Small steps of gentle persistence naturally lead to clearer understanding and deeper insight.
From
9
Small Restraint
To
20
Contemplation
Displaying one's goods
The others want one to show them the works that one has done. taoscopy.com
Small Restraint9
Focus on the small details and subtle actions. Gentle persistence and restraint will gradually lead you to success.
↓ Line 1
Returning to the right path brings good fortune. There is no blame in correcting one's course.
↓ Line 2
Being open to guidance and returning to the right path leads to good fortune.
↓ Line 3
Disruptions and misunderstandings can cause tension and conflict in relationships.
↓ 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 Taming Power of the Small, The Symbol of Small restraint, The Lesser Nourisher, Taming the Small Powers, Small Accumulating, Small Harvest, Small Obstruction, Nurturance by the Small, Restraint by the Weak, Restrained, Minor Restraint, The Weak Force, The Force of the Small, Weak Forces Restrain Strong Forces "The restraint is small, success follows. Overcoming something small which is poisoning or nagging. Partially relieving a situation. Influencing that which one cannot change.” -- D.F. Hook
Judgment
Legge:Passive Restraint brings about progress and success. We see dense clouds, but no rain coming from our western borders.
Wilhelm/Baynes: The Taming Power of the Small has success. Dense clouds, no rain from our western region.
Blofeld: The Lesser Nourisher. Success! Dense clouds giving forth no rain approach from the western outskirts. [On the whole, this hexagram presages good for us. The wind blowing across the heavens does not have the nourishing virtues of rain, but it refreshes us and makes us feel better. Thus, if things are going reasonably well with us, we may expect an improvement, especially in the future when, presumably, the nourishing rain will fall. However, as lines three and six indicate, if we are in serious trouble, we must not expect much help from the rather mild good fortune that is blowing our way. The conception of something weak or yielding bringing great benefit has been greatly developed by the Taoists who, as though they were familiar with judo, recognize the strength to be found in softness and the dangerous weakness sometimes occasioned by too much strength. The name of this hexagram understood somewhat differently may also be taken to mean that the time is propitious for undertaking additional activity or the care of the young.]
Liu: Taming the Small Powers: success. Thick clouds come from the west. No rain. [This situation symbolizes the preparation which precedes a new development.]
Ritsema/Karcher:Small Accumulating, Growing. Shrouding clouds, not raining. Originating-from my Western suburbs. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of a variety of seemingly unconnected events and impulses. It emphasizes that retaining and hoarding these experiences through adapting to them is the adequate way to handle it...]
Shaughnessy:Small Harvest:Receipt; dense clouds do not rain from our western pasture.
Cleary (1):Nurturance by the small is developmental. Dense clouds do not rain, proceeding from one’s own western province.
Cleary (2): At small obstruction, nurturing the small succeeds… (etc.)
Wu:Restraint of the Small indicates pervasiveness. There are dense clouds, but no rain coming from our western countryside.
The Image
Legge: The image of the sky with the wind moving above it forms Passive Restraint. The superior man, in accordance with this, adorns the outward manifestation of his virtue.
Wilhelm/Baynes: The wind drives across heaven: the image of The Taming Power of the Small. Thus the superior man refines the outward aspect of his nature.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes wind blowing across the sky. The Superior Man displays his scholarly accomplishments.
Liu: The wind blows across the sky, symbolizing Taming the Small Powers. The superior man improves his ability and virtue.
Ritsema/Karcher: Wind moving above heaven. Small Accumulating. A chun tzu uses highlighting the pattern to actualize-tao.[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): Wind blowing up in the sky is small nurturance; thus do superior people beautify cultured qualities.
Cleary (2): Wind moving up in the sky, nurturing the small. Thus do leaders beautify cultured qualities.
Wu: The wind blows in the sky above; this is Restraint of the Small. Thus the jun zi refines his splendorous virtue.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: In the ninth hexagram the magnetic line takes her proper place, and all the lines above and below obey her -- hence the name Passive Restraint. The figure is composed of the trigrams of Strength plus Flexibility. Dynamic lines occupy the central places, and their will is accomplished -- this means progress and success. Dense clouds but no rain depict the advancing dynamic lines, but their source in the west shows that their beneficial influence has yet to be felt.
Legge: The symbolism of the hexagram Passive Restraint is taken from the magnetic line in the fourth place which holds all of the dynamic lines in restraint. This is because the fourth place is properly passive (magnetic), and the response of the other lines is therefore one of submission to her authority.
The second sentence of the Judgment indicates the time and place of King Wen whose homeland was the western portion of China in the twelfth century B.C. Rain coming and moistening the ground causes the luxuriant growth of the natural world, and symbolizes the blessings which flow from good government. Therefore from the west, the hereditary territory of the legendary author of the I Ching, come the blessings which might enrich the whole kingdom. Here, however, they are somehow restrained -- the dense clouds do not yet empty their stores. Ch'eng-tzu, Wang Feng, and other scholars say, in effect: Dense clouds should give rain. That they exist without doing so shows the restraining influence of the hexagram at work. But the dynamic influence of the other lines still continues, and the rain will eventually fall. The wind moves in the sky and then ceases -- it can restrain for a time, but not indefinitely.
Cleary (1): Being strong, yet acting submissively, the submissiveness subdues the strength, and strength cannot act on its own. The heart grows daily humbler, while the virtue grows daily higher. One can thereby gradually get to the realm of sages. This is why nurturance by the small is developmental.
Cleary (2): When you encounter situations that obstruct you and bog you down, if you do not get resentful or bitter, but just nurture yourself to digest them, you will be successful … Indeed, events and situations that formerly obstructed you can become means of self-development; this is how you succeed …This line (Sic) indicates the value of not grabbing for easy success and the value of long-term results.
Wu:Restraint of the Small means literally small accumulation or small restraint. “Small” is another name for yin. “Small accumulation” or “small restraint” can also mean accumulation or restraint of the yin … When there are clouds, but no rain, it means that something has intervened and prevented the cycle from completion ... The judgment simply means: Many factors can derail a potential success and we should weigh them carefully before making a decision.
Anthony: Our influence is limited by the circumstances… We should avoid ambition to make progress as this exerts a negative pressure on people. It also indicates that we do not yet trust our path of non-action or the power of truth to change the situation…
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: Power is accumulated by gently withholding its expression.
The Superior Man transforms his insights into components of his conscious will. Or: He works on his outer, conscious (as opposed to inner, unconscious), awareness. Or: He lives his beliefs.
Wilhelm's translation of the title of this hexagram is The Taming Power of the Small. I have substitutedPassive Restraintas a phrase more compatible with contemporary English. The titles rendered by the other translators, in my opinion, do not convey the meaning of the hexagram: Liu's Taming the Small Powers even seems diametrically opposed to it, though it is obvious that the title has multiple meanings. In describing the action of the trigrams in this hexagram, Wilhelm conveys its essential meaning. (From Lectures on the I Ching):
The function of wind is to tame creative forces, to accumulate these and to make them visible. It is exceedingly difficult to understand this relationship of forces, because the power used here is not expressed with might, but it is the softest, gentlest, force imaginable. Wind is the least visible of all phenomena, and this invisible wind is now needed to concentrate that which strives upward, the strongest of all phenomena ... The unconscious acts and creates as it must, and we should submit to the surgings of its waves. Only in the peripheral region, in the small free zone of consciousness, can work be taken up each day, and whatever needs refining can be refined. This is not superfluous work. Although this small zone of consciousness and freedom is only a thin rind, its contact with the forces of the unconscious is vigorous ... Hence, that which is seemingly small and insignificant is, after all, the power that succeeds in taming chaos by means of steady work and perseverance.
Lines one through four of the ninth hexagram show different forms of restraint during a time of building tension. The dark clouds are accumulating, and we know that eventually the rain will fall and the tension will be released. Rain always symbolizes a union between Heaven and Earth in the I Ching,which in turn means a synthesis of some sort. In the present instance, the synthesis is still building, and although the tension seems to demand action we are counseled to remain still. The magnetic force must hold the overwhelming pressure of the dynamic forces in check.
The fifth line depicts the focal point at which the forces are gathered, and the sixth line shows the restraint necessary to allow the new transformation to stabilize. If we turn the hexagram over we get Cautious Advance, which depicts a different situation in which very careful action is called for. In the present instance however, no action is correct action.
Through the activity of divine providence, an abundance of blessing descends on the creatures, but this awakening of the power of providence is dependent on the deeds of created beings, on "awakening from below." Gershom Scholem – Kabbalah
Line 1
Legge: The first line, dynamic, shows its subject returning and pursuing his own course. What mistake should he fall into? There will be good fortune.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Return to the way. How could there be blame in this? Good fortune.
Blofeld: How could returning to this path be blameworthy?
Liu: Return to the correct way. Then how can one be blamed? It is good fortune.
Shaughnessy: Returning from the way, what could its trouble be? Auspicious.
Cleary (1): Returning by the path – how could that be blameworthy? It bodes well.
Wu: By returning to his own course, how can he be blamed? It will be auspicious.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: He returns and pursues his own path -- it is right there should be good fortune. Wilhelm/Baynes: This is something that bodes well. Blofeld: This passage assures us of good fortune. Ritsema/Karcher: One's righteousness significant indeed. Cleary (2): It is right that there should be good fortune. Wu: “By returning to his own course” means good fortune.
Legge: Line one is the first line of the trigram of Strength, here occupying its proper place. Therefore, notwithstanding the check of line four, he resumes his movement and will go forward according to his strong nature.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: At the outset, the man presses forward. When obstacles are encountered, however, he returns to the state of greater choice. By not forcing his way, he eventually gains his objective.
Wing: In forcing your way, you meet with obstacles. It is best to hold back to a position where you have the choice of advance or retreat. Then you may concern yourself with the true nature of the situation and react accordingly.
Anthony: In taking hold of the problem, we adopt an either-or attitude, to force some sort of conclusion. This impatience springs from desire and our ego’s attempt to dominate the situation. This is doomed to failure. It is best to return to the path of acceptance and modesty.
Cleary (1): Being strong yet remaining humble, concealing one’s light and nurturing it in obscurity, embracing the Tao and keeping settled, not injuring inner reality by outward artificiality, is to be able to return by way of the path. Being able to return by way of the path, though the nurturance is small, one can gain its nourishment, and strong energy grows day by day; not only is it blameless, it brings good fortune. This is the nurturance of being great yet being humble and appearing small.
Cleary (2): In the first yang, accurate knowledge is strong, so obstacles caused by events cannot do any harm, and so one “returns by the path.”
Editor: Legge's commentary here is inconsistent with his own translation of the line. The strong first line wants to forge ahead, but the idea of the figure is passive restraint, and the symbol of that restraint is his correlate fourth line. He accepts her message and returns to virtue by restraining his forward impetus. Wilhelm's translation expresses this idea as a command to "Return to the way” -- i.e.: "Get back where you belong.” Ritsema/Karcher's rendering of "Returning originating-from tao” is perhaps the most powerful image. This line is sometimes received when doubts arise about the Work or our way of processing it: it is telling us to trust our inner knowing. If this is the only changing line, the new hexagram becomes #57, Penetration, with the corresponding advice: “In advancing and retreating, the perseverance of a warrior furthers.”
A knowledge of the opinions of others may guide us in our researches as long as we cannot find the truth in ourselves, but such knowledge is as liable to mislead us as to lead us right; the only way to arrive at the recognition and understanding of the truth is the development of the knowledge of self. F. Hartmann -- Paracelsus: Life and Prophecies
A. Don't get ahead of yourself. Restrain your compulsive need to act. Don't exceed your authority.
B. Image of a return to normalcy.
C. Remain persevering in your conduct of the Work. You know exactly what that is.
Line 2
Legge: The second line, dynamic, shows its subject, by the attraction of the former line, returning to the proper course. There will be good fortune.
Wilhelm/Baynes: He allows himself to be drawn into returning. Good fortune.
Blofeld: Compelling ourselves to go back brings good fortune.
Liu: One is influenced to return to the correct way. Good fortune.
Wu: Returning to his own course through association will be auspicious.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: By the attraction of the first line he returns to his own course and is in the central place: neither will he err in what is due from him. Wilhelm/Baynes: Being drawn into returning derives from the central position. Also, he does not lose himself. Blofeld: The idea of not getting lost is also implied. Ritsema/Karcher: Truly not originating-from letting-go indeed. Cleary (2): Leading back into the center and not losing oneself. Wu: The association is central. His position is not compromised.
Legge: The second place is dynamic, and though a magnetic place is not appropriate to him, that place is central. Because of this he restrains himself, does not exceed his authority, and makes common cause with line one.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man does not expose himself needlessly to rebuff by pushing forward when the time is not propitious. He retreats with kindred souls.
Wing: Although you might like to take action, it would be wise to re-evaluate the situation and study the examples of others who have come before you. The time suggests that a retreat leads to good fortune.
Editor: Both lines one and two have a strong urge to advance, but they impose virtuous restraint on this urge and return to their proper places. Sometimes the line can imply not throwing oneself away on an ill-timed venture.
By this method the discerning Kabbalist can decide that it is not wise to move against the tide, but wait for the flow to turn and place an impulse in the ebb that will bear fruit when the active phase begins again. Z.B.S. Halevi -- The Work of the Kabbalist
A. An image of voluntary restraint and a return to harmony (balance).
B. Preserve your integrity by voluntarily retreating from contention.
Line 3
Legge: The third line, dynamic, suggests the idea of a carriage, the strap beneath which has been removed, or of a husband and wife looking on each other with averted eyes.
Wilhelm/Baynes: The spokes burst out of the wagon wheels. Man and wife roll their eyes.
Blofeld: The chariot is separated from the spoked wheel. Husband and wife stand glaring at each other.
Liu: The wheels separate from the wagon. Husband and wife are in disharmony.
Ritsema/Karcher: Carting stimulating the spokes. Husband, consort, reversing eyes.
Shaughnessy: The cart throws its axle-strut; the husband and consort cross eyes.
Cleary (2): The wheels are detached from the cart. Husband and wife look away from each other.
Wu: The wooden pieces holding the axle firmly underneath a carriage come off. The husband and wife look at each other with averted eyes.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: Line three is like a husband who cannot maintain correctly his relations with his wife. Wilhelm/Baynes: When "man and wife roll their eyes," it is a sign that they cannot keep their house in order. Blofeld: Disorder reigns within the house. Ritsema/Karcher: Not able to correct the home indeed. Cleary (2): They cannot cohabit. Wu: They cannot maintain proper relations.
Legge: Line three, though dynamic and in its proper place, is not in the center and therefore is less able to resist the restraint of the fourth line.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The circumstances favor the weak. Progress is frustrated by external, apparently minor, impediments. The net effectiveness is that of a wheel without spokes.
Wing: The opposition appears minor and advance seems possible. Yet the situation is not in your control. If you insist upon forging ahead confidently you will be defeated by no end of annoyances. This has a most undignified appearance.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Here an attempt is made to press forward forcibly, in the consciousness that the obstructing power is slight… External conditions hinder the advance… We do not yet heed this hint from fate, hence there are annoying arguments like those of a married couple…
Anthony: This symbolizes a thing falling apart, losing its shape, integrity and usefulness. The situation falls apart when we bring controversial matters up, rather than allowing them to arise spontaneously. We rush things when we are afraid that the right time may not occur soon enough. Under the influence of fear we are unable to attain the objectivity we need to find the right solution.
“Power lies with the weak.” True power, in dealing with the obstinate power of the ego, or with Fate itself, is in letting go, not taking hold in trying to make points, or engaging in arguments, or striving to overcome the situation. It also lies in reticence, tranquility and detachment.
Cleary-2: In the third yang, one relies on unfertile intellect and so is stymied by obstacles that arise in the course of events: concentration and insight are both damaged.
Editor: Progress is halted due to a polarization of thoughts and feelings: emotion refuses to conform to reason. Psychologically: when our emotions don’t match our rationalizations, progress is impeded. This line often portrays a situation in which logic and affect clash with fated circumstances: emotion rules when reason fails to resolve a seemingly simple dilemma. If this is the only changing line, hexagram #61, Inner Truth, is evoked, with a corresponding line portraying the effects of inconstancy and lack of will.
If a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. Mark 3:25
A. Inner turmoil creates disunion and halts advancement.
B. Thoughts and feelings are out of synch with what is happening.
C. An image of impotent frustration which blocks the Work.
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.