14,4 Possession in Great Measure - 4th yang

Rather than a sweeping indication of good fortune, which it is often taken for, this hexagram carries a rich variation of conditions carried by its different lines. The element that actually receives possession in great measure is 5th yin in the sense that, in occupying the noble 5th position, it possesses a person's nobler, more altruistic qualities and, as such, is supported by the remaining lines, which are all yang — in this sense it has possession in great measure. 5th yin doesn’t seek to forcefully present its truths but willingly makes them available when approached “ ‘He whose truth is accessible’: by his trustworthiness he kindles the will of others.” So the truthful core of a Hexagram 14 situation is held by a person or circumstance that doesn’t come out shouting but quietly waits to be approached, or remembered, or understood.

4th yang presents a situation in which one who was originally true to his/her higher principals (5th yin) finds himself approached strongly by 3rd yang - someone with a degree of authority (or a powerful argument) in the situation. This causes 4th yang to doubt his/her allegiance to 5th yin - his original, higher intention. 4th yang is in serious doubt as to his validity in this situation and he is on the brink of being overwhelmed by 3rd yang’s approach. If he can urgently apply accurate discrimination and distinguish his higher principals again, the situation can still be saved but this involves turning away from the compelling arguments of 3rd yang and re-discovering his higher sense of truth.

(A very similar situation can be found for 4th yang / 3rd yin in Hexagram 58 (Wilhelm) )

This is something that is all too often missed on this forum, the nature of the ways lines interact with each other. A number of books talk about this, they don't all tell exactly the same story because there are various possibilities. and so much depends on context. But when multiple lines are changing, the reading generally becomes more complex. Many people do not pick up on this and are thoroughly confused when lines appear to contradict each other. The subject of the interaction of lines is a deep subject, (like the well we have to keep going deeper for the water.) And most of the time we just scratch the surface. And we are often just looking for a simple answer to our question and do not realize the lines can be talking about different people, different aspects of the situation, different timings, or interactions between people.

This is something that is all too often missed on this forum, the nature of the ways lines interact with each other.

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For general information: there is currently a lively on going thread on this very topic in Yi Academy in Change Circle. We are now working through a module in the Foundations Course on multiple moving lines. The link is in my signature.