Ignite your inner clarity to adapt with gentle strength, guiding you to subtle influence and profound connection.
From
30
Clarity
To
57
Penetration
Losing one's ties
One affirms one's determination to be part of the expedition. taoscopy.com
Clarity30
Clarity and adaptability. Embrace the light to illuminate your path. Recognize patterns in life, align with them, and nurture personal growth.
↓ Line 1
At the beginning, there is confusion and uncertainty. However, if one remains focused and determined, there will be no blame.
↓ Line 2
This line represents clarity and brightness in one's path. It signifies supreme good fortune and success.
↓ Line 4
This line indicates sudden changes and the need to adapt quickly. It suggests that one should not cling to what is fleeting.
↓ Line 5
This line suggests that through emotional release and expression, one can find good fortune and relief.
↓ Penetration57
Adapt influence like the wind; subtle shifts bring progress. Consistency and endurance will penetrate barriers.
Other titles: The Clinging, The Symbol of Brightness and of Separateness, Flaming Beauty, Radiance, Fire, The Net, Allegiance, The Cosmic Mean, Synergy, Sunlight, Perception, Pertaining to Comprehension, The Light, Consciousness, Lucidity
Judgment
Legge: The free course and success of Clarity comes from firm correctness. The nourishment of bovine docility creates good fortune.
Wilhelm/Baynes: The Clinging. Perseverance furthers. It brings success. Care of the cow brings good fortune.
Blofeld:Flaming beauty. Righteous persistence brings reward. Success! Rearing cows -- good fortune! [Cows are gentle creatures which require looking after; hence this sentence means that good fortune can be gained by looking after those in need of help.]
Liu: Fire. It is of benefit to continue. Success. To take care of the cow leads to good fortune.
Ritsema/Karcher: Radiance, Harvesting Trial. Growing. Accumulating female cattle. Significant. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of expanding light, warmth and awareness. It emphasizes that joining with and depending on what spreads this light, the action of Radiance, is the adequate way to handle it...]
Shaughnessy:The Net: Beneficial to determine; receipt; raising a cow is auspicious.
Cleary(1):Fire is beneficial for correctness and development. Raising a cow brings good fortune.
Cleary (2): Fire is beneficial if correct; then there is success, etc. [In Buddhism, when demons cause disturbance, it is necessary to cleave to true teaching to get rid of aberrations.]
Wu: Allegiance indicates that it will be advantageous to be persevering and pervasion will follow. It will be auspicious to raise the cow.
The Image
Legge: The image of brightness repeated forms Clarity. The great man, in accordance with this, cultivates more and more his brilliant virtue, and diffuses its brightness over the four quarters of the land.
Wilhelm/Baynes: That which is bright rises twice: the image of Fire. Thus the great man, by perpetuating this brightness, illuminates the four quarters of the world.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes fire rising in two tongues of brilliant flame. The Superior Man, by perpetuating the brilliance of the ancients, illuminates every quarter of the earth. [In other words, we should make ourselves as completely dependent on the principle of righteousness as natural objects are dependent upon nature; in this way, we are sure to be successful.]
Liu: Doubled brightness symbolizes Fire. A great man perpetuates the light and illuminates the four corners of the universe.
Ritsema/Karcher: Brightness doubled arousing Radiance. Great People use consecutive brightening to illuminate tending- towards the four sides.
Cleary (1):Light has dual function. Thus do great people illumine the four quarters with continuing light. [The sun goes in at night and comes out in the daytime; this pattern represents inner illumination and outer illumination, one light having dual function…Outer illumination has to be based on inner illumination… Illumination must reach inside and outside, so that both are illumined and both are correct.]
Cleary (2): Illumination doubled makes fire. Great people illumine the four quarters with continuing illumination.
Wu: Brightness doubled makes Allegiance. Thus the great man carries on the brightness to shine the four corners of the earth.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge:Clarity means clinging attachment. The sun and moon have their roots in heaven, and all the growing things have their roots in the earth. The double brightness of the two trigrams is rooted in correctness, and all under heaven are thereby transformed. The magnetic second line is central and correct, indicating a free and successful course. Nourishing a passive docility will lead to good fortune.
Legge:Clarity is the trigram of fire and light, and the sun is the source of both of these. Its attribute is brightness, and by a natural metaphor: intelligence. But this trigram also means inhering or in adhering to -- being attached to. In the hexagram we have a double brightness -- a phrase which denotes the ruler. If we take the two central lines as emblematic of the situation, we have the magnetic dwelling with the dynamic above and below -- a condition requiring a docile humility and strict adherence to what is correct. Ch'eng-tzu says: "The nature of the ox is docile, and that of the cow is much more so. The subject of the hexagram adhering closely to what is correct must be able to act in obedience to it, as docile as a cow, and then there will be good fortune."
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: Willed persistence gets results. Be receptive to your inner light, and reflect it in your life.
The Superior Man cultivates his capacity to manifest his comprehension of the Work in his everyday choices.
Light is a symbol of both normal consciousness and super- consciousness. Probably every religion in the world uses it in the latter sense -- from the "Let there be light" in the first chapter of Genesis, to The Lord of Light (Ahura Mazda), the supreme being of Zoroastrianism. The TibetanBook of the Dead speaks of the "clear white light" which is the first thing encountered after bodily death -- a phenomenon reported as the experiential perception of those who have had near-death experiences. Light means Truth, it means Reality, and the "double brightness" of this hexagram tells us that Clarity is manifested both above and below.
Meditation on light is one of the most important exercises in the various schools of Tibetan Yoga. The more these psychic and spiritual powers can be achieved during life, the stronger is the ability to penetrate and overcome the bardo. D. I. Lauf, Secret Doctrines Of The Tibetan Book Of The Dead
The Confucian commentary gives the examples of the sun and moon in the heavens, and of growing things on the earth as emblems of Clarity. Sun and moon are certainly luminous, but growing things are not, and when we meditate on the reason for this strange juxtaposition we are led to the idea of the Self and the ego. The Self is the sun, the source of illumination which causes the ego to grow. Sun is to growing things as Self is to ego. This idea is repeated in the relationship between the sun and the moon -- the moon is not self-luminous, it can only reflect the light of the sun. Therefore, sun is to moon as Self is to ego.
The idea is that despite our illusions to the contrary, all of our power originates somewhere else. When we allow the power to work through us without interference, we become "docile" like the cow in the judgment. Clarity, therefore, is attained through docility -- the ability to subdue and restrain the autonomous components of the psyche, which left to their own devices would prefer to go around pontificating their brilliant illusions rather than quietly reflecting the truth. It is not easy to reflect the truth, and the superior man is counseled to constantly perfect his capacity to do so. It is only when Self and ego come together in a fusion reaction that the energy released attains the true "double brightness" imaged in the hexagram. The identical idea is found in the Kabbalah:
Said Rabbi Simeon: "When the Holy One arrays himself, it is in the ornaments from both the celestial and terrestrial worlds; from the former with that heavenly light on high that no human being can approach unto; from the latter with the souls of the righteous who the more they approximate themselves to this divine light the more receptive and filled with it do they become, so that through them it expands in all directions and the world like a cistern or ocean is filled with it." The Zohar
Wilhelm mentions that the hexagram "divided within and closed without, is an image of the meshes of a net in which animals remain snared." This gives us the image of Clarity as Comprehension -- a net which captures and encloses insights. To receive the figure without changing lines is often a confirmation of an idea or action -- it is saying: "You have comprehended," or "Your proposed action is lucid, intelligent, etc."
Line 1
Legge: The first line, dynamic, shows one ready to move with confused steps. But he treads at the same time reverently, and there will be no mistake.
Wilhelm/Baynes: The footprints run crisscross. If one is seriously intent, no blame. [It is precisely at the beginning that serious concentration is important, because the beginning holds the seed of all that is to follow.]
Blofeld: Approaching with reverent steps, he pays them his respects -- no error! [This suggests a rather delicate situation in which we should avoid any appearance of lacking respect for others.]
Liu: The footsteps are confused. If one is cautious, no blame. [Everyone should watch his steps so that he doesn’t injure his feet.]
Ritsema/Karcher: Treading, polishing therefore. Respecting it. Without fault.
Shaughnessy: Treading counter-wise; respect it; there is no trouble.
Cleary (1): The steps are awry. If you are heedful of this, there will be no fault.
Wu: The subject is treading cautiously. With due respect, he will be blameless.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: The reverent attention directed to his confused steps is the way by which error is avoided. Wilhelm/Baynes: Seriousness when footprints run crisscross serves in avoiding blame. Blofeld: He walks reverently expressly to avoid blame. Ritsema/Karcher: Using casting-out fault indeed. Cleary (2): Be heedful when the steps are awry, to avoid fault. Wu: Having due respect in cautious treading is to avoid being blamed.
Legge: Line one is dynamic at the bottom of the trigram of fire, the nature of which is to ascend. He therefore will move upwards, but is in danger of doing so coarsely and vehemently. However, since the lowest line has hardly entered into the action of the hexagram, this makes him reverently careful of his movements and there is no error.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: At the outset, the man is initially confused amid the bustle of life. He will avoid error by careful attention to the central issue at stake.
Wing: When you first begin on your new path, you are bombarded by impressions. Keep your goal in mind constantly and you can avoid confusion. Furthermore, do not forget your position as a beginner, somewhat outside the situation.
Editor: Wilhelm's commentary says that line one is analogous to the dawn, line two to noon, and line three to sunset. Here at the beginning of the day, full clarity has yet to manifest, but serious intent will compensate for your relative ignorance of the facts at hand.
When one follows the path of individuation, when one lives one's own life, one must take mistakes into the bargain; life would not be complete without them. There is no guarantee -- not for a single moment -- that we will not fall into error or stumble into deadly peril. Jung -- Memories, Dreams, Reflections
A. When in the dark, keep the faith: trust the Work and pick your way very carefully.
Line 2
Legge: The second line, magnetic, shows its subject in her place in yellow. There will be great good fortune.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Yellow light. Supreme good fortune.
Blofeld: Yellow sunlight -- sublime good fortune.
Liu: The yellow light of the sun indicates great good fortune.
Ritsema/Karcher: Yellow radiance. Spring significant.
Shaughnessy: Yellow net; prime auspiciousness.
Cleary(1): Yellow fire is very auspicious.
Wu: The yellow fire will bring great fortune.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: Good fortune because she holds the course of the due mean. Wilhelm/Baynes: One has found the middle way. Blofeld: The good fortune of being able to keep to a middle path. [This is suggested by the position of the line, which is central to the lower trigram. The middle path, the golden mean, is praised by Taoists, Confucians and Buddhists alike. It has always been regarded by traditionally minded Chinese as the principle upon which conduct should be based. Extremes of any kind have no place in Chinese philosophy, which is thus more humanistic than many of the philosophies of India and the Middle East.]Ritsema/Karcher: Acquiring centering tao indeed. Cleary (2): Attaining the middle way. Wu: Because it is centrally situated.
Legge: Line two is magnetic and occupies the center. Yellow is one of the five correct colors, and here symbolizes the correct course to which she adheres.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man occupies the central position of reasonableness, which results in enduring good fortune.
Wing: A reasonable and moderate attitude will bring you the best possible luck. Remember, indulge in no excess, no extremes of thought or action.
Editor: Yellow is a nearly universal symbol of light and clarity. Both the sun and gold are yellow, and because it is in the middle of the trigram this line images the concept of the golden mean. Wilhelm's commentary places this line at midday when the sun is directly overhead, hence: full illumination. If this is the only changing line, the new hexagram becomes number fourteen, Wealth (Possession in Great Measure), suggesting the richness of clear insight.
I, wisdom, am mistress of discretion, the inventor of lucidity of thought. Good advice and sound judgment belong to me, Perception to me, strength to me. Proverbs 8: 12
A. The image suggests a position of balance and lucidity. Full comprehension is implied.
Line 4
Legge: The fourth line, dynamic, shows the manner of its subject's coming. How abrupt it is, as with fire, with death, to be rejected by all!
Wilhelm/Baynes: Its coming is sudden; it flames up, dies down, is thrown away.
Blofeld: How sudden its coming! Then with flamelike swiftness it is dead and cast away. [Apparently we may expect some unlooked for good fortune, but of a kind that will have passed away before we have had time to enjoy it.]
Liu: It comes abruptly; it burns up, dies, and is cast aside.
Shaughnessy: As if going out, as if coming, as if confused, as if dying, as if dismissing.
Cleary (1): The coming forth is abrupt, burning, dying, abandoned.
Wu: So abruptly it comes, like burning, like dying, like being abandoned. [The symbolic associations paint a scene of hell. Some scholars consider this judgment to be the most vicious of the 384 judgments of the lines in the Yi Jing.]
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: None can bear with him. Wilhelm/Baynes: Yet in itself it has nothing that would cause it to be accepted. Blofeld: Its coming was sudden and there was no place for it. Ritsema/Karcher: Without a place to tolerate indeed. Cleary (2): There is no accommodation. [Why wait until burning out that this is not the way to a good end?] Wu: Because it is not accommodated.
Legge: Line four's dynamic activity in a magnetic place makes him appear in this unseemly manner -- a disaster to himself.
Anthony: We know that perseverance over a period of time is necessary to accomplish our goals; nevertheless, or inferiors complain of how long it takes. This causes us to doubt ourself, the great-man potential in others and the Creative. We need to rid ourselves of our complaining inferiors, thereby disconnect our inner gaze. In this way we overcome the ego and hold to clarity.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man forges upward too abruptly in his restlessness. Others cannot bear his unseemly manner, and he consumes himself like the fire.
Wing: Your display of overly enthusiastic energies and endeavors will exhaust you. Nothing will come of it all.
Editor: This is often an image of myopic enthusiasm -- perhaps a "brilliant idea” that will come to nothing because it does not harmonize with a larger reality. Although sometimes a warning about intemperate responses, at its most neutral the line can refer to a temporary situation which will end as soon as it begins. Despite Wu’s commentary about this being the most “vicious” line in the Book of Changes, it is more often an image of an inconsequential manifestation of some sort. [Added note 5/24/08: I concur with Wu. See paraphrase C.]
The second stage, that of emotional excitement or elation – when the individual is carried away by an excessive enthusiasm and cherishes the illusion of having arrived at a permanent attainment – calls for a gentle warning that his blessed state is, of necessity, but temporary and he should be given a description of the vicissitudes of the way ahead of him. R. Assagioli – Psychosynthesis
A. A flash in the pan -- a sudden but temporary burst of energy.
B. “So much for that idea!"
C. “Hell also is a place to live.”
Line 5
Legge: The fifth line, magnetic, shows its subject as one with tears flowing in torrents, and groaning in sorrow. There will be good fortune.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Tears in floods, sighing and lamenting. Good fortune.
Blofeld: His tears streamed forth as though to extinguish his piteous sighs -- good fortune! [Bitter regret serves us in good stead.]
Liu: A flood of tears, sighing, and sadness. Good fortune. [There may be suffering and mourning, but good fortune hides in misfortune.]
Ritsema/Karcher: Issuing-forth tears like gushing. Sadness like lamenting. Significant.
Shaughnessy: Going out with tears as if streaming and grief as if sighing; auspicious.
Cleary (1): Weeping and lamenting. Good fortune. [This is clearly knowing one is not illumined.]
Wu: With tears flowing profusely, he sighs with sorrow. Auspicious.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: This is due to her occupying the place of the ruler. Wilhelm/Baynes: [She] clings to king and prince. Blofeld: This good fortune stems from the rulers. [For purposes of divination, we may take it that "rulers" means anyone with authority over us.]Ritsema/ Karcher: Radiance: the kingly prince indeed. Cleary (2): The good fortune of the fifth yin is cleaving to rulers. [This represents concentration in balance, which can bring forth genuine insight; therefore progress is certain. “Weeping and lamenting” refers to abstention from complacency and presumption; this is always characteristic of the study of sages.] Wu: The auspiciousness is due to his adherence to the king. [When he is humble enough to pledge allegiance to the higher authority, he will be rewarded with good fortune.]
Legge: Line five is central in the place of honor, but she is magnetic, as is her correlate in line two. Her position between the dynamic four and six fills her with anxiety and apprehension -- shown by her weeping and groaning. But such demonstrations are proof of her inward adherence to humility and correctness, so there will be good fortune.
Anthony: We attain a clear view when, in going through difficulties, we acknowledge that adversity is necessary for growth. This change of heart displaces vain considerations that accompany change, such as dread at growing older, being unattractive, or having to go through embarrassing decreases of ego. We overcome vanity when we realize that the ego, despite its bravado, has nothing to do with our success, and is an obstruction to progress.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man reaches the zenith of life. After experiencing certain disappointments, he recognizes the vanity of human behavior. If he modifies his value system and mood, good fortune will eventually be realized.
Wing: A true change of heart is occurring. Such dramatic change is sometimes accompanied by a deep grief. Yet with this grief comes good fortune because the change will bring better times for all concerned.
Editor: If this is the only moving line, the hexagram is changed to number thirteen, Union of Forces, the corresponding line of which reads: "The representative of the Union of Forces first wails and cries out, and then laughs..." The present position thus describes the struggles and pains involved in growth, and the "union of forces" is the product of this growth. Since this hexagram refers to clarity and comprehension, the increase could be the creation of new concepts or ideas. Because this is a magnetic line located between two dynamic lines there is conveyed the idea of mediating between two extremes. This mediation is necessarily a balancing act, as the stress of the position indicates.
Suffering that is not understood is hard to bear, while on the other hand it is often astounding to see how much a person can endure when he understands the why and the wherefore. A philosophical or religious view of the world enables him to do this, and such views prove to be, at the very least, psychic methods of healing if not of salvation. Jung -- The Symbolic Life
A. Growing pains are harbingers of integration.
B. The shattering of illusions is never pleasant, yet the pain is a prelude to something better.
Other titles: The Gentle, The Penetrating, Wind, The Symbol of Bending to Enter, Willing Submission, Gentle Penetration, Ground, Calculations, Complaisance, Penetrating Influence, The Penetration of the Wind, Humility, Devoted Service, Submission
Judgment
Legge:Penetration indicates modest success. See the great man and move in the direction that implies.
Wilhelm/Baynes:The Gentle. Success through what is small. It furthers one to have somewhere to go. It furthers one to see the great man.
Blofeld:Willing Submission -- success in small matters. It is advantageous to have in view a goal (or destination) and to visit a great man. [This is a reasonably auspicious hexagram; it augurs a certain amount of success for those who submit to circumstances -- unless a moving line indicating the contrary is received. This is not a time for resistance but for submission.]
Liu:Penetration. Small success. It is beneficial to go somewhere. It is beneficial to see a great man.
Ritsema/Karcher: Ground, the small: Growing. Harvesting: possessing directed going. Harvesting: visualizing Great People. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of providing an underlying support. It emphasizes that subtly penetrating and nourishing things from below, the action of Ground, is the adequate way to handle it. To be in accord with the time, you are told to enter the situation from below!]
Shaughnessy: Calculations: Little receipt; beneficial to have someplace to go; beneficial to see the great man.
Cleary (1):Wind is small but developmental. It is beneficial to have somewhere to go. It is beneficial to see a great man.
Cleary (2):The small comes through successfully. It is beneficial to have a place to go. It is beneficial to see great people.
Wu: Complaisance indicates that the small are pervasive. It is advantageous to have undertakings. It is also advantageous to see the great man.
The Image
Legge: Two wind trigrams following each other form Penetration. The superior man proclaims his commands and undertakes his work.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Winds following one upon the other: the image of the gently penetrating. Thus the superior man spreads his commands abroad and carries out his undertakings.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes a favorable wind. The Superior Man performs his allotted tasks in consonance with heaven's (or the sovereign's) will. [The component trigrams combine the concepts of wind and blandness -- hence a favorable wind.]
Liu: Wind following wind symbolizes Penetration. The superior man proclaims his directives and executes his affairs.
Ritsema/Karcher: Following winds. Ground. A chun tzu uses distributing fate to move affairs.
Cleary (1): Wind following wind.Thus do superior people articulate directions and carry out tasks.
Wu: One breeze follows the other; this is Complaisance. Thus the jun zi gives further injunctions in order to administer public affairs.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: Repeated wind trigrams show the repetition of governmental orders. The dynamic fifth line has penetrated to his correct central place and carries his will into action. The magnetic first and fourth lines obey the dynamic lines above them. Hence it is said that there will be success in small matters.
Legge: Penetration symbolizes both wind and wood, and has the attributes of Docility, Flexibility and Penetration. We are to think of it as wind with its penetrating power which finds its way into every nook and cranny.
Confucius said: "The relation between superiors and inferiors is like that between the wind and the grass. The grass must bend when the wind blows upon it." In accordance with this, the hexagram must be understood as the influence and orders of the government designed to remedy what is wrong in the people. The upper trigram denotes the orders issuing from the ruler, and the lower the obedience rendered to them by the people.
Ch'eng-tzu says:"Superiors, in harmony with the duty of inferiors, issue their commands; inferiors, in harmony with the wishes of their superiors, follow them. Above and below there are that harmony and deference; and this is the significance of the redoubled Wind trigram. When governmental commands and business are in accordance with what is right, they agree with the tendencies of the minds of the people who follow them."
Anthony: Getting this hexagram often refers to the presence of inferior elements that obstruct our having a good influence ... Because this hexagram is concerned with self-correction, we often get it together with Work on What has been Spoiled. [Hex. 18: Repair.]
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: Get to the heart of the matter and act on the information obtained.
The Superior Man acts on his understanding by implementing it in the world.
The hexagram ofPenetration, made up of two trigrams symbolizing Wind (which is air in motion), suggests the activity of thought (the realm of air) trying to comprehend or "penetrate" something. Thus, each line of the figure may be seen as some aspect of an act of mental endeavor.
Therefore the student must exert his own mind to the utmost. If he does so, he will know his own nature. And if he knows his own nature, examines his own self and makes it sincere, he becomes a sage. Therefore the "Great Norm" says, "The virtue of thinking is penetration and profundity ... Penetration and profundity lead to sageness.” -- Ch'eng I
The first line depicts vacillation and indecisiveness; the second shows one trying to "get to the bottom" of a matter. Line three is an image of futile hypothesizing; four and five show two aspects of successful comprehension, and the sixth line symbolizes an inability to understand.
Man's intellect -- the greatest but most dangerous gift he has received from God -- builds a bridge across the seemingly unconquerable chasm between that which is personal and mortal and that which is impersonal and eternal. Through man's intellect he succumbed to the temptation to fall out of divine unity with his consciousness. But by the same token, his intellect gives him the possibility of bringing back his consciousness into full union with divinity. By means of his intellect, man is able to understand truth, and when he has understood, he will seek and keep on seeking and trying until he some day succeeds in finding the only path to the realization of his self. Elisabeth Haich -- Initiation
The hexagram can also symbolize humble submission and devoted service, thus suggesting the role of the ego in the Work. To truly comprehend the nature of the Work is to serve it with devotion. There are some interesting associations between the act of penetration and that of submission – when dynamic and magnetic are in full harmony they lose their individual identities and become one force which is both and neither.