Differences illuminate understanding; through clarity, find your boundaries and freedom.
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38
Opposition
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60
Limitation
Bringing up to date
One colors one's drawings to obtain a more vivid image. taoscopy.com
Opposition38
Conflict arises from differences. Seek common ground and understanding to overcome separations and oppositions. Mutual respect paves the way for harmony.
↓ Line 4
Finding allies in times of opposition can lead to mutual support and success.
↓ Line 5
Resolving misunderstandings and seeking reconciliation leads to positive outcomes.
↓ Line 6
Misjudgments can lead to unnecessary conflict. Clarity and understanding bring resolution and good fortune.
↓ Limitation60
Set boundaries and apply discipline to create balance and order in life. Prioritize moderation and clear limits for greater focus and harmony.
Other titles: Opposition, The Symbol of Strangeness and Disunion, The Estranged, Opposites, Polarizing, Alienation, Distant From, Perversion, Disharmony, Separated, Contradiction, Estrangement, Incongruity
Judgment
Legge: Despite Mutual Alienation there will be success in small matters.
Wilhelm/Baynes:Opposition. in small matters, good fortune.
Blofeld: The Estranged -- good fortune in small matters.
Liu: Opposition. In small things, good fortune.
Ritsema/Karcher:Polarizing, Small Affairs significant. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of things that are connected but should not join. It emphasizes that putting things in opposition while acknowledging their essential link is the adequate way to handle it...]
Shaughnessy: Perversion: Little affairs are auspicious.
Cleary (1): Disharmony. A small matter will turn out all right.
Cleary (2): Opposition, Etc.
Wu: Incongruity indicates auspiciousness for doing small things.
The Image
Legge: The image of fire over a marsh forms Mutual Alienation. The superior man, in accordance with this, accepts the diversities which make up the whole.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Above fire; below the lake: the image of Opposition. Thus amid all fellowship the superior man retains his individuality.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes fire above and a marshy lake below. The Superior Man achieves difference through unity.
Liu: Fire above the lake symbolizes Opposition. Living with the people, the superior man distinguishes among them.
Ritsema/Karcher: Fire above, marsh below. Polarizing. A chun tzu uses concording and-also dividing. [Cf. Solve et Coagula—Ed.]
Cleary (1): Above is fire, below is a lake, disparate. Thus are superior people the same yet different.
Cleary (2): Above is fire, below is a lake – opposite. Developed people, etc.
Wu: Fire above and marsh below form Incongruity. Thus the Jun zi take separate paths, but arrive at the same goal.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: In Mutual Alienation we see fire ascending and water descending. We see two sisters living together whose wills move in opposite directions. However, the lower trigram of Cheerfulness is attached to the upper trigram of Clarity, and the magnetic fifth line is responded to by the dynamic second line; these are signs that there can still be good fortune in small matters. Heaven and earth are separate and apart, but the work which they do is the same. Male and female are separate and apart, but with a common will they seek the same object. There is a diversity between the myriad classes of beings, but there is an analogy between their several operations. Great indeed are the phenomena and the results of this condition of disunion and separation.
Legge: Mutual Alienationshows a condition in which disunion and mistrust prevail. The hexagram teaches how this state of affairs may be overcome in small matters and the way prepared for the cure of the whole system. The commentators suggest that the condition symbolized here is a necessary sequel to the regulation of the family in the preceding hexagram.
The K'ang-hsi editors observe that in many hexagrams we have two daughters dwelling together, but that only in this and number forty-nine is attention called to it. The reason is that in these two diagrams the sisters are the second and third daughters, while in the others one of them is the eldest, whose place and superiority are fixed, so that between her and either of the others there can be no division or collision. The lesson in the Confucian commentary is not unity in diversity, but union with diversity.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: In resolving disputes, begin with their least controversial aspects.
The Superior Man respects alternative points of view.
Turn the hexagram of Familyupside-down and you get the hexagram ofMutual Alienation. The opposite of family unity is estrangement, which combined with the idea of polarity, suggests the kind of energetic "pushing away" one feels when two horseshoe magnets are matched to the same poles. Despite this opposition however, every line deals positively with the situation -- there is not one image in the hexagram that doesn't intimate an eventual resolution.
The thirty-eighth hexagram lays even more emphasis than usual on the relationships (polarities) existing between its correlate lines. This suggests that inner connections outrank any superficial estrangement. The Mutual Alienationthen, is not a permanent condition -- it represents more of a challenge than a disaster. All polarity is potential energy to accomplish useful work, and in this hexagram the polarities are more than usually available for this purpose. This doesn't mean that the work here is necessarily easy, just that it offers a major opportunity for growth.
A crisis develops when some pressure or event creates a state of uncomfortable disequilibrium which fails to respond to usual defenses and coping mechanisms. It involves danger with both a considerable risk for worsening and opportunity for growth (with enhancement of insight, mastery, and self-esteem) ... The patient should be educated to understand his situation and helped to see that painful episodes may prove to be part of a constructive process, and are not proof of a dire outcome. R.P. Kluft -- Hypnotherapeutic Crisis Intervention in Multiple Personality
Line 4
Legge: The fourth line, dynamic, shows its subject solitary amidst the prevailing disunion. But he meets with the good man represented by the first line, and they blend their sincere desires together. The position is one of peril, but there will be no mistake.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Isolated through opposition, one meets a like-minded man with whom one can associate in good faith. Despite the danger, no blame.
Blofeld: After suffering estrangement and loneliness, she met an admirable husband and mutual confidence grew between them -- unpleasantness, but no error! [For those to whom the literal interpretation does not apply, the last six words of the commentary are all that matter.]
Liu: Isolated owing to opposition, he meets a strong man and they associate sincerely. Even though there is danger, no blame.
Shaughnessy: Perverse solitude; meeting the prime fellow and interacting returning; danger; there is no trouble.
Cleary (1): Disharmony in solitude; meeting good people, associate sincerely, and though it be trying, there will be no fault.
Cleary (2): The solitude of opposition. Meeting good people, associate sincerely, work hard, and there will be no blame.
Wu: He is isolated because of incongruity. He meets with a man of strength. With mutual trust, there will be no error despite difficult situations.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: Their common aim is carried into effect. Wilhelm/ Baynes: The will effects its purpose. Blofeld: What is said about mutual confidence and freedom from error indicates the fulfillment of what is willed. Ritsema/Karcher: Adversity, without fault. Mingling conforming, without fault. Purpose moving indeed. Cleary (2): Associate sincerely, and there will be no blame, for the aim will be carried out. Wu: With mutual trust there will be no error, because his wishes prevail.
Legge: Line four has no proper correlate, and might seem to be solitary. But, as we saw on line one, in this hexagram, correlates of the same class help each other. Hence lines four and one meet together and work with good will and success.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man finds a like-minded person among the opposition. They blend their honest desires and achieve a common goal.
Wing: In the midst of opposition and isolation you will find someone with whom you have an inner affinity. A mutual trust can now develop and dangers can be overcome together. This cooperation can lead to significant accomplishments.
Editor: The image is one of an alliance with a kindred spirit during troubled times. Wilhelm and Blofeld render the Confucian commentary in terms of willpower achieving its goal. Psychologically, the image of this line suggests a strong connection between ego and Self during a period of general psychic polarization.
Man's free will arises from the fact that he feels the life in himself as his own, and that God leaves him so to feel in order that conjunction may be effected -- which is not possible unless it be reciprocal, and it becomes reciprocal when man acts from freedom altogether as from himself. Swedenborg -- True Christian Religion
A. Forces in opposition create estrangement and isolation. Association with a strong unifying force creates conditions for resolving the conflict. Despite estrangement and disunion, one has an ally.
Line 5
Legge: The fifth line, magnetic, shows that to its subject occasion for repentance will disappear. With her relative and minister she unites closely and readily as if she were biting through a piece of skin. When she goes forward with this help, what error can there be?
Wilhelm/Baynes: Remorse disappears. The companion bites his way through the wrappings. If one goes to him, how could it be a mistake?
Blofeld: Regret vanishes! The head of the clan bites through the flesh (or meat). What is there to prevent him proceeding (with his plans)? [This just means that all will go well with our plans. The head of the clan is our mind; the flesh is the difficulty we shall succeed in overcoming.]
Liu: Remorse vanishes. The member of the clan bites the skin. Going. No blame.
Ritsema/Karcher: Repenting extinguished. Your ancestor gnawing flesh. Going wherefore faulty?
Shaughnessy: Regret is gone. Climbing up the ancestral temple and biting flesh; in going what trouble is there?
Cleary (1): Regret vanishes; the ally bites through the skin. What fault is there in joy?
Cleary (2): Regret vanishes. With the ally in close cooperation, what is wrong with proceeding?
Wu: There will be no regret. His association with his relative is close like biting into a piece of skin. If he chooses to proceed, what error can there be?
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: Her going forward will afford ground for congratulation. Wilhelm/Baynes: If one goes to him, it brings blessing. Blofeld: To proceed with current plans will result in blessings. [I.e. unexpected good fortune.]Ritsema/Karcher: Going possessing reward indeed. Cleary (2): With the ally in close cooperation, to proceed will result in celebration. Wu: This means to proceed is to have celebration.
Legge: The place of five is dynamic, but the line itself is magnetic, so that there might arise occasion for repentance. But the dynamic second line is a proper correlate. Because five is in the ruler's place, line two is seen as a relative of the same surname and head of some branch of the royal house. It is as easy for five, so supported, to deal with the disunion of the time as to bite through a piece of skin.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The true nature of the companion is revealed by looking beneath the surface. The man joins with him to deal effectively with the disunion.
Wing: Because of a general atmosphere of Contradiction and opposition you may fail to recognize someone who can sincerely help you. This person may reveal himself in spite of the mistrust that clouds your perspective. Working together on current plans will now bring good fortune.
Editor: Biting: Differentiation, discernment, "cutting through the red tape," etc. (cf., Hexagram number twenty-one: Differentiation.) Skin:The outer layer, protective surface, facade, persona, superficial appearances, etc. To bite through the skin is to get to the meat of the matter.Relative and minister: An allied power, the Self. (Ritsema/Karcher mention the "ancestor," and Shaughnessy, the "ancestral temple" -- further clues that we are dealing with inner powers: i.e., the Self.)
The God of the Macrocosm and the God of the Microcosm act upon each other, and both are essentially one, for there is only one God and one law and one Nature, through which wisdom becomes manifest. Paracelsus -- De Fundamento Sapientiae
A. Cut through surface appearances to reach a deeper level of understanding.
B. Image of an ego/Self connection. Proceed with your plans.
Line 6
Legge: The sixth line, dynamic, shows its subject solitary amidst the prevailing disunion. In the subject of the third line, he seems to see a pig bearing on its back a load of mud, or fancies there is a carriage full of ghosts. He first bends his bow against her, and afterwards unbends it, for he discovers that she is not an assailant to injure, but a near relative. Going forward, he shall meet with the genial rain, and there will be good fortune.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Isolated through opposition, one sees one's companion as a pig covered with dirt, as a wagon full of devils. First one draws a bow against him, then one lays the bow aside. He is not a robber; he will woo at the right time. As one goes, rain falls; then good fortune comes.
Blofeld: Wandering estranged and lonely, he saw a boar covered with mud and a wagon loaded with demons. First he stretched his bow, but then put it aside. It is not an obstacle but a matter of betrothal which causes delay or hesitation. If rain is encountered during the conduct of affairs, good fortune will ensue. [The first two sentences imply that we shall meet with unpleasant and frightening things; that, at first, we shall think to fend them off, but then decide to let them be. The sentence about betrothal means only that there will be some delay or hesitation for very good reasons. The last sentence may or may not mean exactly what it says. If we decide that it is not to be taken literally, then we must take it to mean that a slight setback on the way is a good omen.]
Liu: Isolated due to opposition, one sees a dirty pig by the roadside, and many devils in a cart. First he draws his bow against him, then he puts it down. He is not a robber, he will propose marriage. If he meets the rainfall, there will be good fortune.
Shaughnessy: Perverse solitude; seeing a pig with mud on its back and one cart carrying ghosts; the first drawn bow is later released into the jar; it is not robbers who in the evening have intercourse; going and meeting rain then it will be auspicious.
Cleary (1): Disharmony results in isolation; see a pig covered with mire, a wagon carrying devils. First you draw the bow, later you put the bow down. It is not an enemy but a partner. Going on, it is fortunate if you encounter rain.
Cleary (2): … Encountering rain, then there is good fortune.
Wu: He is isolated because of incongruity. He sees a pig hoarding mud on its back and a cart loaded with ghosts. At first he draws his bow, but soon after laying it down, he realizes what he sees is not a transgressor, but a suitor. It will be auspicious if he goes ahead and encounters rain.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: The good fortune of the rain symbolizes the passing away of all doubts. Wilhelm/Baynes: All doubts disappear. Blofeld: The last sentence implies the dispersal of all doubt. [Coupling this commentary with what is said about rain, we may suppose that, if rain (or an unexpected setback) occurs, then we shall no longer have any reason to doubt the successful outcome of our plans.] Ritsema/Karcher: The flock doubt extinguished indeed. Cleary (2): Doubts disappear. Wu: The dissolution of all doubts.
Legge: Line six is a magnetic place, yet this line is dynamic -- what can he do? He looks at the magnetic three, his proper correlate, with the mistrustful eye of disunion. The third line appears no better than a filthy pig, no more real than an impossible carriage-load of ghosts. He bends his bow, then unbends it when he discovers that three is his friend, as did one in four, and five in two. He acts with good luck, comparable to the falling rain which results from the happy union of the yang and yin in nature.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man misjudges his friend unfairly because of misunderstandings. But he realizes his mistake and relieves the tension.
Wing: Misunderstandings and mistrust have caused you to lose all perspective. You see your true friends as enemies and become defensive. You will, however, see your mistakes, and the tensions will be relieved. Just when Contradictions are at their worst they begin to ebb. Good fortune.
Editor: The image is quite clear -- through misperception one initially rejects something valuable which appears to be either repugnant or fantastic. Psychologically, this suggests the idea of projection -- the assignment of our own unconscious material to external phenomena. To "go forward to meet the rain” is to make the proper connection -- to unite with the truth. In the I Ching rain always means the union between heaven and earth, above and below, Self and ego, thought and feeling, etc. The supreme union is a holy marriage, as described in hexagram number eleven. Here it simply refers to making a connection -- getting the message.
These psychic elements lying behind the ego in the individual's unconscious are projected, that is, they are reflected or mirrored externally, in persons and things and situations which therefore acquire for him a significance and power of attraction borrowed from the unknown aspects of his own psyche. M.E. Harding -- Psychic Energy
A. What you perceive as evil circumstances will in time reveal themselves as fortunate.
B. Disparate elements in the psyche are about to come together. You perceive disunion where none exists.
Other titles: Restrictive Regulations, Restraint, Regulations, Articulating, Receipt, Restraining, Containment
Judgment
Legge:Restrictive Regulations bring progress and success, but if they are severe and difficult they cannot be permanent.
Wilhelm/Baynes:Limitation. Success. Galling limitation must not be persevered in.
Blofeld:Restraint -- success! It is wrong to persist in harsh restraint.
Liu: Limitation. Success. Bitter limitation should not be continued.
Ritsema/Karcher:Articulating, Growing. Bitter Articulating not permitting Trial. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of confused relations. It emphasizes that making limits and connections clear, particularly through speech, is the adequate way to handle it...]
Shaughnessy: Receipt. Withered moderation; one may not determine.
Cleary (1):Discipline is developmental, but painful discipline is not to be held to. [Discipline means having limits that are not to be exceeded. This hexagram represents practicing obedience in unfavorable circumstances, adaptably keeping to the Tao. The situation may be up to others, but creation of destiny is up to oneself. When discipline gets to the point of inflicting suffering, it brings on danger itself even where there was no danger; you will only suffer toil and servility which is harmful and has no benefit.]
Cleary (2): Regulation is successful, but painful regulation is not to be held to.
Wu: Regulation indicates pervasiveness. Excessive regulation should not be obstinately pursued. [Sometimes the meaning of conservation or moderation is implied. Although the idea of regulation is convincing, it should not be applied blindly without regard to conditions.]
The Image
Legge: Water over a lake -- the image of Restrictive Regulations. The superior man constructs methods of numbering and measurement, and examines the nature of virtuous conduct.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Water over lake: the image of Limitation. Thus the superior man creates number and measure, and examines the nature of virtue and correct conduct.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes water held in a dyke above a marshy lake. The Superior Man employs a system of regulations in his plans for the widespread practice of virtue.
Liu: Water above the lake symbolizes Limitation. The superior man devises number and measure, and measures conduct and virtue.
Ritsema/Karcher: Above marsh possessing stream. Articulating. A chun tzu uses paring to reckon the measures. A chun tzu uses deliberating actualizing-taoto move.
[Actualize-tao: ...ability to follow the course traced by the ongoing process of the cosmos... Linked with acquire, TE: acquiring that which makes a being become what it is meant to be.]
Cleary (1): There is water over a lake, regulated. Thus superior people determine measures and discuss various actions.
Cleary (2): … Leaders establish numbers and measures, and consider virtuous conduct.
Wu: There is water above the marsh; this is Regulation. Thus, the jun zi enacts statutes and deliberates virtues. [A study of the limits and merits will avert difficulties.]
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: Progress and attainment are seen in the equally divided dynamic and magnetic lines, with the dynamic lines in the central places. If the regulations are severe and difficult, the course of action will come to an end. We see a cheerful attitude directing the course amidst peril. The rules are correctly initiated by the ruler in the fifth place. Heaven and earth observe their regular cycles and complete the four seasons. When rulers frame their laws according to just limitations, the resources of the state suffer no injury, and the people receive no hurt.
Legge: The written Chinese character which denotes Restrictive Regulations means the regular division of a whole, such as the division of the seasons of the year into ninety-day periods clearly marked by the solstices and equinoxes. Whatever makes regular division may be denominated by a "restrictive regulation," and there enter into it the ideas of ordering and restraining. The hexagram deals with the regulations of government enacted for the guidance and control of the people. An important point is made that these regulations must be adapted to the circumstances and not made too strict and severe.
Ch'eng-tzu says on the Image: "The water which a lake or marsh will contain is limited to a certain quantity. If the water flowing in exceeds that amount, it overflows. This gives us the idea of Restrictive Regulations."
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: Restrictive Regulations are necessary for growth, but severe restriction must itself be limited.
The Superior Man differentiates his options in relation to the goals of the Work.
The Work itself is nothing if not a rigid structure imposed upon one's life -- a "restrictive regulation" of the ego's illusion of freedom of choice. Ordinary people insist that their lives are ordered by the intelligent exercise of free will, but this "freedom" is more commonly just a rationalization for the activity of autonomous complexes. No one can look objectively at the current state of the world and seriously claim that it reflects either rational order or balanced perception. Collective human experience on this planet is determined by the whims of archetypal forces expressing themselves through the unconscious psyches of six-billion people.
The Work then, is a restrictive regulation of these autonomous forces -- it is a limitation, a containment of the expression of instinct and desire. We are reminded of the alchemical vessel which is hermetically sealed to prevent its contents from escaping before they have been transmuted into gold. If the alchemist miscalculates his "methods of numbering and measurement" the vessel becomes a kind of bomb: the seal breaks, the contents explode, and the Work is ruined. This is what is meant by "if the regulations are severe and difficult, the course of action will come to an end." If we restrict the contents of the vessel beyond their capacity for confinement the psyche boils over in some degree of rebellion. This is no minor thing -- depending on the circumstances, severe psychotic reactions can be created in this manner.
On the other hand, the ego thinks that all but the most minor restrictions are severe and difficult, and it is constantly on the verge of rebellion. As always, it is the Self which must determine how far the restrictive regulations can be taken. From its perspective outside of spacetime it is best able to determine how much pressure the psyche can take -- frequently it is far more (or sometimes far less) than the ego thinks possible.
The Confucian commentary observes: "We see a cheerful attitude directing the course amidst peril." This refers to the lower trigram of Cheerfulness encountering the upper trigram of Peril or Danger. The restrictions of the Work are more often than not unpleasant and risky, constantly verging on some kind of an explosion. An attitude of cheerful acceptance enables one to survive these difficult trials. This is an extremely important concept, because without it one can all too easily fall into a suicidal despair. The Work can become an impossible burden unless one learns how to approach stress and hardship with an almost irreverent sense of humor. (This in itself is an essential lesson about how to purge the ego of its myopic notions of what it will and will not "accept" in life.)
There is an old Zen proverb that says: "Hell, also, is a place to live in." The message is clear: be of good cheer, because without it you are sure to fail.
The seeming inevitability of conflict among the archetypal "powers" can cause us to experience life as a hopeless, senseless impasse. But the conflict can also be discovered to be the expression of a symbolic pattern still to be intuited. It can be lived as if it were a drama, the play of life or of the gods, for the purpose of experiencing an ultimate meaning ... When one can feel with Goethe that "everything transient is but a symbol," then meaning can be found not only in creativity, joy and love but also in impasse, suffering and conflict. Then life can be lived as a work of art. E.C. Whitmont -- The Symbolic Quest