Step forward with steady determination; as you rise, gain clarity and perspective, others will follow your example and be inspired.
From
46
Pushing Upward
To
20
Contemplation
One applies a simple rule that will allow rapid decision making. taoscopy.com
Pushing Upward46
Steady growth and progress through perseverance and effort. Step-by-step advancement leads to success.
↓ Line 2
Sincerity in small actions can lead to positive outcomes.
↓ Line 3
Advancing into a situation that seems daunting but is actually unopposed.
↓ Line 5
Steady progress and determination lead to favorable outcomes.
↓ Line 6
Even in difficult times, continuous effort and perseverance are beneficial.
↓ Contemplation 20
Pause and observe the world around you. Gain clarity by distancing yourself from immediate involvement, allowing for a broader perspective. Insight comes from seeing both the big picture and the subtle details.
Other titles: The Symbol of Rising and Advancing, Ascending, Ascension, Rising, Promotion, Advancement, Sprouting from the Earth, Organic Growth
Judgment
Legge:Pushing Upward means successful progress. Have no anxiety about meeting with the great man. An advance to the south is fortunate.
Wilhelm/Baynes:Pushing Upward has supreme success. One must see the great man. Fear not. Departure toward the south brings good fortune.
Blofeld: Ascending. Supreme success! It is essential to see a great man, so as to banish anxiety. Progressing towards the south brings good fortune.
Liu: Ascending. Great Success. One should see a great man. Without fear. An expedition to the south leads to good fortune.
Ritsema/Karcher:Ascending, Spring Growing. Availing-of visualizing Great People. No cares. The South, chastising significant. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of rising to a higher level. It emphasizes that setting a higher goal and working toward it step by step is the adequate way to handle it. To be in accord with the time, you are told to: ascend!]
Shaughnessy:Ascending: Prime receipt; beneficial to see the great man. Do not pity. For the southern campaign, auspicious.
Cleary(1): Rising is greatly developmental; it calls for seeing a great person, so there will be no grief. An expedition south brings good fortune.
Cleary (2):Rising is very successful, etc.
Wu:Ascension indicates great pervasion. It will be useful to see the great man. No anxiety. It will be auspicious to go south.
The Image
Legge: Wood growing in the earth -- the image of Pushing Upward. The superior man accumulates small increments of virtue until it becomes high and great.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Within the earth, wood grows: the image of Pushing Upward. Thus the superior man of devoted character heaps up small things in order to achieve something high and great.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes tress growing upwards from the earth. The Superior Man most willingly accords with virtuous ways; starting from small things, he accumulates a great heap of merit.
Liu: The wood grows in the earth, symbolizing Ascending. The superior man devotes his virtue to building things up from the small to the high and great.
Ritsema/Karcher: Earth center giving-birth-to wood. Ascending. A chun tzu uses yielding to actualize-tao. A chun tzu uses amassing the small to use the high great.
[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): Trees grow on the earth, rising. Thus do superior people follow virtue, accumulating the small to lofty greatness.
Wu: Trees grow from earth; this is Ascension. Thus the Jun zi diligently cultivates his virtues little by little to become tall and large like trees growing.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: The magnetic line ascends as opportunity permits. We have Flexibility, Obedience and a dynamic line below with his magnetic correlate above: this means successful progress. See the great man -- his will is accomplished in the south.
Legge: The character for this hexagram means advancing in an upward direction, or ascending. The figure symbolizes the promotion of an able officer to the highest pinnacle of distinction. The action of the dynamic second line is tempered by being in the magnetic central position of the lower trigram. As the representative of Pushing Upward he is forceful, yet modest and the magnetic fifth line ruler welcomes his advance. The officer therefore has the qualities that fit him to ascend as well as a favorable opportunity to do so.
After he has met with the "great man" in line five, advance to the south will be fortunate. Chu Hsi says that this is equivalent to "advancing forwards.” Since the south is the region of brightness and warmth, the progress will be easy and agreeable.
The lower trigram symbolizes Wood, and its weak first line is the root of a tree buried in the earth of the upper trigram. The gradual growth of this root pushes the trunk upward as the circumstances of time permit.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: Ascend in accordance with the will of the Self. Turn toward clarity.
The Superior Man grows a little every day.
The image of the 46th hexagram is of a plant growing in the earth, gradually pushing upward toward the sun. That "an advance to the south is fortunate" means that as all plants turn southward toward the sun, their source of nourishment, so should we turn toward the light and clarity of the "great man" or Self within us.
The upward advancement of the Work is an organic process. There is no such thing as "instant enlightenment." The many stories and parables of instant Satori which are common in the Zen Buddhist tradition are actually just dramatic accounts of the final few moments' resolution that come after a lifetime of slow and patient devotion. The Work progresses at the pace of a tree -- what started out as an acorn eventually becomes a forest giant, but it doesn't happen overnight.
Remember ever that Mind in its entirety is ever the Builder. For it is step by step, line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little, that the attaining is accomplished in the mental, the spiritual, the material applications of an entity in this material world. Edgar Cayce – Book of Changes
This slow growth is an accumulation of countless "gathering togethers" as depicted in the preceding hexagram, of whichPushing Upward is the upside-down image. It is estimated that an adult human being grows from a single cell to about one-hundred billion cells through a process of fifty-billion mitotic divisions. It is interesting to observe that "one-hundred-billion" is the scientific estimate of the number of stars in any given galaxy. If we apply the Hermetic Axiom: "As above, so below" to this relationship of macrocosm to microcosm we get the image of our solar system as a single atom in the "body" of a galactic entity.
That should put the Work into perspective!
Understand that thou art a second little world and that the sun and the moon are within thee, and also the stars. Origen --Homiliae in Leviticum
Line 2
Legge: The second line, dynamic, shows its subject with that sincerity which will make even the small offerings of the vernal sacrifice acceptable. There will be no error.
Wilhelm/Baynes: If one is sincere, it furthers one to bring even a small offering.
Blofeld: Full of faith, he performed the summer sacrifice. [This suggests that faith in spiritual matters or ancient traditions will serve us well.]
Liu: If you are sincere, a summer offering is beneficial. No blame. [This line indicates good luck.]
Ritsema/Karcher: Conforming, thereupon Harvesting availing-of dedicating. Without fault.
Shaughnessy: Returning then beneficial to use the spring sacrifice; there is no trouble.
Cleary (1): When sincere it is beneficial to perform the spring ceremony. No blame.
Cleary (2): If there is sincerity, it is beneficial to perform a ceremony… etc.
Wu: With sincerity, he will have the benefit of making offerings in the summer. No error.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: The sincerity of the subject of the second line affords occasion for joy. Wilhelm/Baynes: Sincerity brings blessing. Blofeld: The faith (or confidence) indicated by this line leads to great happiness. Ritsema/Karcher: Possessing rejoicing indeed. Cleary (2): The sincerity of the second yang is joyful. Wu: The sincerity of the second nine brings about joy.
Legge: Compare this with the second line of hexagram number 45. Line two is dynamic, and the magnetic fifth line is his proper correlate. This suggests a dynamic officer serving a magnetic ruler. He couldn't do so unless he was possessed by a sincere and devoted loyalty. In his loyal devotion to line five he will do much good and benefit many, hence we have the words: "affords occasion for joy."
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man is an effective but brusque officer serving a weak leader. His upright sincerity and devoted loyalty meet with a favorable response.
Wing: You can achieve your aim even though you have only modest resources. Those in authority will be moved by your sincerity despite your lack of traditional criteria.
Editor: Whenever sacrifice is mentioned in the I Ching, it is wise to meditate on the deeper meaning of the concept to see how it applies to the matter under question. The situation depicted here shows a dynamic correlate (the "representative ofPushing Upward" mentioned in Legge's commentary on the hexagram), serving a magnetic ruler. To be dynamic in a magnetic place suggests one who may be predisposed to impatience. The sacrifice could be an attitude or belief influencing one to this. If this is the only changing line, the hexagram becomes number 15, Temperance, so the sacrifice could also involve pride.
On the psychological level, transformation and sacrifice imply a giving up of some aspect of "I am," "I have" or “I can," claims and habits, a renouncing of some cherished needs, convictions or illusions. It may call for a relativization of one's superior psychological function in favor or the less developed "inferior” function. A thinking type may have to renounce exclusive reliance upon the intellect in favor of feeling and emotion. A feeling type may have to learn to subordinate or at least coordinate emotional responses with thought and reason. An overly active, driving and controlling person may have to learn a degree of receptivity, yielding and surrender which, to her or him, may feel like passivity; a passive person may have to become more actively responsible for his or her own life or therapeutic management. E.C. Whitmont -- The Alchemy of Healing
A. The ego's sacrifices (your pretensions to knowledge? Your impulse to take action?) are necessary for the furtherance of the Work.
B. A humble offering -- every little bit helps.
Line 3
Legge: The third line, dynamic, shows its subject ascending upwards as into an empty city.
Wilhelm/Baynes: One pushes upward into an empty city.
Blofeld: He was promoted to office in a larger city.
Liu: Ascending to a deserted city.
Ritsema/Karcher: Ascending: an empty capital.
Shaughnessy: Ascending the empty city.
Cleary (1): Rising in an empty domain.
Wu: He ascends to the vacant city.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: He advances upwards as into an empty city -- he has no doubts or hesitation. Wilhelm/Baynes: There is no reason to hesitate. Blofeld: We cause no doubts to arise in the minds of others. Ritsema/Karcher: Without a place do doubt indeed. Cleary (2): There is no hesitation. Wu: He has no doubt.
Legge: Line three describes the bold and fearless advance of its subject. According to the K'ang-hsi editors, there is a shade of condemnation here. He is too bold, "he has no doubt or hesitation," but is presuming rather on his strength.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: No impediments retard the man's bold advance.
Wing: You may now advance with complete ease -- perhaps too much ease. This sudden lack of constraint may cause you misgivings. A little caution is a good thing now if you do not allow it to halt your progress completely.
Editor: Whenever one receives an oracle without the value judgment of "good fortune" or "there will be evil," it is wise to be especially heedful. This line describes easy progress -- which may or may not be a good thing, depending on the situation. Sometimes it can refer to making an assumption -- without, however, a clue as to whether the assumption is accurate! The line can also alert one to something new or unknown: the fact that no value judgment is appended suggests that a test may be involved.
Many times when I was concentrating on my work and thinking about nothing else, I suddenly recognized a truth which had no relationship whatever with my work...At such moments I felt as if my head had just poked up through the ceiling of one room and emerged above the floor in an upper room. It was a wonderful feeling to look around with my inward eye in this newly discovered upper room, inspecting all the hidden treasure lying there. Elisabeth Haich -- Initiation
A. A sudden upward rush.
B. An image of rapid and easy progress -- don't let it carry you away. Maintain discipline.
C. You are moving too fast.
Line 5
Legge: The fifth line, magnetic, shows its subject firmly correct, and therefore enjoying good fortune. She ascends the stairs with all due ceremony.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Perseverance brings good fortune. One pushes upward by steps.
Blofeld: Righteous persistence brings good fortune, but the ascent must be made step by step. [This is no time for rushing forward, but for patient plodding.]
Liu: Continuing brings good fortune. Ascend step by step.
Shaughnessy: Determination is auspicious. Ascending the stairs.
Cleary (1): Rectitude brings good fortune. Climbing stairs.
Cleary (2): Correctness is good in raising one up the steps.
Wu: Perseverance leads to good fortune. There is ascending by the steps.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: She is firmly correct, and will therefore enjoy good fortune. She ascends the stairs with all due ceremony and grandly succeeds in her aim. Wilhelm/ Baynes: One achieves one's will completely. Blofeld: Acting thus will lead to the fulfillment of what we will. Ritsema/Karcher: The great acquiring the purpose indeed. Cleary (2): The aim is fully attained. Wu: His aspirations are completely fulfilled.
Legge: In line five the advance has reached the highest point of dignity, and firm correctness is especially called for. "Ascending the steps" may intimate, as Chu Hsi says, the ease of the advance, or according to others (the K'ang-hsi editors among them), its ceremonious manner.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: As he approaches the pinnacle, the man guards against intoxication with success. He steadily advances step by step with the greatest thoroughness and necessary ceremony.
Wing: You are destined to reach your goals through a steady, step-by-step process. Do not let the coming heights of achievement make you heedless or heady with success. Continue in the thoroughness that led you to good fortune.
Editor: The idea here is that advancement proceeds one step at a time, naturally and without haste. Perhaps a dialectical process within the psyche is nearing synthesis. The line can sometimes imply that there is a need to slow down, or that a more dignified and orderly approach to the Work is in order.
We are all, at times at least, inclined to feel that the reality of our lives falls short of our intuitive picture of some kind of completeness. But thereby we lose sight of the fact that the image of wholeness is itself meant to be a symbolic one, seemingly never literally or finally to be reached -- a pole star that sets a direction for the traveler rather than a goal to be reached concretely. The way to reach closer to completeness then appears to lie in taking each step as it comes in terms of precisely what it is and at the same time as if related to an encompassing pattern. E.C. Whitmont -- The Symbolic Quest
A. The image suggests a careful and orderly sequence. Slow down and do it right -- one step at a time.
Line 6
Legge: The sixth line, magnetic, shows its subject advancing upwards blindly. Advantage will be found in a ceaseless maintenance of firm correctness.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Pushing upward in darkness. It furthers one to be unremittingly persevering.
Blofeld: A night ascent -- advantage lies in unremitting persistence.
Liu: Ascending in ignorance, it is still beneficial to continue unceasingly.
Ritsema/Karcher: Dim ascending. Harvesting: tending-towards not pausing's Trial.
Shaughnessy: Dark ascent; beneficial for unceasing determination.
Cleary (1): Rising in the dark. Benefit lies in unceasing rectitude.
Cleary (2): Rising into the unknown, it is beneficial to be unceasingly correct.
Wu: This is a blind ascension. It will be good to be ever persevering.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: She blindly advances upwards, and is in the highest place -- but there is decay in store for her, and she will not preserve her riches. Wilhelm/ Baynes: At the top is decrease and not wealth. Blofeld: But the night ascent will lead to loss, not to wealth. [Taking the text and commentary of this line together, we may assume that righteous persistence will win some advantage for us as a result of rather blind progress, even though we are bound to suffer materially.]Ritsema/ Karcher: Dim Ascending located above. Dissolving, not affluence indeed. Cleary (2): Rising into the unknown on high dissolves poverty.Wu: A blind ascension at the top means a loss, not a gain.
Legge: What can the subject of the hexagram want more? She has gained all her riches, and still she is for going onwards. Her advance is blind and foolish, and only the most exact correctness will save her from the consequences. When one has reached the greatest height, she should think of retiring. Ambition otherwise may overleap itself.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man advances blindly. Only the most exacting correctness will save him from unfortunate consequences.
Wing: Advancement without constant re-evaluation and discrimination can easily become blind impulse. Such behavior will surely lead you into dangerous mistakes. Only the most careful and exacting conduct can save you from certain damage.
Editor: This line is a clear warning to be extremely careful in whatever endeavor prompted your question.Legge's translation of the Confucian commentary is quite literal here: "there is decay in store for her" refers to hexagram number eighteen: Decay (or Repair), which is the hexagram created if this is the only changing line. Cleary’s version of the Confucian commentary reads: “Rising into the unknown on high dissolves poverty.” This seems to be the exact opposite of all the other translations. (Wilhelm’s rendering is the most succinct:“At the top is decrease and not wealth.”) Cleary’s rendition is based on Chi-hsu Ou-I’s Buddhist commentary, which states: “When one rises into the unknown, then one can stop; but if one is unceasingly correct, then one should rise yet further into the unknown. This is what is called spiritual rank. If they cultivate spiritual rank, people of low social status are not really poor and lowly – their poverty can disappear.” Since Chi-hsu Ou-i was not a translator, but reading and writing in his own language, one wonders how such a seemingly anomalous interpretation of Confucius could occur. Nevertheless, from the Buddhist perspective the concepts of poverty and wealth are reversed: “poverty” is wealth, “wealth” is poverty in terms of spiritual value at the top of the hexagram of Ascending.
I go the way that Providence dictates with the assurance of a sleepwalker. Adolph Hitler
When you got nothin,’ you got nothin’ to lose. Bob Dylan
A. Blind advance leads to loss.
B. Proceed with caution in an uncertain situation.
C. Don't jump to conclusions when you don't understand what is going on.
D. Keep your wits about you during an opportunity for transcendence.
Other titles: View, The Symbol of Steady Observation, Looking Down, Observation, Viewing, Looking Up, Observing, Admiration, To Examine, Rulers and Their Subjects, Introspection, Perception, Contemplation of the Work
Judgment
Legge: Contemplation shows us a worshipper who has purified himself, but must still present his sacrifice with that dignified sincerity which inspires reverence.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Contemplation . The ablution has been made, but not yet the offering. Full of trust they look up to him.
Blofeld: Lookingdown.[This word often means “contemplation" and I have so translated it when the context so requires.] The ablution has been performed, but not the sacrifice. Sincerity inspires respect. [This is generally understood to mean that the first step has been taken or that one has bound oneself to follow a certain course...but that the main duties are yet to be performed.]
Liu:Observation. The hand-washing ritual is completed, but the sacrifice is still to come. All done and looked upon with sincerity.
Ritsema/Karcher:Viewing: hand-washing and-also not worshipping. Possessing conformity, like a presence. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of something seen from a distance, out of immediate reach. It emphasizes that carefully observing and divining the meaning is the adequate way to handle it...]
Shaughnessy: Looking Up. Washing the hands but not making offering; there is a return with head held high.
Cleary (1): Observing, one has washed the hands but not made the offering; there is sincerity, which is reverent.
Wu:Admiration indicates a worshipper washing his hands in preparation for the offerings, but not participating in it. He shows sincerity and awe.
The Image
Legge: The image of earth and wind moving above it form Contemplation. The ancient kings, in accordance with this, examined the different regions of the kingdom to see the ways of the people, and set forth their instructions.
Wilhelm/Baynes: The wind blows over the earth: the image of Contemplation. Thus the kings of old visited the regions of the world, contemplated the people, and gave them instruction.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes wind blowing across the earth. The ancient rulers visited the different regions to keep watch over their people and carefully instruct them.
Liu: The wind blowing over the earth symbolizes Observation. The ancient kings visited their territories, observed the people, and gave instruction.
Ritsema/Karcher: Wind moving above earth. Viewing. The Earlier Kings used inspecting on-all-sides, viewing the commoners to set-up teaching.
Cleary (1): Wind is over the earth, observing. Thus did the kings of yore set up education after examination of the region and observation of the people.
Cleary (2): Wind travels over the earth – observing.Kings of yore examined the regions and observed the people to set up education. [In Buddhist terms, the ancient Buddhas examined the “regions” of possible experience and observed the people in various states of being, then set up various teachings to accommodate them, just as the wind travels over the earth reaching everywhere.]
Wu: The wind pervades above the earth; this is Admiration. Thus the ancient kings inspected various regions of the country, observed the sentiments of the people, and laid down their instructions.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge:Observation from above -- from the trigram of Flexibility surmounting the trigram of Docility. The ruler is in his correct central position, and thus exhibits his lessons to all below. He has purified himself, but not yet sacrificed. All beneath look to him and are transformed. When we contemplate the spirit-like way of heaven, we see how the four seasons proceed without error. The sages, in accordance with this spirit-like way, laid down their instructions, and all under heaven yield submission to them.
Legge: The Chinese character from which this hexagram is named is used in the sense of both seeing and being seen. The theme is the sovereign and his people -- how he shows himself to them, and how they in turn perceive him. The two dynamic lines at the top belong to the ruler, and the four magnetic lines below represent his subjects. In the Judgment the ruler is portrayed as a worshipper at the commencement of a sacrifice. He is the great Manifester in line five.
The lower trigram symbolizes earth, with the attribute of Docility; the upper trigram symbolizes wind, with the attributes of Flexibility and Penetration. Wind moving above the earth has the widest sweep, and nothing escapes its influence. The personal influence of the ruler effects much, but the ancient kings wished to add to that the power of published instructions which were specially adapted to the character and circumstances of the people.
The spirit-like way of heaven is the invisible order underlying the laws of nature. [Ed. Note: Ritsema/Karcher use the phrase: "Viewing Heaven's spirit tao... The all-wise person uses spirit tao to set-up teaching." Spirit(s), SHEN: independent spiritual powers that confer intensity on heart and mind by acting on the soul, KUEI; gods, daimons. Tao: way or path; ongoing process of being and the course it traces for each specific person or thing; keyword. The ideogram: go and head, leading and the path it creates.]
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: Contemplate your motivations and discern the purity of your intent. "Put your money where your mouth is.” or "Walk your talk.”
The Superior Man evaluates and rectifies his attitudes.
The "ancient kings” in the Image symbolize the creators of an original state of perfection -- an archetypal model toward which the superior man aspires. This idea is common to all mystical traditions, many of which depict this state in the image of an ideal or prototypical man. Here is a summary of the Gnostic conception:
Not only the body but also the "soul" is a product of the cosmic powers, which shaped the body in the image of the divine Primal (or Archetypal) Man and animated it with their own psychical forces: these are the appetites and passions of natural man, each of which stems from and corresponds to one of the cosmic spheres [i.e., planets] and all of which together make up the astral soul of man, his "psyche." H. Jonas -- The Gnostic Religion
In the Kabbalah, the template of this archetypal man (named Adam Kadmon) exists in each of the four realms of consciousness corresponding to intuition, intellect, emotion and sensation, and "he" is perceived as androgynous in all of these worlds except the last -- the "sensation” world of our physical spacetime reality.
The Adam of these first three worlds was androgynous. The Adam of the fourth world is the Adam of the expulsion, the Adam of flesh traversing the desert of his exile, and the Adam capable of reproducing himself now that he is no longer androgynous. C. Ponce -- Kabbalah
Considering that androgyny is one of the symbols used in the Western Mystery Tradition to depict the correct union of male and female forces within the psyche, we quickly recognize that the properly matched male and female correlate lines in theI Ching are a Chinese depiction of the identical concept. Note that the messages of the following three quotations are in complete accord with the goal of the Work as outlined in theI Ching:
Somewhere there is an Adam within each of us in need of restoration, in exile from the Garden. The aim of Kabbalism is the restoration of the divine man in the medium of mortal man. We are the laboratory and we are the workers who work in that space. C. Ponce --Kabbalah
Within our six-foot body we must strive for the form which existed before the laying down of heaven and earth. The Secret of the Golden Flower
The destiny of man is to build the Heavenly Jerusalem on Earth. In other words, to civilize a planet. It is the aim of the occultist, in consort with all men of good will, to bring about this heavenly fact into earthly reality. And the only way it will come about is by every man doing the right thing at the right time for twenty-four hours a day. Gareth Knight -- The Work of a Modern Occult Fraternity
The ancient kings in hexagram number-20 base their laws upon their recognition of diversity among the various forces which make up the kingdom of the psyche. Their divine regulations therefore represent the proper ecology existing between heaven and earth, yin and yang, male and female, Logos and Eros. In this regard, theI Ching's version of the Archetypal Man might be seen as hexagram number-63, Completion, in which the polarity of each of the lines is in perfect correlation. (See the editor's commentary on Hexagram number 11 for further insights into this idea.)
The theme of the hexagram is Contemplationof your situation to see if your attitude meets the archetypal standards of the Work. The worshipper in the Judgment has purified himself for sacrifice but has not yet carried it out. Wilhelm uses the word "ablution” in his translation of the Judgment. An ablution is a ritual cleansing associated with a religious rite:
Ablution: In alchemy ... the adept worker achieves [success] only by purifying his soul of all that commonly agitates it. Washing, then, symbolizes the purification not so much of objective and external evil as of subjective and inner evils ... The principle involved in this alchemic process is that implied in the maxim "Deny thyself." J. E. Cirlot --Dictionary of Symbols
It is important to note that the sacrifice has yet to be performed: preparation is meaningless until it is acted upon. Psychologically, this refers to intellectual "gnosis" which still needs to be grounded in behavior.
Wisdom is achieved very slowly. This is because intellectual knowledge, easily acquired, must be transformed into `emotional,' or subconscious, knowledge. Once transformed, the imprint is permanent. Behavioral practice is the necessary catalyst of this reaction. Without action, the concept will wither and fade. Theoretical knowledge without practical application is not enough ... Intellectually the answers have always been there, but this need to actualize by experience, to make the subconscious imprint permanent by `emotionalizing' and practicing the concept, is the key. Brian L. Weiss, MD -- Many Lives, Many Masters
Without changing lines, Contemplation is an oracular invitation for you to consider your situation and especially your motivations in regard to it. One way of doing this is to reduce everything to a brief written statement, including your best conscious conclusions. Then ask for a comment from the oracle -- often it will become apparent that you have been undergoing a kind of examination.
SUGGESTIONS FOR MEDITATION
The ancient kings are mentioned in the Images of both this figure and number twenty-one, Discernment, immediately following. What are the differences between Contemplation and Discernment, as depicted in these images? How does the concept of sacrifice relate to this, as mentioned in the Judgment? Compare the Judgment of this hexagram with hexagrams and lines 17:6, 45:2, 46:2, 46:4, 47:2, 47:5 and 63:5 for further insights on this extremely important tenet of the Work.