48. Ching / The Well

[frank_r]

Goes back to the pole which lowers the pot must be long enough to reach the water. In this case, the water is accessible, the brain just needs to recognize it.

Hi Bruce,

I just studied the brain for acupuncture, in TCM they say that the brain is part of this water, the essences that are expressed by the pre heaven situation. The brain is the most subtle, most yang essence(water) there is in the body. And the brain guides us to find the flow of life. But also the brain only finds this water when we are connected with our own history.

Frank

 

[meng]

Hi Bruce,

I just studied the brain for acupuncture, in TCM they say that the brain is part of this water, the essences that are expressed by the pre heaven situation. The brain is the most subtle, most yang essence(water) there is in the body. And the brain guides us to find the flow of life. But also the brain only finds this water when we are connected with our own history.

Frank

Very interesting, Frank. I had to laugh at "the brain only finds this water when we are connected with our own history", because this was just posted to my blog:

The colder snap in the air makes my brain recall so many feelings, and those feelings have greater weight than what caused those feelings; as if the feeling existed before I even got there, and I caught up with it through the event where I experienced the feeling. And now, I catch up with it again, but this time going backwards.

http://www.yijing.nl/candid/blog.htm

 

[rosada]

"The well is cleaned, but no one drinks from it." This is the sorrow of the active people.
They beg that the king may be clear-minded, in orfer to attain good fortune.

This line is strong and at the top of the lower trigram, therefore the well is cleaned. No relationship exists between the lower and the upper trigram, hence the isolation. Within, however, there are unifying tendencies, because both nuclear trigrams in their movement indicate upward direction; hence the regret of the active people (represented by these nuclear trigrams) and the hope that the king may become clear- minded. The king is the ruler of the hexagram, the nine in the fifth place, which is connected with the present line through the upper nuclear trigram Li, clarity.
-Wilhelm

 

[ravenstar]

I think Ravenstar's right on regarding the personification of the water that's in the well, and I wonder if she's picked up some of those character traits from the relating hex 29? If so, good catch.

Thanks meng. I did relate it to hex 29 after pondering on it for quite awhile.

 

[meng]

Hi Bruce,

I just studied the brain for acupuncture, in TCM they say that the brain is part of this water, the essences that are expressed by the pre heaven situation.

Frank, would you elaborate on this? What is TCM? And what is meant by a pre heaven situation?

I'm interested in what brain/acupuncture connections you've learned in your studies. I particularly find the timing of sensation from point of contact to registry in the brain interesting. I've seen cases where the brain senses pain before any signal from the point of contact can travel to the brain. As though the brain's response happens prior to it receiving signals through the nervous system. That's an internal psychic phenomena of sorts, where the brain precedes the time of an event. Ah, maybe this a pre-heaven situation?

 

[maremaria]

Trying to catch up this thread. Very-very interesting comments from all of you about 48.3. I saw things I haven’t noticed . thank you. :bows:

Seen 29 as a reservoir is only about our own history, our past or something more than this. A bigger reservoir ?

Maria

 

[meng]

A bigger reservoir ?

A big, BIG question. Probably the biggest that mankind has ever grappled with.

"Thou art that."

 

[meng]

Because it relates to 48 and speaks to Maria's question.

http://www.sivanandaonline.org/graphics/spritual_life/liberation/understaning_thou.html

 

[frank_r]

The brain and Pre Heaven

Frank, would you elaborate on this? What is TCM? And what is meant by a pre heaven situation ?

Hello Bruce,

TCM is short for Tradiotional Chinese Medicine, the pre heaven situation is the Fu Shi sequence. In acupuncture there are two situations where the energy is coming from the first is the genetic part, the part you got from your parents, grandparents etc. This is connected with the element water and especially the kidney. It's called the essences, this is the energy resorvoir that is getting more empty during lifetime. The emotion fear and the vitue wisdom are connected with it.

Th other situation is post heaven(expressed through King Wen sequence) this is the cycle where we generate new energy from. And this is done by the stomach and spleen both part of the element earth.
By transforming food, stomach generates energy out of physical food and the spleen does this from mental experience, we fill the energy reservoir.

I'm interested in what brain/acupuncture connections you've learned in your studies. I particularly find the timing of sensation from point of contact to registry in the brain interesting. I've seen cases where the brain senses pain before any signal from the point of contact can travel to the brain. As though the brain's response happens prior to it receiving signals through the nervous system. That's an internal psychic phenomena of sorts, where the brain precedes the time of an event. Ah, maybe this a pre-heaven situation?

Yes I think also that we are more than nerves and chemicals, we are also spiritual beings.
In acupuncture you have severall expressions of this so called essences, this genetic part of us. The water (history) part of us. For instance the brain, marrow and the bones are all expressions of this essense. The brain is the part that is the most yang as being the top of the head, on the top of the head there is this so called point the place of the 10.000 meetings. With this point there is a connection with Heaven. At the same time there is this connection with the essences our own genetic history. The pre heaven(Fu Shi) connection. In the head there are also 7 orifices, the number connected with the 7 emotions. So there is also a strong relation with the emotions, the now. So you have Heaven on top, emotions from the now and relations with history all connected with the head and especially the brain.

BTW Bruce a vey nice text.
Frank

 

[meng]

That's great, thanks, Frank!

Some interesting terms, i.e. the place of the 10,000 meetings. Wonder if there's a connection to Tzu's 10,000 things? Also essence of bones and marrow reminds me of the term "I can feel it in my bones". It must be a fascinating line of work you're in.

 

[maremaria]

Thanks for the link Bruce. Very useful !!!

Frank, I have the same question about the 10.000 meeting and 10.000 things. Can you say a little bit more about it ? And if I’m not asking a lot, about “In the head there are also 7 orifices, the number connected with the 7 emotions.” Which are those "officers" or those 7 feelings ?

Maria

 

[frank_r]

Some interesting terms, i.e. the place of the 10,000 meetings. Wonder if there's a connection to Tzu's 10,000 things? Also essence of bones and marrow reminds me of the term "I can feel it in my bones". It must be a fascinating line of work you're in.

Hello Bruce, I was thinking the same as you did I thought also about the poem about the 10.000 things. but I had a look at the translation of the point that is called Bai hui, the hundred meetings. so exaggerated it a bit.
And yes it's fascinating to work with this material.

BTW I just looked into the translation from LiSe and she is writing at the sabian signs: 9 at 3 from hexagram 48; An orangutan Use your head. He too has brains, he uses them.

Frank

 

[frank_r]

Frank, I have the same question about the 10.000 meeting and 10.000 things. Can you say a little bit more about it ? And if I’m not asking a lot, about “In the head there are also 7 orifices, the number connected with the 7 emotions.” Which are those "officers" or those 7 feelings ?

Maria

Hello Maria,

The 7 orifices are the 7 openings in the head, 2 from the eyes, 2 from the nose 2 from the ears and 1 from the mouth 7 together. 7 is the number connected with the physical soul(on the place of trigram lake in the Lo Shu, the magic square). 7 is also the number connected with the outbursting of live with his senses.

The 7 emotions are
- nu 怒 -anger connected with the liver.
- kong 恐 - fear connected with the kidney
- xi 喜 - elation and le 樂 - joy connected with the heart (Xi le is one emotion)
- bei 悲 - sadness connected with the lung-
- you - oppression and grief connected with the spleen, lung and liver
si - 思 - overthinking connected with the spleen
Jing - 驚 - fright connected with almost all organs but especially the kidney

When we look to the characters of the emotions we see that anger, fear, sadness,grief, overthinking all have the heart 心 in the character ..
The characters of xi and le both connected with the heart have a lot to do with music, especially le - joy. This character shows a great drum, with bells and chimes on either side. These drums are great big drums like those suspended in temples.
With fright there is no connection with the heart, this is the emotion during a terrorist attack it is scattering the energy. There is no centre anymore. The people are TAO NAN as they call it in China. They lost contact with the TAO.

Frank

 

[maremaria]

Frank, thank you

I like the heart/joy/drum image.

maria

 

[meng]

BTW I just looked into the translation from LiSe and she is writing at the sabian signs: 9 at 3 from hexagram 48; An orangutan Use your head. He too has brains, he uses them.

Frank

lol, quite to the point.

 

[rosada]

48.4
Six in the fourth place means:
The well is being lined. No blame.

True, if a well is being lined with stone, it cannot be used while the work is going on. But the work is not in vain; the result is that the watr stays clear. In life also there are times when a man must put himself in order. During such a time he can do nothing for others, but his work is nonetheless valuable, because by enhancing his powers and abilities through inner development, he can accomplish more later on.
-Wilhelm

 

[hilary]

I read somewhere (sorry, memory like a leaking jug...) that special pottery rings were baked just to line the wells. That would be a big undertaking, many steps to go through to reach the goal. You could probably get by without lining your well, just patching it up as you go along, enough to stop it falling in completely, and maybe letting the water stand long enough for the worst of the mud to settle out. Can't we just make do - does it really need lining?

Hence the 'no mistake', I think. Also, 28 contains that idea of overdoing it, and 28.4 re-emphasises the importance of a structure that will hold.

 

[Trojina]

I read somewhere (sorry, memory like a leaking jug...) that special pottery rings were baked just to line the wells. That would be a big undertaking, many steps to go through to reach the goal. You could probably get by without lining your well, just patching it up as you go along, enough to stop it falling in completely, and maybe letting the water stand long enough for the worst of the mud to settle out. Can't we just make do - does it really need lining?

Hence the 'no mistake', I think. Also, 28 contains that idea of overdoing it, and 28.4 re-emphasises the importance of a structure that will hold.

Thats sounds like 21st century capitalist values lol as in the work must go on', no time to stop and look to the basic health or soundness of a thing or a body. I think when the well is being lined it will take as long as it takes. I always tend to view it a process more than something you actually do..something in the environment often needs to be ready.

I don't think it will stand 'patching up', no, perish the thought !

 

[meng]

I read somewhere (sorry, memory like a leaking jug...) that special pottery rings were baked just to line the wells. That would be a big undertaking, many steps to go through to reach the goal. You could probably get by without lining your well, just patching it up as you go along, enough to stop it falling in completely, and maybe letting the water stand long enough for the worst of the mud to settle out. Can't we just make do - does it really need lining?

Hence the 'no mistake', I think. Also, 28 contains that idea of overdoing it, and 28.4 re-emphasises the importance of a structure that will hold.

Interesting. So you think the maintenance of the inner structure has a share of something else besides practicality? Something such as status of a community? "They have a lined well!" Bradford's line 4 seems to have some of this image as well, something like that of an effigy. Nothing wrong with that; no mistake.

But is that all there is to line 4? What about the more important role of keeping water reliably clean for consumption or washing?

 

[hilary]

Ah/oh. I meant to imply some quotation marks in there somewhere, and I don't think they came across. Line 4 is a time when we might be saying/thinking that lining the well is a mistake, too much like hard work, overdoing it, or whatever. Hexagram 28 contains reminders that sometimes 'it' needs overdoing; 48.4 says lining the well isn't a mistake (even if you're inclined to think it would be). Short term extremes are practical in the long term.

 

[maremaria]

musing

Musing…

Look like this is the first line where although the well is not accessible here it s not wrong. The well is more “visible” and we take our responsibility of it.
Maybe before that it was "the well" and "us". Now, maybe its more like "our well". We fell more connected with it. We know how we can benefit from it and we start taking care, repairing it, make it stronger. Like building a solid base for our future, like we assume responsibility for our life, play a more energetic role, take actions. We have move to another phase. And this is how I get 48.4 > 28 where 28 is the transition from one phase to another.

 

[ravenstar]

As I contemplated, meditated on hex 48.4, I was guided to this quote which seems so appropriate.....

When the inner life energy, the prana, begins to become active through the practice of holistic techniques, a unique phenomenon occurs. Our own vital energy, the innate intelligent force within us, begins to correct physiological and psychological blocks lodged within the system. We begin to establish a direct form of communication with the healing force within us. We tap our true nature.
Yogi Amrit Desai

I've really enjoy reading Frank's interest and study of TCM. I've also looked at many of your blogs and websites and am amazed of their content. I too have a little blog which was started just last year, in the March 27th issue, Mind/Body Connection, I wrote.....

http://ravenstarshealingroom.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.html (not sure if I'm allowed to post this....

Physics has proven the Mind is not limited to the brain and indeed does dwell in every cell of our body. And these cells are constantly dying and being reborn at a rate of 5,700,000 per second! Every word, every thought, every feeling, every emotion is constantly creating chemical changes in our tissues and organs, which is recorded and reflected in our physical bodies. Just think every six months, we have a totally new body!

Does that mean changing our thoughts creates a transformation within the body? Yes it does! Deepak Chopra explains that the immune system literally listens to a conversation you have with your self….every second of it. He goes on to say that “our immune cells are ‘conscious little beings’; they have their own ideas, notions, intellect and emotions”. Wow! That’s amazing! He also mentions that the immune system and the brain use many of the same molecules to talk to each other…..so the cells of our immune system are constantly filtering through our brain, listening to everything we say and think. Deepak Chopra also tells us our body houses the greatest pharmaceutical company in the world. Our brain can make its own morphine and that our emotions release chemicals called endorphins, which gives us a sense of euphoria and pain relief. So information is constantly flowing and sending messages to every part of your body.

I also believe when we go within and replace the stones/tiles of our well, we are not discarding our past. We are also with alot of satisfaction improving what went before. As we do this, we create something new based on what has already been which also helps to develop a sense of knowng that is right for each unique individual. Everything we turn replace a tile, something new and different is there.....but we need to be receptive to see it. As we continue to repair, our convictions/aspirations/feelings start to rise up from our subconscious mind.

Chi is called the primordial life force. It has also been called prana, sperm or ovarian power and/or the warm current. Awakening the Tao is seen as returning to the Womb or as many call it a kind of Rebirth......this is where, in the beginning, the fetus was in a lukewarm and balanced yin and yang energy.

Frank, I have read that as a baby enters the world, his/her energy slowly settles out into hot and cold parts of the body. As the baby grows to an adult, the hot or yang energy gradually rises to the upper part of the body containing the vital organs such as the heart, liver, lungs and brain. The cold or yin energy seems to settle in the legs, genitals, kidneys and lower abdomen. Is this related to the 7 emotions you mentioned earlier??

To finish this rather long post (sorry ) as we continue to replace the tiles of our well, it re-established the strong fow of lukewarm chi (clear water) which is a mixture of yin and yang. Our organs begin to glow with health and even our cheeks give off a rosy glow (just like that of a child).

ravenstar

 

[meng]

Hilary, ah/oh, gotcha.

Raven,

What an interesting connection, body replenishing cells to lining the well.

 

[Trojina]

Ah/oh. I meant to imply some quotation marks in there somewhere, and I don't think they came across. Line 4 is a time when we might be saying/thinking that lining the well is a mistake, too much like hard work, overdoing it, or whatever. Hexagram 28 contains reminders that sometimes 'it' needs overdoing; 48.4 says lining the well isn't a mistake (even if you're inclined to think it would be). Short term extremes are practical in the long term.

I gotcha too

 

[ravenstar]

I just read LiSe's comments for Hex 48.4

6 at 4: The well is masonry lined. No fault.
Never resign yourself to a low spirit, a depression, lack of inspiration, unhappiness. Do something about it! Anything you can think of: a doctor, a dog, health-food, a guru, leave what should be left, or do what should be done, write or talk, sing or dance, do something crazy or conduct a ritual. Give your soul a myth.

And her comment in the sabian section about "Smiles are soul-talk"

And then I read Franks comments on Hexagram 28 and the Heart Chakra....interesting!!

So........
Body-movement is one way to shift our energies to a higher level, jumping, dancing, breathing and shouting are all devices to make us a little more alert than we ordinarily are. It energizes the body as well as opens our hearts.

And.....cnce you are alert then there is the waiting, alert to the answers with full awareness. And then it comes, surrounding you, playfully dancing around you, cleansing, purifying and transforming you.

ravenstar

 

[frank_r]

Frank, I have read that as a baby enters the world, his/her energy slowly settles out into hot and cold parts of the body. As the baby grows to an adult, the hot or yang energy gradually rises to the upper part of the body containing the vital organs such as the heart, liver, lungs and brain. The cold or yin energy seems to settle in the legs, genitals, kidneys and lower abdomen. Is this related to the 7 emotions you mentioned earlier??



ravenstar

hello ravenstar,

I think the start of the yang and yin are more on a deeper level. The 7 emotions in acupuncture are on the level of the soul, the level of dualism. The deeper level is the level of Spirit where everything is still One. The baby that is living in the uterus is still living on this deep level. In the uterus(which has the name Bao, translated as enevelop, has the same name as the protector of the heart, they both protect the deepest level of live), is the place where live is starting. It's the place between the kidneys.

In acupuncture they make a distinction bewteen the spirits(shen) and emotions. There are severall resemblances but there are also big differences. The emotions are on the level of the soul.
The spirits and emotions are both stored in the heart. The Spirit is pure and the emotions are potentially pathological. The Spirit belongs to Heaven, emotions to Man. The Spirit is calm and gives a perception of oneness. The emotions give movement to the heart and mind and is grounded in dualism.
So I think the baby is still in reach of the Spirit and not so much connected with emotions.
The baby is also connected with the mothers through the blood of the mother. And the spirit of the mother is living in the bloodvessels, so the influence through the emotions is coming from the blood of the mother.

Frank

 

[frank_r]

48-4

With 48-4 there is a change to 28. The hexagram of individualty and death. The changing to something else. 28 is also the House of the spirit(as Ravenstar mentioned connected to the Heart).
Did we have in 47 line 3 a connection with 28 now in 48.4 we again have a connection with 28. Was the connection in 47 more on a interieur personal level here it is a exterieur level. Here in 48 we can talk about it.
In 47 it was connected with past lives, now it has to do what we can change in this lifetime.
Here we can lining the well, here we can make a adjustment to our own character.
If we look to 28-4 this lines points to death as opening upward and outward, culminating in Jing(48), the Well the Source. But we have to take the responsibilty of our own lives. Not to be afraid to live in the now, from the source.

In the terrific book of Jane Schorre and Carinn Dunne Yijing Wondering and wandering, Carinn Dunne is writing" What is perhaps most encouraging is that the core Lines of Yi(27) and Da Guo(28) intertwine in the form of the figure below. Rejecting the lower jaw(27.3) leads to a preoccupation with appearence over reality(22), which results in exhaustion(47). But this exhaustion forces us to dig deep(48), where we come upon our essences(21), which alone can sate the tiger(27.4), who has replaced the magic tortoise, and who is the tortoise(correlation between line 1 and 4) in another guise. The tight bond of the figure below seems to say that if life requires a death, death also brings forth new life.

27.4 -- 21 = 22 -- 27.3
----------- X -------------
28.3 -- 47 = 48 -- 28.4

 

[meng]

The emotions are on the level of the soul.
The spirits and emotions are both stored in the heart. The Spirit is pure and the emotions are potentially pathological. The Spirit belongs to Heaven, emotions to Man. The Spirit is calm and gives a perception of oneness. The emotions give movement to the heart and mind and is grounded in dualism.

"The trigram Kan is also the middle son. The Receptive (2) has obtained the middle line of the Creative (1), and thus Kan develops. As an image it represents water, the water that comes from above and is in motion on earth in streams and rivers, giving rise to all life on earth.

In man's world Kan represents the heart, the soul locked up within the body, the principle of light enclosed in the dark - that is, reason." Wilhelm

:bows:

 

[frank_r]

"The trigram Kan is also the middle son. The Receptive (2) has obtained the middle line of the Creative (1), and thus Kan develops. As an image it represents water, the water that comes from above and is in motion on earth in streams and rivers, giving rise to all life on earth.

In man's world Kan represents the heart, the soul locked up within the body, the principle of light enclosed in the dark - that is, reason." Wilhelm

:bows:

Now, I understand that 29 had so much to do with the heart. Thank you :bows:

 

[hilary]

Musing…

Look like this is the first line where although the well is not accessible here it s not wrong. The well is more “visible” and we take our responsibility of it.
Maybe before that it was "the well" and "us". Now, maybe its more like "our well". We fell more connected with it. We know how we can benefit from it and we start taking care, repairing it, make it stronger. Like building a solid base for our future, like we assume responsibility for our life, play a more energetic role, take actions. We have move to another phase. And this is how I get 48.4 > 28 where 28 is the transition from one phase to another.

Ooh... I like this. Line 4, out in the world, flexing shoulders - or wings, sometimes, but probably shoulders when there's well-work to be done - and so we start doing something to look after 'our well'. 'Assuming responsibility for our life' is also a 28-ish thing in itself - 'noble one sets up alone without fear, withdraws from the time without sadness.'

Funny, I always tend to think of dui as heart. I suppose both are, but kan is in motion: it's the difference between reflection (and inner circulation, conversations, solutions...) and commitment/flow/depths.