When the Sage tells you to shut up

[pagan]

Today I received several messages from the IC that all seemed to be telling me to shut up. 52.5, 31.6, 61.2 and 43.3.

From Wilhelm's translation:
52.5, KEEPING HIS JAWS STILL, THE WORDS HAVE ORDER, REMORSE DISAPEARS.

31.6, THE INFLUENCE SHOWS ITSELF IN THE JAWS, CHEEKS AND TONGUE. Wilhelm says of this line: "the most superficial way to influence others is through talk that has nothing behind it..."

61.2 is about sharing with others but Wilhelm mentions that Confucius says about this line:
"The superior man abides in his room. If his words are well spoken, he meets with assent at a distance of more than a thousand miles. How much more then from near by! If the superior man abides in his room and his words are not well spoken, he meets with contradiction at a distance of more than a thousand miles. How much more then from near by! Words go forth from ones own person and exert their influence on men. Deeds are born close at hand and become visible far away. Words and deeds are the hinge and bow spring of the superior man. As hinge and bow spring move, they bring honor or disgrace. Through words and deeds the superior man moves heaven and earth. Must one not, then, be cautious?"

43.3, TO BE POWERFUL IN THE CHEEKBONES BRINGS MISFORTUNE and some commentary talk about this line warning one to "shut up completely."

I asked the Sage: By 52.5, 31.6, 61.2 and 43.3 are you telling me to shut up today?

The answer was 46.3 to 7.

Are there any other lines that talk about being reserved in speech?

[martin]

Why do you post this Pagan?
Did the IC not tell you to shut up?

http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/lol.gif

[ewald]

2.4
Tying-up the sack.
Without fault, without praise.

I read somewhere (can't seem to find where, though, but made a note of it) that the expression means "to close one's mouth and keep quiet".


Ewald

[pagan]

Yes, 2.4 can also be seen as keeping our mouth shut. Hexagram 6.1 and 2 can also fit into that category.

I paid close attention to my speech with people yesterday and no particular event occured where I felt that what I did or didn't say was a critical factor, but then...
Last night, not even thinking of the readings, I dug through my storage and got out all of the old songs that I have written in the past ten years; lots and lots of words. I know that some of the songs contained content that would possibly shock people my age. And I spent some time listening to the recordings I made of the songs and realized that I needed to really do a haiku treatment on my lyrics; shave them down to the most essential ideas and images. I started doing that and it was a real rennaissance for me as far as my creative juices are concerned. I think maybe that was the crux of the messages yesterday.

One thing that I get from the IC is that words should be specific to what NEEDS to be said; general admonitions are worthless because they can't be applied by the listener so it ends up being extra intellectual baggage more than anything else. For this reason, I don't think that the IC gives us 'a thought for the day' that has no correlate to our experience, because it seems directly opposite the wisdom of the Sage to expound on generality and not apply it to experience.

PS Martin: mercury aspects every planet in my chart and is the focus of a T square involving mars, uranus and jupiter. So it is really hard for me to shut up.