I went out for a walk, trying to keep my attention on the feet, a form of meditation.
But after some time I failed
I was thinking of this thread about three blind men describing an elephant.
Like hex44 in Legge's version, Richmond's and Huang's are very different.
(I read up on them while thinking of Hujambo's post about a job)
Describing different aspects, or more specifically giving different analogies about the same thing.

For example:
a) One helps an older person to cross the street
b) Doctor treats an injury
c) Man brings flowers to his wife
d) Bird nurses its young
e) Shaman performs sacred ritual
f) Mom lets her grown-up children go their ways
g) Friend asking friend - how do you do?

All these are just instances of - you've guessed it - love.
And I was wondering what are the true images/meanings of the hexes, that all different authors try to convey to us.

I continued my stroll, and an idea came in.
The 1st line of every hexagram carries its true meaning.
Have you noticed that?

58.1 → 47 (Restriction), Richmond:
Joy of inner wholeness. Good fortune.

16.1 → 51 (Shock), Legge:
Shows its subject proclaiming his pleasure and satisfaction.
There will be evil.

42.1 → 20 (Observing), Richmond:
It is time for great works. Greatest good fortune and no error.

20.1 → 42 (Increasing), Legge:
Shows the looking of a lad - not blamable in men of inferior rank, but matter for regret in superior men.

5.1 → 48 (Life Source), Richmond:
Waiting at the outer edges. To maintain constancy guards against error.

3.1 → 8 (Holding Together), Wilhelm:
Hesitation and hindrance.
It furthers one to remain persevering.
It furthers one to appoint helpers.

8.1 → 3 (Arduous Beginnings), Richmond:
Unity with confidence is without fault, like a bowl that is full. Good fortune will be added.

62.1 → 55 (Abundance), Daniels:
If you aim too high you will fall.

47.1 → 58 (Encouraging), Legge:
Shows its subject with bare buttocks straitened under the stump of a tree.
He enters a dark valley, and for three years has no prospect (of deliverance).

And 6th line depicts 'the end' spoken about in the 1st.

Also I was wondering what if there is a sequence/schema in this thing of 32 pairs, all connected though 1st lines. Maybe a drawing will emerge..

what an interesting thought! I like it and will consider it in future when casting

I think I've misspoken.
I was describing two ideas, what is the true word/image of the hexagrams?

And another one - 1st line gives a real feeling of the hexagram, from the author's point of view.
Wilhelm has comments about an Image and about the Judgement, and it's really hard to get the grasp of its meaning.
In 44 for example he writes:
THE JUDGMENT
COMING TO MEET. The maiden is powerful.
One should not marry such a maiden.

The rise of the inferior element is pictured here in the image of a bold girl who lightly surrenders herself and thus seizes power.

--
The image of COMING TO MEET.
Thus does the prince act when disseminating his commands
And proclaiming them to the four quarters of heaven.

The situation here resembles that in hexagram 20, Kuan, CONTEMPLATION ( VIEW).
...
The ruler is far form his people, but he sets them in motion by means of his commands and decrees.

Huh?

Yet if you read all the lines - no maiden is there at all.
Fishes, no fishes, carriage and pigs, hidden melons, horns..
First line is clearly about stopping something, preventing. And the rest is kinda the same, prevention by different means.

Well, we have a hexagram, let's say 44.
A temporary and/or dangerous affair with a woman, which should not be prolonged.
Once any line changes, the hexagram is not 'intact' anymore.
The meaning of the hexagram is not what it was (hence the pigs, fish, melons, etc).

Tuck Chang has written an amazing detailed analysis of the theory of lines.
A very small excerpt, related to your post:

The master line of a hexagram
There are two different kinds of master line; one is called the founding line and the other, the host line.
The founding line is the one by which the meaning of a hexagram is formed, and from which the hexagram name and its significance is derived. (...)
The host line is the one that dominates the whole hexagram to fulfil the assigned mission. It is usually line 5, the one at the primary axle centre and the king’s position.

Click to expand...

Thanks I'll have a look!

But you know in 48 and 50 and 56 the judgement of the hexagram and the lines are in accord.
So to me it feels that this 'founding line' or even all the lines give a better story.

53 - Marriage of a lady, yet we see the flight of geese in the lines.
20 - Ablution, ritual yet lines tell of looking and watching and contemplation.

I believe that in all the hexagrams the hexagram and its lines are in accord.
For example, 53 is about betrothal, and the geese are a symbol of marriage.

One also has to take into account the meaning of the character, and the glossary.
For example, 20 "GUAN The character represents a man with a big eye" (LiSe).

All these symbols, in 56 traveller is a traveller, 48 well is a well. I guess I understand clear images taken from nature better than human philosophical ones. There is some logical stretching (sometimes far-fetched), in Legge's comments he also acknowledges that.

That's why in case of 53, I prefer it as Gradual Progress towards a goal.
I get it often about switching to prana and healthier body, 53.6 promising success in the end.
Marriage is just a part of the elephant... Only one aspect.

That's why I want to understand the root image, the root idea of a hex.
20 Man with a big eye yes, contemplation/looking as the lines say.

All these different ideas/meanings compressed into 64 images make it hard to understand the readings.
Which one of them is meant for me right now? And if you read multiple books each having it's own idea .. chaos.

The best image for 53 I've ever found is LiSe's, a waterwheel.
I have found this to apply to so many situations, so accurately, as a symbol.

The I Ching is a language of archetypal symbols, similar around the world.
But also there's the text, there's the Chinese character, there's how the hexagram looks, there's the trigrams, there's how many lines, if any are changing etc etc etc. It does look like chaos, and there are so many things to take into account.

This is why we need imagination and intuition.

Once my partner had an accident, and his ribs hurt him a lot. I asked the I Ching, are his ribs broken? I got an unchanging 2. Without reading the text or anything else, I could see that I had infront of me a picture of what broken ribs look like. The answer is often given in mysterious ways.

Tuck Chang's analysis is really great! Thank you again Diamanda.

46.3 Ascending into empty city, 3rd line goes up into the three empty ones! Simple but so true

47.1 One sees nothing for three years - he needs to get to the 4th line, across the abyss/valley made up by .1.2.3.

11.4 Is also more clear to me, feminine 4th line hovering up and down above the male ones, not trusting them enough to start a relationship.

I keep stumbling upon little gems, although some ideas are still sooo far-fetched