significant.
Shaughnessy: Looking and treading crafty and soaring its revolving; prime auspiciousness.
Cleary (2): Observing the treading, considering what is felicitous, the return is auspicious.
Wu: Examination of the treading records gives a sense of completion. If errors in treading are avoided, there will be great fortune.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: This is a matter for congratulation. Wilhelm/Baynes: The topmost place carries great blessing. Blofeld: The sublime good fortune presaged by this top line takes the form of immense felicity. Ritsema/ Karcher: The great possesses reward indeed. Cleary (2): There is much celebration. Wu: Great joy.
Legge: What is said of line six is good, but is only a truism. The whole course has been shown. If every step has been right and appropriate, the issue will be very good.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The work is ended and the past course is reviewed. If it has been appropriate and thorough, good fortune is assured.
Wing: Take a long look at what your Conduct in the situation has achieved thus far. If you are on the right path you will know by the good it has produced. It is time for a reevaluation of your goals. By examining the past you may now get a glimpse of the future.
Editor: There is an affinity here with the message in the Image of the superior man "discriminating between high and low," and essentially putting his house in order. If this is the only changing line, the hexagram becomes number fifty-eight, Joy, which intimates that one has successfully passed a test -- in which case the line is an injunction to review the situation and see what we did right.
God saw all that He had made,
and indeed it was very good.
Genesis 1:31
A. The Work is a dynamic process which requires continuous evaluation and adjustment. Review the Work, then review your options.
Other titles: Peace, The Symbol of Successfulness, Prospering, Pervading, Greatness, Tranquility, Prosperity, Conjunction, Major Synthesis, Hieros Gamos, Holy Marriage, "Yang supporting yin and going to meet each other. Good prospects for a marriage or partnership." -- D.F. Hook
Judgment
Legge: Harmony shows the inferior departed and the great arrived. There will be good fortune with progress and success.
Wilhelm/Baynes:Peace. The small departs, the great approaches. Good fortune. Success.
Blofeld: Peace. The mean decline; the great and good approach -- good fortune and success! [In the following hexagram (Divorcement), where the trigrams symbolize heaven and earth in what would appear to be their normal positions, that arrangement is held to be disastrous; whereas here, where they seem to be upside down, everything is propitious. This may be because heaven above earth is held to imply that the two are existing separately without the intercourse which is the root of all growth; whereas here their intercourse is so absolute that heaven is actually supporting earth.]
Liu: Peace. The small is departing, the great is arriving. Good fortune. Success.
Ritsema/Karcher: Pervading . The small going, the great coming. significance Growing. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of prospering and expanding. It emphasizes that continually spreading this prosperity through communicating is the adequate way to handle it...]
Shaughnessy: Greatness: the little go and the great come; auspicious; receipt.
Cleary (1): The small goes, the great comes. This is auspicious and developmental.
Cleary (2):Tranquility … Getting through auspiciously.
Wu:Prosperity shows that the small stays outside and the great stays inside. It will be auspicious and pervasive.
The Image
Legge: The intercourse of heaven and earth -- the image of Harmony.The wise ruler models his laws upon the principles of heaven and earth, and enforces them for the people's benefit.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Heaven and earth unite: the image of Peace. Thus the ruler divides and completes the course of heaven and earth; he furthers and regulates the gifts of heaven and earth, and so aids the people.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes heaven and earth in communion. [The component trigrams illustrate the kind of close intercourse just alluded to. This is surely the only way of depicting it under the circumstances, for any mingling of their component lines would produce quite different trigrams having no reference to heaven and earth.] It is as though a mighty ruler, by careful regulation of affairs, has brought to fruition the way of heaven and earth. In harmony with the sequence of their motions, he gives help to people on every hand.
Liu: Heaven and earth are unified, symbolizing Peace. The ruler reforms and completes the way of heaven and earth; He observes the appropriate methods of heaven and earth to direct the people.
Ritsema/Karcher: Heaven and Earth mingling. Pervading. The crown-prince uses property to accomplish Heaven and Earth's tao. The crown-prince uses bracing to mutualize Heaven and Earth's propriety. The crown-prince uses the left to right the commoners.
Cleary (1): When heaven and earth commune, there is tranquility. Thus does the ruler administer the way of heaven and earth and assist the proper balance of heaven and earth, thereby helping the people.
Cleary (2): … So as to influence the people.
Wu:Prosperity results from the interaction of heaven and earth. The king uses the wealth of the nation to achieve the ways of heaven and earth and to support their designs, so as to bring the sentiments of the people to the center.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: Harmony shows the union of heaven and earth, and all things consequently united -- high and low, superior and inferior are all in accord. The lower trigram is made up of dynamic lines, and the upper of magnetic lines: strength is within, devotion is without; the superior man is inside and increasing, the inferior man is outside and decreasing.
Legge: The Judgment refers to the structure of the hexagram, with the three dynamic lines below, and the three magnetic lines above. The former are "the great," active and vigorous; the latter are "the inferior," passive and yielding. In many editions of theI Chingbeneath the hexagram of Harmonythere appears hexagram number fifty-four,Propriety, which becomes Harmonyif the third and fourth lines exchange places. A situation in which the motive forces are represented by three dynamic, and the opposing by three magnetic lines, must be progressive and successful.Harmonyis called the hexagram of the first month of the natural spring, when for six months the forces of growth are in ascendance.
Canon McClatchie translates: "The Image means that heaven and earth have now conjugal intercourse with each other, and the upper and lower classes unite together."
Ch'eng-tzu says on the Image that a ruler should frame his laws to operate like the seasons, so that the people exist within the structure of a natural rather than an arbitrary order.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: Harmony depicts the waning of egotistical illusions and the waxing of true potential.
The Superior Man allows his inner virtue to rule the psyche.
Without changing lines, Harmony suggests a fruitful union of opposites and consequent state of balance in the matter at hand.
Wilhelm translates the opening phrase of the Confucian commentary as: "Heaven and earth unite." Blofeld renders it: "The celestial and terrestrial forces have intercourse and all things are in communion with one another." Legge has already called attention to McClatchie's version of: "Heaven and earth have now conjugal intercourse with each other."
This image is one of the most universal symbols produced by the human psyche: the sexual union of Spirit and Matter (heaven and earth). This is the hieros gamos or holy marriage of alchemy, the union of Shiva and Shakti in Hinduism, the conjoined male and female deities in tantric Buddhism, the syzygies of Gnosticism and the union of heaven and earth in the Kabbalah.
The notions of the couple and the sacred marriage held a very important place in ancient Chinese religious thinking. Every sacred power was twofold, male and female; but since only one half of the sacred couple was generally enclosed in any one sanctuary, the ritual was directed at reconstituting the whole... The complete being is male and female; since most men neglect or repress their feminine nature, they are out of balance; their male aggressiveness comes to the fore, and their whole vitality suffers. There can be no true Holiness without a prior revitalization of femininity. M. Kaltenmark --Lao Tzu and Taoism
Psychologically, the condition pictured by this hexagram is a metaphor for a high state of integration within the psyche. Here it is described in alchemical and Jungian terminology:
The hermetic vessel is oneself. In it the many pieces of psychic stuff scattered throughout one's world must be collected and fused into one, so making a new creation. In it must occur the union of the opposites called by the alchemists the coniunctio or marriage... (This union), in psychological terms corresponds to man with his feminine soul, the anima, or to a woman with her masculine counterpart, the animus -- the union in each case constituting the inner marriage, the hieros gamos by which the individual must become whole. M.E. Harding --Psychic Energy
To receive this hexagram does not necessarily mean that one has attained such a high integration, but it might indicate a step in that direction. The ultimate hieros gamos only occurs after all of the scattered and mismatched forces within the psyche have been brought together in correct alignment -- in I Ching terms, when all of the lines are in their proper places with proper correlates as imaged in hexagram number 63, Completion. Until this final union there are innumerable "lesser" conjunctions which must first take place -- a fact recognized in tantric yoga:
The final goal of the tantricist is to reunite the two contrary principles -- Shiva and Shakti -- in his own body. When Shakti, who sleeps, in the shape of a serpent, at the base of his body, is awoken by certain yogic techniques, she moves through a medial channel by way of the chakras up to the top of the skull, where Shiva dwells, and unites with him. The union of the divine pair within his own body transforms the yogin into a kind of "androgyne." But it must be stressed that "androgynization" is only one aspect of a total process, that of the reunion of the opposites. Actually, Tantric literature speaks of a great number of "opposing pairs" that have to be reunited. Mircea Eliade -- Myths, Rites, Symbols
The establishment of the " Kingdom of Heaven on Earth" is yet another metaphor for this process of psychic unification. Here is the Kabbalistic version:
It is by the establishment of the celestial on the terrestrial, or of heaven upon earth, that the house of the King (humanity) will become united and the King will rejoice thereat, for then the two kingdoms will become one and then the new and living way will become opened to those who make themselves susceptible and receptive of the Higher and Diviner life... When these two worlds become united and blended together they are symbolized by the union of the male and female, the one being the complement of the other. The Zohar
SUGGESTIONS FOR MEDITATION
Legge points out that many editions of the I Chingassociate hexagram number fifty-four,Propriety, with this figure. What do the changing third and fourth lines ofPropriety imply about the role of the ego in the Work? The traditional name forPropriety is "The Marrying Maiden" -- how does that relate to the concept of the holy marriage in Harmony? Compare the Judgments and Images of the two hexagrams and the role of the superior man in each. Note also the lesson implied when lines two and five in Harmony unite to make hexagram number sixty-three, Completion.