Unified pathways create bridges, yet within coexistence, the seeds of disagreement may challenge harmony. Stand strong in your truth and seek resolution with courage and grace.
From
8
Union
To
6
Conflict
Playing the game of suspicion
The others have planned maneuvers to be carried out in the event of suspicious behavior. taoscopy.com
Union8
Collaboration and uniting with others bring strength. Commit to shared goals and build alliances.
↓ Line 2
Inner commitment and perseverance in relationships lead to positive outcomes.
↓ Line 4
External commitment and perseverance in relationships are beneficial. Show your loyalty openly.
↓ Line 6
Lack of leadership or direction in relationships leads to misfortune. Seek clarity and purpose.
↓ Conflict6
Conflict arises. Approach disputes with clarity and fairness. Seek resolution over victory. Compromise is key.
Other titles: The Symbol of Subaltern Assistance, Union, Unity, Grouping, Alliance, Co-ordination, Leadership, Merging (as with tributaries of a river), Seeking Union, Unification, Accord, Subservience, Individuation, Integration
Judgment
Legge:Holding Together indicates good fortune, but let the querent re-examine himself by divination whether his virtue is great, un-intermitting and firm. If so, there will be no error. Those who are ready will then join him, but those who delay will meet with misfortune.
Wilhelm/Baynes:Holding Together brings good fortune. Inquire of the oracle once again whether you possess sublimity, constancy, and perseverance; then there is no blame. Those who are uncertain gradually join. Whoever comes too late meets with misfortune.
Blofeld:Unity (or co-ordination). Good fortune! Further consultation of the oracle will provide an omen of great and lasting value. No error! Those whose hearts are troubled assemble. The laggards suffer disaster. [Just as the last hexagram deals ostensibly with military affairs, so does this one largely concern administration. For divination purposes, it should be regarded figuratively -- unless a problem of administration is actually involved in the enquiry.]
Liu: Union. Good fortune. The prediction for one attempting union should be greatness, continuation, and constancy; no blame. If one hesitates, then joins late: misfortune.
Ritsema/Karcher:Grouping, significant. Retracing the oracle-consulting: Spring, perpetual Trial. Without fault. Not soothing, on-all-sides coming. Afterwards, husbanding: pitfall. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of how you categorize people and things and how you relate to these categories. It emphasizes that joining people and things through recognizing their essential qualities is the adequate way to handle it.]
Shaughnessy:Alliance: auspicious. The original milfoil divination: prime; permanent determination is no trouble. The un-tranquil land comes; for the latter fellow inauspicious.
Cleary (1):Accord is auspicious. Investigating and ascertaining, if the basis is always right, there is no error: Then the uneasy will come; but the dilatory are unfortunate.
Cleary (2): Accord bodes well. Make sure the basis is always right, so that there will be no fault. Then the uneasy will come. Latecomers are unfortunate.
Wu: Subservience indicates auspiciousness. Seeking to confirm the intent and motivation of allegiance by divination is without fault. Those who seek peace can all come, but those who hesitate and come late will have ill fortune.
The Image
Legge: The image of the earth, and over it water, form Holding Together. The ancient kings, in accordance with this, established the various states and maintained an affectionate relation to their princes.
Wilhelm/Baynes: On the earth is water: the image of Holding Together. Thus the kings of antiquity bestowed the different states as fiefs and cultivated friendly relations with the feudal lords.
Blofeld: The hexagram symbolizes water lying upon the land -- co-ordination. [This is indicated by the nature of the component trigrams. It is by co-operation between the fertile earth and the water which irrigates it that growth is achieved.] The ancient rulers strengthened the realm by being on affectionate terms with the feudal lords. [This may suggest dealing kindly with immediate subordinates.]
Liu: Water over the earth symbolizes Union. The ancient kings established many states and were friendly with the feudal lords.
Ritsema/Karcher: Above earth possessing stream. Grouping. The Earlier Kings used installing myriad cities to connect the connoted feudatories.
Cleary (1): There is water on the earth, in accord. Thus did the kings of yore establish myriad realms and associate with their representatives.
Wu: There is water on the ground; this is Subservience. Thus the late kings founded the states and kept a personal relationship with all the princes.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: Holding Together denotes help, and we see in the figure inferiors docilely following their superior. All that is said in the Judgment follows from the position of the dynamic line in the center of the upper trigram. Those who do not respond to him have exhausted their good fortune.
Legge: The idea of union between the different members and classes of a state and how it can be secured, is the subject of Holding Together. The dynamic line in the fifth place of authority represents the ruler to whom the subjects of all the other lines offer a ready submission. Generally, the second line is the proper correlate of the fifth, but here all of the other lines are also his subjects. Harmonious union is secured by the sovereign authority of the ruler, but he is warned to see that his virtue is worthy of his position, and his subjects are warned not to delay in submitting to him. Those who do not seek to promote and enjoy union until it is too late are left out in the cold. The sentiment is the same as that in the lines of Shakespeare about the tide in the affairs of men. In the Image, "water upon the face of the earth" suggests an emblem of close union.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: The success of the Work is determined by the proper integration of intrapsychic forces. Separated and disparate forces are an index of its failure. Unremitting willpower is the catalyst for unity. Do you have the requisite will to facilitate this goal? Ask the oracle.
The Image: Archetypal intelligences (the gods) created many dimensions of awareness (Jung's collective unconscious or objective psyche), maintaining benevolent contact with them all. ("Benevolent" refers to original intent -- Plato's realm of ideal forms -- "The Good." This is the image of an evolving multiverse of awareness – a human psyche.)
Psychologically interpreted,Holding Together depicts the Self as the fifth-line ruler surrounded by its satellite complexes. Astrologically rendered, we see the same image in the solar system with its Sun surrounded by planets -- each symbolizing a faculty within the psyche (e.g., Mercury is intellect, Mars is aggression, etc). Viewed this way, the eighth hexagram portrays the functioning of a divine process. (Whenever the "ancient kings" are mentioned in the I Ching,we can take them as the symbolic architects of a primordial ideal of perfection.)
The Image in Holding Together is an allegory of the Self establishing the various complexes within the psyche (the Sun establishing its planets) so that they can evolve into a reflection of the ideal intent of the Work. (In the timeless realms of hyperspace, the Garden of Eden and the New Jerusalem exist simultaneously, although here in spacetime, as key facilitators in a “work in progress,” we labor somewhere between cause and effect.)
Although the psyche of a functional human being is held together relatively coherently, its inner relationships are continuously orbiting each other in cycles of change. (Astrological transits symbolize such changes.) The Tao of psychic evolution (the Work) is to respond to the changes consciously and coherently so that all forces eventually become synchronized with the will of their source. The ego’s sole responsibility is to do this in the spacetime dimension for the benefit of the Self.
In whatever way one may conceive the relationship between the individual self and the universal Self, be they regarded as identical or similar, distinct or united, it is most important to recognize clearly, and to retain ever present in theory and practice, the difference that exists between the Self in its essential nature -- that which has been called the ‘fount', the ‘center', the ‘deeper being', the ‘apex' of ourselves -- and the small ordinary personality, the little ‘self' or ego, of which we are normally conscious. The disregard of this vital distinction leads to absurd and dangerous consequences. Roberto Assagioli – Psychosynthesis
The message for the superior man in this hexagram is the only injunction in the Book of Changesto re-consult the oracle. Implicit in this curious challenge is a need to evaluate your competence to further the Work. The answer should tell you the condition of your will.
The will is, curiously, not recognized as the central and fundamental function of the ego. It has often been depreciated as being ineffective against the various drives and the power of the imagination, or it has been considered with suspicion as leading to self-assertion (will-to-power). But the latter is only a perverted use of the will, while the apparent futility of the will is due only to a faulty and unintelligent use. The will is ineffective only when it attempts to act in oppositionto the imagination and to the other psychological functions, while its skillful and consequently successful use consists in regulating and directing all other functions toward a deliberately chosen and affirmed aim. Roberto Assagioli – Psychosynthesis
The differences between hexagrams number seven and number eight are the differences between a geocentric and a heliocentric frame of reference – emphasizing the fact that the ego and the Self each perceive the psyche from an entirely different point of view.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
my ways not your ways -- it is Yahweh who speaks.
Yes, the heavens are as high above earth
as my ways are above your ways,
my thoughts above your thoughts.
Isaiah 55: 6-9
Line 2
Legge: The second line, magnetic, shows the movement toward union and attachment proceeding from the inward mind. With firm correctness there will be good fortune.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Hold to him inwardly. Perseverance brings good fortune.
Blofeld: Unification (or cooperation) should proceed from within our own circle. Righteous persistence will bring good fortune.
Liu: Union from within. Continuing brings good fortune.
Shaughnessy: Ally with him from within; determination is auspicious.
Cleary (1): Accord coming from within is correct and bodes well.
Cleary (2): Accord coming from within is auspicious if correct.
Wu: A desire to serve comes from within. With perseverance, there will be good fortune.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: She does not fail in what is proper. Wilhelm/Baynes: Do not lose yourself. Blofeld: When unification or cooperation proceeds from within our own circle, the results will not be disappointing. Ritsema/ Karcher: Not originating letting-go indeed. Cleary (2): Accord coming from within means not losing oneself. Wu: With self-discipline there will be no error.
Legge: Line two is the proper correlate of the ruler in line five. Her position in the center of the lower trigram suggests the movement proceeding from the inner mind.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man retains his individuality and dignity in his relationships with others. He is not like the obsequious office seeker. His convictions are deeply founded.
Wing: Trust your inner mind, maintain your integrity, and follow the demands of your convictions. You will be sought after by others. If you chase after the approval of others, you will lose your dignity.
Editor: Legge's commentary on the relationship between lines two and five portrays the ego-Self relationship. The Self is the dynamic ruler dwelling in a psychic dimension ("the inward mind"). The ego is always magnetic in relation to the Self, and ideally the servant of the Work in spacetime. The inward mind is thus the source of the voice of the Self. Because not every image or impulse in the psyche originates from the Self, Wilhelm's translation of the Confucian commentary ("Do not lose yourself"), warns us to be conscious enough to maintain connection with our authentic inner voice -- not some complex masquerading as such. (Often a tricky distinction.)
Man too, in his inner being, has a plane of contact with the divine self. And that's why he can only find his own divine being within himself, never by directing his attention towards the outside world. Elisabeth Haich -- Initiation
A. Unity proceeds from within -- listen to your inner voice. (The image can sometimes suggest meditation.)
B. Integration of the psyche is an inner process – you must facilitate the transformation by holding firmly to the principles of the Work.
Line 4
Legge: The fourth line, magnetic, shows its subject seeking for union with the one beyond herself. With firm correctness there will be good fortune.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Hold to him outwardly also. Perseverance brings good fortune.
Blofeld: He co-operates with people beyond his immediate circle. Righteous persistence will bring good fortune.
Liu: Union outside. Continuing brings good fortune.
Ritsema/Karcher: Outside Grouping it. Trial: significant.
Shaughnessy: From outside ally with him; determination is auspicious.
Cleary (1): Accord with one outside is right and bodes well.
Cleary (2): According with the wise outside, correctness brings good results.
Wu: He gives his support to the exterior one. To be persevering will be auspicious.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: Union is sought with one beyond herself, and in this case with a worthy object -- she is following the ruler above her. Wilhelm/ Baynes: Hold outwardly also to people of worth, in order thus to follow the one above. Blofeld: Cooperation with such people and leading them into virtuous ways must be accomplished by working through their leaders. Ritsema/Karcher: Using adhering-to the above indeed. Cleary (2): Accord with the wise outside is the way to follow the advanced. Wu: “He gives support to the exterior one,” who is a good man, because he follows the one above him.
Legge: "The one beyond herself" is the ruler or king who is the subject of line five, and with whom union ought to be sought. The magnetic line, moreover, is in a place proper to her, and if she is firm and correct, there will be good fortune.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The minister shows open loyalty to his king. This behavior contrasts to that of a person without a post. The latter should remain reserved, so as to retain his personal honor.
Wing: You are in close contact with the center of your community. This may refer to the leader or ruler. Show your support openly, but do not forget who you are or lose yourself in your allegiances.
Editor: Wilhelm suggests the idea of an outward display of allegiance. The quality of your commitment to the Work is seen in your actions and way of life. Sometimes the line suggests the idea of having confidence in yourself, or confidence in your intuition. At its simplest level it can just mean: Make connections beyond your "immediate circle." (Blofeld)
Regeneration is for nothing else than that the natural [ego] may be subjugated, and the spiritual [Self] obtain dominion; and the natural is subjugated when it is brought into correspondence. And when the natural is brought into correspondence it no longer resists but acts as it is commanded, and follows the behest of the spiritual -- scarcely otherwise than as the acts of the body obey the dictates of the will. Swedenborg -- Arcana Coelestia
A. Live your beliefs. "Walk your talk."
B. Get in touch with what is beyond you. Seek a higher comprehension.
C. Get in touch with your basic motivations.
Line 6
Legge: The sixth line, magnetic, shows one seeking union and attachment without having taken the first step to such an end. There will be evil.
Wilhelm/Baynes: He finds no head for holding together. Misfortune.
Blofeld: Attempts to bring about unity when there is no one at the head result in disaster. [This suggests a general lack of co-ordination due to poor leadership.]
Liu: Union without a leader. Misfortune.
Ritsema/Karcher: Without a head, Grouping it. Pitfall.
Shaughnessy: The ally does not have a head: inauspicious.
Cleary (2): Accord without leadership bodes ill.
Wu: The association leads to nowhere. It will be foreboding.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: There is no possibility of a good issue. Wilhelm/ Baynes: Therefore he also fails to find the right end. Blofeld: No one at the head means anyone to complete the work of administration. Ritsema/ Karcher: Without a place to complete indeed. Cleary (2): Accord without leadership has no conclusion. Wu: The association leads to nowhere, because it is a dead-end.
Legge: The magnetic sixth line is trying to promote union with the lines below after the time for union has passed. It is too late -- she is symbolized as "without a head," that is, as not having taken the first step, from which her action should begin and go on to completion.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The situation bodes ill. No good ending can be expected in the absence of the right beginning. It is too late.
Wing: The moment for Unity has passed. Right from the beginning something was amiss and all attempts toward union inspired failure. Examine the situation to determine the extent of your error.
Editor: This line echoes the last phrase of the Judgment: "With those who are too late in coming it will be ill." That is: one who cannot hold together, by definition cannot participate in unification. (Cf. Wu’s Confucian Commentary: “The association leads to nowhere, because it is a dead-end.”)
He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters. -- Luke 11: 23
A. Without disciplined organization, unification is impossible.
Other titles: Conflict, The Symbol of Contention, Strife, Litigation, Quarreling, Arguing, Lawsuit, "It is important to mind one's step at the very beginning then things will have a chance to work out all right." -- D.F. Hook
Judgment
Legge: Stress indicates that despite sincere motivations, one still meets with opposition and obstruction. Maintain an apprehensive caution. To prosecute the contention to the bitter end will produce evil results. It is advantageous to see the Great Man. It is not advantageous to cross the great stream.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Conflict. You are sincere and are being obstructed. A cautious halt halfway brings good fortune. Going through to the end brings misfortune. It furthers one to see the great man. It does not further one to cross the great water.
Blofeld: Conflict. Confidence accompanied by obstacles! With care, affairs can be made to prosper in their middle course, but the final outcome will be disaster. It is advantageous to visit a great man, but not to cross the great river (or sea). [In general, this hexagram indicates that we have little chance of success in any conflict, dispute or lawsuit in which we are now engaged and that retreat is the best policy -- unless line one or five is a moving line, in which case the position is more hopeful. We can profit from the advice of someone truly wise, but a journey of any kind at this time would be disastrous.]
Liu: Conflict; you have sincerity even though obstructed, stop halfway -- good fortune; follow to the end -- misfortune. It is of benefit to see a great man, but not to cross the great water.
Centering significant. Completing: pitfall. Harvesting: visualizing Great People. Not Harvesting: wading the Great River. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of a dispute. It emphasizes that actively expressing your claims and objections is the adequate way to handle it. To be in accord with the time, you are told to argue!] (Sic)
Shaughnessy: Lawsuit : There is a return; pitying and tranquil, it succeeds to be auspicious, but in the end is inauspicious; beneficial herewith to see the great man; not beneficial to ford the great river.
Cleary (1): Contention; there is blockage of truth. Caution and moderation lead to good results, finality leads to bad results. It is beneficial to see a great person, not beneficial to cross a great river.
Cleary (2): …Wariness within leads to good results, but ending up that way is unfortunate … etc.
Wu:Litigation indicates an obstruction of trust. If the subject is vigilant, he will have good fortune. If he is libelous to the end, he will face foreboding. It will be advantageous to see the great man. It will not be advantageous to cross the big river.
The Image
Legge: The image of water moving away from heaven forms Stress. The superior man, in accordance with this, takes good counsel about the beginning of any enterprise.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Heaven and water go their opposite ways: the image of Conflict. Thus in all his transactions the superior man carefully considers the beginning.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes sky and water in opposition. The Superior Man does not embark upon any affair until he has carefully planned the start.
Liu: Heaven and water go in different directions, symbolizing Conflict. The superior man contemplates the beginning before undertaking an enterprise.
Ritsema/Karcher: Heaven associating-with stream, contradicting movements. Arguing, a chun tzu uses arousing affairs to plan beginning.
Cleary (1): When heaven and water go in different directions, there is contention. Superior people plan in the beginning when they do things.
Cleary (2): … When leaders do things, they plan to begin with.
Wu: Heaven and water go in opposite directions; this is Litigation. Thus the jun zi plans well before taking actions.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: The coming together of Strength and Peril gives the idea of Stress. A dynamic line in the central place in the lower trigram shows how there will be good fortune if one maintains apprehensive caution; but because contention should not be taken to extremes, there will be evil if one prosecutes his contention to the bitter end. The great man sets a value on the due mean. If one attempts to cross the great stream, he finds himself in an abyss.
Legge: The upper trigram of Strength here controls the lower trigram of Peril which is trying to attack it. Or it may also be seen as someone in a perilous situation contending with strong outside forces. The image is of contention and strife. The sincere yang line in the middle of the trigram of Peril gives a character to the whole figure -- an individual so represented will be very cautious and have good fortune. But since contention is bad, even a sincere individual must fail if he pursues it to the bitter end. The fifth line represents the great man, whose agency is sure to be good. His decision in any matter of contention will be correct. The sixth line is also dynamic, but his action is likely to be too rash for a great enterprise, hence the warning about not attempting to cross the great stream.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: Be careful, don't attempt much, and don't allow the situation to get out of hand.
The Superior Man is judicious about his choices of action to ensure that the situation remains stable.
The hexagram portrays a high level of tension. Wilhelm points out that the only "favorable" line is the ruler in the fifth place, and that all of the other lines symbolize people quarreling. It should also be noted that lines one through four counsel either retreat from contention or remaining passively in place. Only line five suggests that an active struggle can have a favorable outcome, and line six portrays the sorry fate of those who insist on "demanding their rights." If we turn the hexagram upside down we have Waiting, which suggests some subtle truths about the proper way to handle stress.
He who has a taste for dispute has a taste for blows, the man of haughty speech courts destruction. Proverbs 17: 19
At deciding lawsuits I am no better than anyone else; but what is necessary is to bring about a state of affairs in which there will be no lawsuits. Confucius
Note that Ritsema/Karcher's summation of the Judgment stands in stark disagreement with the general tenor of the figure: I have never received this hexagram when that interpretation has applied.