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 2
Legge: The second line, magnetic, shows us one who cleaves to the little boy, and lets go the man of age and experience.
Wilhelm/Baynes: If one clings to the little boy, one loses the strong man.
Blofeld: He belongs to (i.e. puts himself at the service of) the boy and thereby loses the adult. [The implied meaning is that he rejects what is superior and follows what is inferior.]
Liu: By staying with the boy, you lose the strong man.
Ritsema/Karcher: Tied-to the small son. Letting-go the respectable husband.
Shaughnessy: Tying the little son, losing the senior fellow.
Cleary (1): Involved with the child, one loses the adult.
Wu: She clings to her child, but loses her husband.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: He cannot be with the two at the same time. Wilhelm/ Baynes: One cannot be with both at once. Blofeld: He cannot be of service to both of them. Ritsema/Karcher: Nowhere joining associating indeed. Cleary (2): One is not with both at once. Wu: Because she cannot have both.
Legge: Line two is magnetic. His proper correlate is the dynamic fifth line, but he prefers to cling to the line below him, instead of waiting to follow line five.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man surrounds himself with the incompetent and dismisses the experienced.
Wing: Examine your goals and the standards you have set for yourself. If they are unworthy, inferior, weak, or nonexistent, you will remain low, and you will lose contact with productive, competent, worthwhile influences. You are forced to make a choice.
Editor: The content of this line prevents using the usual gender symbolism. Nevertheless, the message is unambiguous.
Most people learn how to think as very young children, and throughout their adult lives, they do not think any differently than they did as children. That is to say, most people use their minds in a manner not essentially different from the way they did when they were six years old ... It is significant that in Kabbalah, one's normal mode of thinking is referred to as the "mentality of childhood." ... More advanced modes of thought and states of consciousness, on the other hand, are referred to as the "mentality of adulthood." Aryeh Kaplan -- Jewish Meditation
A. Immature attitudes preclude growth.
Line 3
Legge: The third line, magnetic, shows us one who cleaves to the man of age and experience, and lets go the little boy. Such following will get what it seeks, but it will be advantageous to adhere to firm correctness.
Wilhelm/Baynes: If one clings to the strong man, one loses the little boy. Through following one finds what one seeks. It furthers one to remain persevering.
Blofeld: He belongs to (i.e. is of service to) the adult and loses the boy. By following the former, he gains what he desires. It is advisable to make no move but to remain determined.
Liu: By staying with the strong man, you lose the boy. Through following, one will gain what one seeks. To continue benefits.
Ritsema/Karcher: Tied-to the respectable husband. Letting-go the small son. Following possessing seeking, acquiring. Harvesting: residing in Trial.
Shaughnessy: Tying the senior fellow, losing the little son; in following there is the seeking to get; beneficial to determine about dwelling.
Cleary (1): Involved with the adult, one loses the child. Following with an aim, one gains. It is beneficial to abide in rectitude.
Cleary (2): … It is good to remain correct.
Wu: She clings to her husband, but loses her child. Although she gets what she asks for, she will be privileged to remain persevering.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: By the decision of his will, he abandons the youth below. Wilhelm/Baynes: One's will gives up the one below. Blofeld: He is willing to give up what is inferior. Ritsema/Karcher: Below, purpose stowed-away indeed. Cleary (2): One’s aspiration leaves the low behind. Wu: Because she has given up her aspiration to hold on to what is below.
Legge: Line three is magnetic, but follows the dynamic line above it, thus abandoning the first line. This is just the opposite of the situation of the second line. It is magnetic, however, and line four is not its proper correlate: hence the conclusion of the paragraph is equivalent to a caution.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man joins with superior people and parts company with the superficial and the inferior.
Wing: You will find yourself parting ways with former inferior elements in your life as you make contact with worthwhile persons or ideals. By firmly following the superior path you will find what you are looking for, while your strength of character will greatly benefit.
Editor: The context of this line prevents using the gender symbolism employed in this book. It is opposite in meaning to line two, and unambiguous.
The divine principle in man, which constitutes him a human being, and by which he is eminently distinguished from the animals, is not a product of the earth, nor is it generated by the animal kingdom, but it comes from God; it is God, and is immortal, because, coming from a divine source, it cannot be otherwise than divine. Man should therefore live in harmony with his divine parent, and not in the animal elements of his soul. Man has an Eternal Father who sent him to reside and gain experience in the animal principles, but not for the purpose of being absorbed in them. Paracelsus -- DeFundamento Sapientiae
A. The image suggests a growth in perception. One exchanges an immature belief or attitude for a mature one.
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.
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.