Follow your heart with courage, gracefully retreating when needed, and find strength in strategic pauses.
From
17
Following
To
33
Retreat
Getting rid of competition
One supplants an opponent by setting a fatal trap. taoscopy.com
Following17
Flow with changes, adapt to circumstances, and align with others for mutual support.
↓ Line 1
Adaptability and willingness to follow the right path lead to success. Collaboration brings results.
↓ Line 3
Aligning with strength and wisdom leads to fulfillment. Consistent effort is beneficial.
↓ Line 6
Strong alliances and loyalty lead to recognition and honor.
↓ Retreat33
Step back and reassess. Retreat to gain strength and clarity. Focus on inner resources, conserve energy, and observe quietly. Let go gracefully, avoid confrontation, and prepare for future action.
Other titles: According With, Acquiring Followers, Adapting, Adjusting, To Accord With, To Accompany, Concordance, Conformance to The Work, "Learn to serve in order to rule. Quit the old ways." -- D.F. Hook
Judgment
Legge: Following indicates successful progress and no error through firm correctness.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Following has supreme success. Perseverance furthers. No blame.
Blofeld:Following. Sublime success! Righteous persistence brings reward -- no error! [This sublime success comes, of course, only to those who follow what is right, namely the will of heaven or of those whose own will embodies it.]
Liu:Following. Great success. It is of benefit to continue. No blame.
Ritsema/Karcher: Following. Spring Growing Harvesting Trial.
Without fault. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of being impelled or drawn into moving forward. It emphasizes that yielding to the impulse by accepting guidance is the adequate way to handle it. To be in accord with the time, you are told to: follow!]
Shaughnessy:Following: Prime receipt; beneficial to determine; there is no trouble.
Cleary (1):Following is greatly developmental: it is beneficial if correct; then there is no fault.
Cleary (2): Following is very successful, etc.
Wu: Following is primordial, pervasive, prosperous, and persevering. There will be no blame.
The Image
Legge: Thunder in the marsh: the image of Following. The superior man, in accordance with this, at nightfall enters his house and rests.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Thunder in the middle of the lake: the image of Following. Thus the superior man at nightfall goes indoors for rest and recuperation.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes thunder rumbling within a swamp! When darkness falls, the Superior Man goes within and rests peacefully. [The component trigrams can be read as thunder and marsh, but also as movement and joy. In the Book of Change, joy is frequently associated with willing obedience to and glad acceptance of what is right.]
Liu: Thunder in the lake symbolizesFollowing. In the evening, the superior man rests and relaxes in his home.
Ritsema/Karcher: Marsh center possessing thunder. Following. A chun tzu uses turning-to darkening to enter a reposing pause.
Cleary (1): There is thunder in the lake, Following. Thus do superior people go inside and rest when the sun goes down.
Cleary (2): … Leaders go in and rest at sundown.
Wu: Thunder in the marsh is the symbol of Following. Thus the jun zi retires toward the twilight of the day.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: In Followingthe dynamic trigram places itself under the magnetic. We see in them the attributes of Movement and Pleasure. Through firm correctness all under heaven will be found following at such a time.
Legge: Following comes after Enthusiasm, the symbol of harmony and satisfaction. When these conditions prevail men are sure to follow. The hexagram includes the ideas of both following others and being followed by others.(Emphasis mine, Ed.) The good auspice is due to this flexibility, but in either instance the following must be guided by a reference to what is correct. The lower trigram of Movement represents the eldest son, and the upper trigram of Pleasure represents the youngest daughter. The strong places itself under the weak -- esteeming others higher than himself, and giving the idea of following. The union of Movement with Pleasure suggests the same idea.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: Following means advancement through willpower.
The Superior Man rests on his inner virtue.
In Following, the trigram of Movement "follows" the trigram of Cheerfulness: independent action subordinates itself and allows itself to be led by cheerful obedience. In terms of the Work, this symbolizes our willingness to "follow" or adhere to its principles. Psychologically interpreted, Followingmeans the compliant subordination of ego-autonomy to the Great Work of psychic integration.
Blofeld points out that the trigram of Joy, or Cheerfulness is often associated with "willing obedience to and glad acceptance of what is right." Hence the cheerful following of the intent of the Self. He explains the role of the superior man in the Image as: "It is not hard to see the connection between following and resting peacefully; for, once we have given our allegiance to others [the Self], we no longer have to worry about what should be done."
At seventy ... Confucius allowed his mind to follow whatever it desired, yet everything he did was naturally right of itself. His actions no longer needed a conscious guide. He was acting without effort. This represents the last stage in the development of the sage. Fung Yu-Lan -- A Short History of Chinese Philosophy
When received without changing lines this hexagram often takes the meaning of: "To accord with" -- in such instances the answer is an affirmation to your query.
Line 1
Legge: The first line, dynamic, shows us one changing the object of his pursuit; if he is firmly correct there will be good fortune. Going beyond his own gate to find associates, he will achieve merit.
Wilhelm/Baynes: The standard is changing. Perseverance brings good fortune. To go out of the door in company produces deeds.
Blofeld: Those in power undergo a change -- righteous determination brings good fortune! Going forth from home and mingling with those outside will produce tangible results.
Liu: One's position is changing. To continue brings good fortune. Both friends and business are gained by going out. Success.
Ritsema/Karcher: An office: possessing denial. Trial: significant. Issuing-forth from the gate, mingling possesses achievement.
Shaughnessy: The office perhaps notifies; determination is auspicious; going out of the gate to interact has results.
Cleary (1): Standards change; it is good to be correct. Going outside and mixing is effective.
Cleary (2): … Interaction outside the gate is successful.
Wu: The way of conducting public affairs is subject to change. Perseverance will bring good fortune. Success can be had by communicating with people from without.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legg e: He will not fail in the method he pursues. Wilhelm/
Baynes: To follow what is correct brings good fortune. One does not lose oneself. Blofeld: The first sentence presages the good fortune derived from officials undergoing a change of heart and following what is right. The tangible results mentioned at the end of the passage imply that we shall not fail. Ritsema/Karcher: Adhering-to correcting significant indeed. Not letting-go indeed. Cleary (2): It is good to follow what is right …In the sense of not losing. Wu: Because following what is correct is auspicious … Because his position is not compromised.
Legge: The dynamic first line is the lord of the lower trigram. The magnetic lines ought to follow him, but he is beneath them in the lowest place in the figure. This suggests that he should change his pursuit. Because of his strength and correct position, he will be fortunate in this. Going beyond his gate for associates shows public spirit and an absence of selfish motivation.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: At the outset, the man changes his objectives. He will succeed if he remains firm in principle and goes beyond selfish considerations to mingle freely with those who do not share his feelings, as well as those who do.
Wing: A change is occurring, whether in your own objectives or in the situation around you. In order to accomplish something you should now communicate with persons of all persuasions and opinions. Yet remain internally principled and discerning.
Editor: Psychologically, an inner transformation is taking place. If this is the only moving line, hexagram number forty-five, Contraction, is created, so a (possibly unconscious) re-arrangement of attitudes and perceptions is suggested. To "go beyond one's own gate" implies a need to expand your horizons during a shift in the balance of forces.
When I reached thirty I looked back on my past. The previous victories were not due to my having mastered strategy. Perhaps it was natural ability, or the order of heaven, or that other schools' strategy was inferior. After that I studied morning and evening searching for the principle, and came to realize the Way of Strategy when I was fifty. Miyamoto Musashi -- A Book of Five Rings
A. Change your focus, marshal your forces, and seek wider horizons.
Line 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 Symbol of Retirement, Yielding, Withdrawal, Retiring, Wielding, Strategic Withdrawal, Inaccessibility, Disassociation from Inferior Forces, “When an opportunity for something better comes along, do not quarrel with an impossible situation.” -- D. F. Hook
Judgment
Legge:Retreatmeans successful progress. Advantage comes from firm correctness and attention to details.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Retreat . Success. In what is small, perseverance furthers.
Blofeld: Yielding. Success! Persistence in small things wins advantage. [Much of the teaching of the Book of Change is concerned with the wisdom of restraint or withdrawal as the best way of achieving our goal under certain circumstances; so this hexagram is not necessarily unfavorable to the wise. This is not a time when we can hope to achieve much; but attention to small matters will stand us in good stead later.]
Liu: Retreat. Success. To persist in small matters is of benefit.
Ritsema/Karcher:Retiring, Growing. The small: Harvesting Trial. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of conflict and consequent seclusion. It emphasizes that withdrawing from the affairs at hand to conceal yourself in obscurity is the adequate way to handle it. To be in accord with the time, you are told to: retire!]
Shaughnessy: Wielding: Receipt; little beneficial to determine.
Cleary (1): Withdrawal is developmental. The small is beneficial and correct.
Cleary (2): Withdrawal is successful. Small benefit is correct.
Wu: Retreat indicates pervasion. It will be advantageous for the little men to be persevering.
The Image
Legge: A mountain beneath the sky -- the image of Retreat. The superior man keeps inferior men at a distance by his dignified bearing rather than hostility.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Mountain under heaven: the image of Retreat. Thus the superior man keeps the inferior man at a distance, not angrily but with reserve. [He does not hate him, for hatred is a form of subjective involvement by which we are bound to the hated object.]
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes mountains beneath the sky. The Superior Man, by keeping his distance from men of inferior character, avoids having to display wrath and preserves his dignity. [The component trigrams, symbolizing mountain and sky, indicate withdrawal to a solitary place when circumstances are unfavorable.]
Liu: The mountain beneath the sky symbolizes Retreat. The superior man keeps his distance from the inferior, not with anger, but with dignity.
Ritsema/Karcher: Below heaven possessing mountain. Retiring. A chun tzu uses distancing Small People. A chun tzu uses not hating and-also intimidating.
Cleary (1): There are mountains under heaven, which is inaccessible. Thus do superior people keep petty people at a distance, being stern without ill will.
Cleary (2): … Being strict without ill will.[Petty people can be useful, so there is no ill-will, but their pettiness cannot wield authority, so be strict. In terms of learning to be a sage, the celestial ruler is the master, and the physical body takes orders from it, so that the desires of the various parts of the body cannot cause disturbance.]
Wu: There is a mountain under heaven; this is Retreat. Thus the jun zi distances himself from the little men, not because of despising them, but because of maintaining his own esteem. [The difference between the jun zi and the little men is one of education and not of birth. Confucius was a teacher first and a philosopher second, for he said: “Education is classless.” Every one of us has the potential of becoming a sage.]
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: There is progress in Retreat. The dynamic ruler in the fifth place receives a proper response from his correlate in line two. The action is in accordance with the requirements of the time because what is inferior is gradually increasing and advancing. The actions required during a Retreat are of great significance.
Legge: Retreat is the hexagram of the sixth month when the yin influence, represented by the two magnetic lines, has established a foothold. This suggests the growth of inferior and unprincipled men in the state, before whose advance superior men are obliged to retire. Yet the auspice of Retreat is not all bad. By firm correctness the threatened evil may be arrested to some extent. Ch'eng-tzu says: “Below the sky is the mountain. The mountain rises up below the sky, and its height is arrested, while the sky goes up higher and higher, till they come to be apart from each other. In this we have an emblem of retiring and avoiding.”
Anthony: The correct time for retreat comes when others are not receptive to us, when delicacy of feeling is lost, when we begin to be attacked by doubt, or when our actions no longer yield progress. The person who can hold his ego in check has many creative moments open to him.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: When carried out with shrewd discernment, Retreat is a strategy for success.
The Superior Man removes himself from disintegrating forces without calling attention to himself. He controls his weaknesses by maintaining his serious purpose.
With the possible exception of line two, there is very little ambiguity in the hexagram of Retreat. Without changing lines it is a clear injunction to remove yourself from an inferior situation, influence, emotion or way of thinking. The figure has certain affinities with hexagram number forty- four: Temptation which also depicts an inferior element encroaching from below.
To yield is to be preserved whole. Lao-tse
SUGGESTIONS FOR MEDITATION
Compare hexagrams number forty-four, Temptation; number thirty-three, Retreat; and number twelve, Divorcement; in that order. What are the next three logical hexagrams in the sequence, and what are the implications of the series as a whole?