A take on 7

[bruce]

Nature does favor the stronger species. So does civilization, which only thinks it?s separate from nature. Nature chooses not through sentiment or wishful thinking, and certainly not through ideals, but by brutal testing of endurance and the ability to adapt.

[lightangel]

Lately I've been getting 7 all the time, for all kinds of questions, I find this idea rather interesting...

Do you think it could mean that I should keep my feet on the ground a little bit more? get my hands dirty a little bit more... LOL This might be a bit far from what you are saying but it's what your words suggest to me, at least for now.

It could make sense... Thanks.

[kevin]

Strength is endurance?

Endurance is adaption?

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Yes!

--K

[bruce]

Hi Lightangel,

There's so much to be said about 7, or any hexagram. This is only a moment of inspiration I thought I'd share.

Let's see if Lao-Tzu might agree, shall we?

Heaven and Earth are impartial;
they treat all of creation as straw dogs.
The Master doesn't take sides;
she treats everyone like a straw dog.

Guess it's good to gird up the loins and make strong your convictions, then? Assume responsibility and not be a whiner? lol

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[lightangel]

Roger that!
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[simple_complexities]

Quote Bruce:-

"Nature does favor the stronger species. So does civilization, which only thinks it?s separate from nature. Nature chooses not through sentiment or wishful thinking, and certainly not through ideals, but by brutal testing of endurance and the ability to adapt."

Lao Tzu also said:-

"What is in the end to be shrunken,
Begins by being first stretched out.
What is in the end to be weakened,
Begins by first being made strong.
What is in the end to be thrown down,
Begins by being first set on high.
What is in the end to be despoiled,
Begins by being first richly endowed.

Herein is the subtle wisdom in life:
The soft and weak overcomes the hard and strong."

The upper trigram of 7-Legions is one of Earth, yielding, the lower trigram one of Gorge, venturing.

When the upper trigram is field, it means that your outer energy does not impose upon the energies of others, it allows space for theirs to mingle freely and feels no competition from yours;
Lao Tzu:-
"Therefore, the Sage manages his affairs without ado,
And spreads his teaching without talking.
He denies nothing to the teeming things,
He rears them but lays no claim to them.
He does his work and sets no store by it,
He accomplishes his task, but does not dwell upon it."

The inner energy of 7 is Gorge, to venture, to take risks and most importantly to dissolve differences, this is how water works, it yields, but has a firm centre.

The hexagram of Legions follows from Hexagram 6 - Arguing. It does not follow Arguing in the natural cycle of things, but it is related profoundly. If one is arguing with you, their outer energy is Force, see it like their auric or electromagnetic field as such. The Force they exert outwards is a natural expression of them wanting to impose their point of view, so they fill the space between you and them with their creative energy in the hope that their view is stronger than yours. Arguing also uses Gorge as an inner energy, for it ventures, takes risks.

If you replied to someone who was arguing with you (Outer-Force, Inner-Gorge), with the same energies they were, you would not get very far, purely because you are competing with each others space, there is no penetration.

Therefore, a realising person would adapt his standpoint in this situation, by utilising the yielding, nourishing qualities of Field, this way the opposing Force does not feel a need to compete as there is now "space" or "tao". And the inner quality of Gorge with its solid centre but yielding shell allow Legions to venture and yet yield, moving the heart of the aggressor - Lao Tzu - "...And spreads his teaching without talking." When the Sage sets his energy to one of space for others, he is already teaching the way of the Tao, the way of interpenetration.

Hence the symbol tradition reads:-

"A Chun tzu (realising person) tolerates to accumulate crowds"

Hence Lao Tzu saying:-
"The soft and the weak overcome the hard and the strong"

[simple_complexities]

The purpose for 7 is extremely versatile, I used 6-Arguing as an example of energy interaction.

[lightofdarkness]

universally, 7 shares space with 4. Both deal with acts of socialisation, be it uniformity across the board (7), and so unconditional, or conditional form in socialisation through education (4).

7 has its basic architecture prior to 'filling' described by analogy to hex 41 - (the act if distillation, concentration is an act of 'decrease' that, if it goes wrong is literal 'decrease')

hex 4 has the description of its basic architecture in hex 19 - issues of approaching/deferring to low/high etc.