57. Sun / The Gentle (The Penetrating, Wind)

[rodaki]

hello all

at the risk of getting too much into free association, I'll add another possible interpretation of the three catches in 57.4 . .

what if the 3 types of things caught are three tokens of recognition?

There are plenty of recognition scenes in greek mythology but one that definitely stands out is the one between Odysseus and Penelope which unfolds by means of three signs:
the scar, the bow, the bed

the scar: is the scar Odysseus got as a young man in an initiatory hunt from a wild boar. His old maid recognizes it when she's ordered to wash the old beggar (Odysseus in disguise) that visits Penelope. The maid tries to tell Penelope, but this on its own is not enough . .

the bow: the bow is Odysseus old great bow which demands great strength to be used. Penelope declares that she will marry that suitor (while Odysseus was away lot's of suitors gathered round the queen trying to win her and the throne, a case of 44?) that will manage to string the bow and use it in a shooting contest. Penelope thus gives Odysseus the opportunity to give her the second sign of his authenticity and also provides him with the weapons with which he can rid the palace of the suitors vying for his realm

the bed: the bed is the final trial for Odysseus who reacts strongly when Penelope orders for the bed to be moved out of her bedroom. The reason is that one of the bed's feet is actually the trunk of a living olive tree and the bed can be moved only if they cut the tree -severing the living bond of the couple. Odysseus, who built the bed himself- is one of the very few people who know about it . .


not sure if the original text supports this meaning for 57.4, but myths don't always have to relate to reality . .


:bows:

 

[charly]

... another possible interpretation of the three catches in 57.4 ... what if the 3 types of things caught are three tokens of recognition?

There are plenty of recognition scenes in greek mythology but one that definitely stands out is the one between Odysseus and Penelope which unfolds by means of three signs:

the scar, the bow, the bed

the scar: is the scar Odysseus got as a young man in an initiatory hunt from a wild boar...

the bow: the bow is Odysseus old great bow which demands great strength to be used...

the bed: the bed is the final trial for Odysseus who reacts strongly when Penelope orders for the bed to be moved out of her bedroom. The reason is that one of the bed's feet is actually the trunk of a living olive tree and the bed can be moved only if they cut the tree -severing the living bond of the couple. Odysseus, who built the bed himself- is one of the very few people who know about it . .

not sure if the original text supports this meaning for 57.4, but myths don't always have to relate to reality ...

:bows:

Dora:

I'm glad to inform you that the chinese text do support this meaning, or at least, I believe so.

品 pin3,among others, has the sense of GRADE, I remember that some authors interprete it as getting an administrative job after an exam, even more to get success in the three ordalies.

Then:

悔亡。
REMORSE VANISHES.

田獲三品。
In the FIELD TAKE the THREE TESTS
獲 = to hunt / to catch / to take putting strong disposition , grasp, grab, seize

From: https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/rwb/www/gaming/pearls/index.html​

(to be continued)

P.D. I believe the the only true and deffinitive ordeal is that of the BED, maybe PENETRATION UNDER THE BED means that without real undestanding that things are deep rooted in reality, we are not able to move it. Hard to understand the chinese text without the Ulysses connection.

Yours,


Charly

 

[my_key]

Nine in the fifth place means:
Perseverance brings good fortune.
Remorse vanishes.
Nothing that doesn't further.
No beginning, but an end.
Before the change, three days.
After the change, three days.
Good fortune.

In the situation described in Ku, WORK ON WHAT HAS BEEN SPOILED (18), an entirely new point of departure must be set up, whereas here it's only a question of reforms. The beginning has not been good, but the moment has been reached when a new direction can be taken. Change and improvement are called for. Such steps must be undertaken with steadfastness, that is, with a firm and correct attitude of mind; then they will succeed, and remorse will disappear. But it must be remembered that such improvements require careful consideration. Before a change is made, it must be pondered over again and again. After the change is made, it's necessary to note carefully for some time after how the improvements bear the test of actuality. Such careful work is accompanied by good fortune.

Here's a few thoughts on where we are at 57.5 -
The story so far..........After having set out like a warrior, gone looking under the bed to get to the root of things, realised what we have been missing has been right in front of our eyes and then accepting what the rewards our new awareness could be we now step into the realms of the beginning of the reversal. Repeating the initial comment of the 'homecoming' made by Wilhelm.

Everything is ripe for the picking, the penny has dropped. If we carry on meditating on things before we do them and then afterwards incorporating the lessons learnt into how we behave then everything in the garden will be rosy.

Maria posted elsewhere
The Missing Piece Meets the Big O or The Missing Piece
which needs a home somewhere in this thread.

Mike

 

[rodaki]

hi Charly,

great that my ideas can help -I'm curious to read the 'continued' part of your post!

Mike reminds us that this boat needs to keep on moving, so here come Richmond's words on 57.5:

Intuitive awareness of the life force feeds identity with feeling to identify amongst; in this tao it is inactive (line 2 is yang) so here identity becomes aware of feeling that is in its quiet phase and pays attention to it

Continuance in the way brings good fortune
Regret disappears, everything brings advantage.
Not a beginning but an end.
Three days before and three days after.
Good fortune

To recognize the tranquil as worthy of notice is the beginning of the end of the separeteness of identity, so continuing brings good fortune, regret disappears together with separate ambition. Everything brings advantage as nothing is rejected -this is the process of change, the middle of it, three days before it and three days after it
The I Ching Oracle

He makes his identity in many variable ways of feeling (at the mid-point between inner and outer) and moves freely amongst continual change
Language of the Lines

hmm, don't get much of this line, still too quiet I guess . .

p.s.: btw, I'm starting to realize I'm one of these people that can really go overboard with the 'thanks' button . . so I'm holding back from thanking people for past posts, except most recent inspiration

 

[fkegan]

Hi Mike and Dora,
Hex57.5 >> 18 which right off the top is a big double dose of 3 days before, 3 days after.

Gia-Fu Feng called hex 57 BENDING and the notes "double bending is to reiterate the orders."

Applied to this fifth line, the place of overall organization, a moving Yang line suggests the the repeated bending that causes fatigue and a completely new break that brings new opportunities.

Frank

 

[charly]

...Everything is ripe for the picking, the penny has dropped. If we carry on meditating on things before we do them and then afterwards incorporating the lessons learnt into how we behave then everything in the garden will be rosy.

Mike:

I also believe that H.57 is speaking about how to face critical times.

This sort of time is foreseeable, then we can be prepared.

Critical times don't pass from one moment to another, are processes, then we must followup the results of our provisions.

Maybe the advice is: be ready, catch yourself strong from the handle and don't loose it too quick, the shake could return ... and meanwhile, think on the future appearence of the garden.

Are your sure that all in it will be rosy?

Yours,


Charly

 

[charly]

...I'm curious to read the 'continued' part of your post!
Mike reminds us that this boat needs to keep on moving, so here come Richmond's words on 57.5:

Dora:

I'm still thinkink on how to continue with the Odyssey trials, in the picture, the old man in the boat is Ulysses, who are the ladies on earth? The old man knew another women before come back to his wife, and to the trials.

Moving to 57.5:

貞 zhen1:chaste / preseverance / divination / omen /
吉 ji2: fortunate / lucky /
悔 hui3: remorse / regret /
亡 wang2: to die / to perish / to disappear /

无 wu2: without / not / no /
不 bu4:negative prefix / not / no /
利 li4: advantage / benefit / profitable /

无 wu2: without / not / no /
初 chu1: at first / beginning / first /
有 you3: to have / there is / there are /
終 zhong1: end / finish /

先 xian1: early / prior / former / in advance / first /
庚 geng1: 7th day in a 10-day week / age / change /
三 san1: three / 3 /
日 ri4: day / sun /

後 hou4: after / behind /
庚 geng1: 7th day in a 10-day week / age / change /
三 san1: three / 3 /
日 ri4: day / sun /

吉 ji2: lucky /
​

Hard times will arrive, thus, not one but three spells are necessary:

DIVINATION: LUCKY
Be the omen lucky
Be the perseverance lucky

REMORSE DISAPPEARS
Disappear the remorses
No regrets
All is allowed (?)

NO UNPROFITABLE
Be a time of some profit
​

After this sort of begining, what follows ?

NO BEGINING HAS END
No principles, have goals (?)
No matters how but why (?)
The Unborn will die (?) (1)​

Hard times, indeed, and now what?

BEFORE «X» THREE «Y», AFTER «X» THREE «Y»
Before change three days, after change three days.
Before 7th.day three days, after 7th.day three days.

or even...

Before change three SUNS, after change three SUNS.
Before 7th.day three SUNS, after 7th.day three SUNS.
... a portent, of course.


Instead the seriousness of the times, the result will be lucky:

LUCKY
Fortunate
Propitious​

Maybe the text also supports the BUGGY alternative. You're no aware when the song of the CRICKET begins, it seems to be interminable, but at last ends. CRICKETS, like ANTS, are good for wether foreseeing and, first of all they are LUCKY BUGS, their song is omen of health, wealth and love, three things that people look for.

I wonder what Ulysses did three days before the last ordeal and what three days after it.

Yours,

Charly

________________________
(1) The UNBORN are WE. Our linneage has no known begining, but ourselves are finite. Our life will not last for ever, better take care of yourselves... and be happy.

 

[rodaki]

hello all

we now step into the realms of the beginning of the reversal. Repeating the initial comment of the 'homecoming' made by Wilhelm.

Everything is ripe for the picking, the penny has dropped. If we carry on meditating on things before we do them and then afterwards incorporating the lessons learnt into how we behave then everything in the garden will be rosy.

Mike

Frank:

Applied to this fifth line, the place of overall organization, a moving Yang line suggests the the repeated bending that causes fatigue and a completely new break that brings new opportunities.

Thank you both for the above . . I had to mull over your words for some time to get what is going on with this line but maybe I have reached an understanding which I'll try to elaborate further on


Charly,
tis true, Odysseus met other women before reaching his homeland Ithaca . . most notable of them were Circe and Calypso -he stayed 'captive' in Calypso's island for whole 7 years loving her and probably being lured by her promises to make him immortal since she was a goddess herself. As to arriving on ship, it was part of his story to reach most his destinations ship-wrecked . .
I am a bit wary though in sticking with the Odyssey analogy, maybe because I find it rather easy to get carried away and try to fit things even if they don't really fit. Anyway, I'm sure there are other cases of tri-partite recognition, it was just that the Odyssey was the one that came into my mind. I was really surprised discovering an article that read the same sub-structure of narrative in Odyssey and in Japanese folktale
(http://www.nanzan-u.ac.jp/SHUBUNKEN/publications/afs/pdf/a270.pdf)

Having said that, tis also true that there seem to be fitting similarities to line 5 too o)
Before claiming back his realm Odysseus made sure he had prepared his moves really thoroughly -after he killed the suitors was also very thorough and cautious about possible reactions . .
The first thing he did, was of course to recount his adventures to Penelope, listen her troubles, and renew their bonds as husband and wife
But he didn't stay in conjugal bliss . . next thing was to go meet his father among his vineyards, who had aged pre-maturely out of grief . . another touching recognition, with Odysseus recounting the stories of all the trees that father and son had planted together. His father, Laertes, former king and Argonaut goes through a transformation, from tattered old man to his former royal self (18.5? hmmm . .)
Third thing, was to face -along the rejuvenated Laertes- the relatives of all the dead suitors, who came from noble families, by now enraged by the young men's death (the suitors in the meantime have joined other fabled characters in the Underworld)

but let's take our little excursion to ancient greek myths with a grain of salt . . this is still the I ching we are unravelling ()


aww, written so much but still not my understanding of 57.5 and have to dash out (preparing my long-awaited for and hard-earned vacations . . be back soon . .


:bows:

 

[rodaki]

( . . .)WARNING 1: really long post coming . .

so, this line was pretty hard for me to grasp, but Frank's "repeated bending that causes fatigue and a completely new break" gave me a clue on how to approach it to understand . . . I went through Clarity's archive and located explanations given to posters asking about it. What was also very helpful in this was that I got to also see a couple of very illuminating cases of questions where Yi gave 57.5 . . so I'm gonna quote what made sense to me here and I hope the posters won't mind my quoting out of original context . .

--Dobro
57.5 says in essence: "You're doing the right thing - trust your judgement - and you're in the middle of a process that's going to take some time and which will reveal itself to you in stages, but it's a very auspicious direction and you should be without any regret right now."
Lienshan
To me The Gentle is active energy and recently I made this reading of I Ching no. 18:
If You are looking at something, that at first sight might look a bit difficult, then it's sometimes tempting to jump over, where the bar is lowest. This is the mistake most people do. Sometimes it works fine and other times it fails, because they in reality jump in blindness. That's why You shall choose, where You benefit the most to jump over, even if this maybe cost You a little extra energy here and now, because then You can look at yourself in the mirror in the future.
Rosada
Perhaps 57.5 > 18 is encouraging you to take a class, maybe a variety of short classes where you don't have to put in a great length of time before you're able to evaluate if you're getting anything (or anyone!) out of it.
(http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/friends/showthread.php?t=4252)

--Martin
I think the answer says two things:
- be flexible, don't rigidly adhere to or blindly follow a system or what has become tradition.
- on the other hand, also don't switch to a new method too fast. Think about it first and test it.
(http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/friends/showthread.php?t=5309)

--Ewald
carefully and cautiously planning for something, and seeing things through after it is done.
(http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/friends/showthread.php?t=558)

--Candid
I asked about some difficult trials and received 57.5 to 18
(http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/friends/showthread.php?t=1296)

--Willowfox
Hex 57.5 > 18 first, decide on a plan of action but in the knowledge that you are due for a fortunate change in your situation, what you have to do is to keep persevering as it will take time for success to reach you, so you should continually keep a watch on your progress and correct anything that is not right straightaway.
Hex 18 means to correct your previous mistakes, see what they were and learn how to avoid them, then you will be successful.
Jimnammack
Hexagram 57 basically speaks of effectively influencing your environment by taking small steps for now. It indicates also that these small steps will have a bigger impact than you might think.
Moving line 5 says that if you adopt this strategy, all things will work in your favor.
Hexagram 18 pretty much means what it says. Part of your strategy should include fixing or mending what needs fixing or mending.
Bruce_g
line 5 speaks to the process of coming to clear conclusions, and fixing (18) false or outdated understanding. Improving your understanding ‘improves your situation’.
(http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/friends/showthread.php?t=4386&page=2)

--Jesed
Prospect for an agreement in the palestinian-israeli conflict withinh next 6 months
(when i wrote "agreement" I wasn't thinking in "peace agreement", or a "definitive solution" to the conflict... just thinking in some kind of understanding that improves the situation a little bit)
57.5
(http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/friends/showthread.php?t=598)

--Maremaria
I asked Yi “based on what you respond” 57.1.5.6 > 11
(http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/friends/showthread.php?t=4903)

the above cleared my clouds . . so went back to Charly's post and tried to see what I could make out of Chinese bag
What most puzzled me was:

无 wu2: without / not / no /
初 chu1: at first / beginning / first /
有 you3: to have / there is / there are /
終 zhong1: end / finish /

先 xian1: early / prior / former / in advance / first /
庚 geng1: 7th day in a 10-day week / age / change /
三 san1: three / 3 /
日 ri4: day / sun /

後 hou4: after / behind /
庚 geng1: 7th day in a 10-day week / age / change /
三 san1: three / 3 /
日 ri4: day / sun /

I remember reading here in Clarity (I think it was from Bradford) that 10 days was a whole circle of time, so, if in 7th day, we're over the middle of the journey, but not yet there. We're standing in the middle of the second part (improvised thought: 5th line, we're in the middle of upper trigram)

The beginning/end part was harder to get.
Wilhelm:
"Regret disappears, everything brings advantage.
Not a beginning but an end."
Charly:
"NO UNPROFITABLE
Be a time of some profit
NO BEGINING HAS END"

how about (tentative thought)
Regret disappears
without disadvantage
Not at first/Not in the beginning
(but) In the end/There is (still) the end


:bows:

 

[rodaki]

time for holidays is here -no civilization for me for the coming weeks
take care everyone!

 

[my_key]

Hi Mike and Dora,
Hex57.5 >> 18 which right off the top is a big double dose of 3 days before, 3 days after.

Gia-Fu Feng called hex 57 BENDING and the notes "double bending is to reiterate the orders."

Applied to this fifth line, the place of overall organization, a moving Yang line suggests the the repeated bending that causes fatigue and a completely new break that brings new opportunities.

Frank

Hi Frank
I'd really like to understand a bit more your comments here.
I'm seeing double bending more as going back on oneself - You have gone one way and then heard the orders again and realised that you should really be going another way and perhaps this is more about having a flexibility to bend rather than the complete break that you state. Would you be able to expand on your viewpoint a bit.
Plus what do you specifically mean here by a double dose of 3 days before...3 days after?

Mike.

 

[fkegan]

Structural analysis of hexagram 57 Streaks

Hi Frank
I'd really like to understand a bit more your comments here.
I'm seeing double bending more as going back on oneself - You have gone one way and then heard the orders again and realised that you should really be going another way and perhaps this is more about having a flexibility to bend rather than the complete break that you state. Would you be able to expand on your viewpoint a bit.
Plus what do you specifically mean here by a double dose of 3 days before...3 days after?

Mike.

Hi Mike,

Gia-fu's complete hex 57 judgment and image is:

BENDING. LITTLE BLISS. FRUITFUL TO TAKE ACTION. FRUITFUL TO SEE THE GREAT MAN. Double bending is to reiterate the orders. Bending the hard, correct in the center the will will prevail. The gentle fully follows the hard, therefore a little bliss. Fruitful to take action. Fruitful to see the great man.
Image: Winds blow continuously and successively. Bending. The master reiterates his orders and puts them into effect.

More likely bending into the 4 winds and thus sending orders all over. Probably not bending 4 times, but into all the constant and sustained winds by redoubled effort.

The line judgment for hex57.5 and the hexagram judgment for hex18 both use the phrase 3days before...3 days after.

Wilhelm notes the distinction between this line and hex 18, but as an oracle you get both. No discussion in Wilhelm of that Oracle reality, which would indicate he did not consider the use of the Oracle, just the moving lines of 9 in the 5th place, a specialization I find intriguing. He translated the commentaries, but had no interest in the divination.

Double bending yields the notion of reiterating official orders. Not being Chinese, all that bending brings to mind a paper clip that would break from metal fatigue. It is a bit of a joke. Perhaps a Taoist jibe at the Confucian official giving such exact orders instead of sailing on the wind himself and away from his job.

My Flux Tome name for hex 57 is Streaks or in light of the trigram Streaks, Streaks Repeated. The structure is 2 Yang lines followed by a Yin line place, repeated. The sequence upward of the 2 leading Yang lines is tempered by the opportunity appearing behind them to diffuse into that following open Yin place. This produces the gentled or fluid motion of the trigram and when doubled the open Yin place prevents the 4 Yang lines from forming together, it remains 2 Yang lines diffusing downward twice over and separately. They are all moving powerfully and correctly forward through the sequence, but in a fluid motion that also is perhaps forming eddies.

Any of Streaks, Streaks Repeated, Bending, Double Bending, or the Gentle, Penetrating, Wind can be illustrated by that 6-place line symbolism. That is what I like about the lines as symbols rather than the words as carriers of exact meaning.

Frank

 

[charly]

time for holidays is here -no civilization for me for the coming weeks
take care everyone!

Dora:

Enjoy good hollidays up to the maximum !

Good luck!


Charly

P.D. When you come back, maybe will your avatar come back too?

 

[charly]

...
how about (tentative thought)
Regret disappears
without disadvantage
Not at first/Not in the beginning
(but) In the end/There is (still) the end
:bows:

Dora:
Good take. This put more emphasis in remorse preparing the things for the second part.

Yours,

Charly

 

[my_key]

Hi Mike,

Gia-fu's complete hex 57 judgment and image is:

BENDING. LITTLE BLISS. FRUITFUL TO TAKE ACTION. FRUITFUL TO SEE THE GREAT MAN. Double bending is to reiterate the orders. Bending the hard, correct in the center the will will prevail. The gentle fully follows the hard, therefore a little bliss. Fruitful to take action. Fruitful to see the great man.
Image: Winds blow continuously and successively. Bending. The master reiterates his orders and puts them into effect.

Frank
Thanks for the full post of Gia Fu's text. I'm taken by the "Bending the hard, correct in the center the will will prevail." So some sort of bending things to our will. We have had the cobwebs blown away by the "wind blowing continuously and successively" and now we are being advised again, by our master -the great man, to put things into action. The thing that flows and changes (not so sure breaks from fatigue is how I'd see it) as a result of our new will being harnessed and applied is our old attitudes and behaviours.

Yes I can see how this fits now for me.

Mike:

I also believe that H.57 is speaking about how to face critical times.

This sort of time is foreseeable, then we can be prepared.

Critical times don't pass from one moment to another, are processes, then we must followup the results of our provisions.

Maybe the advice is: be ready, catch yourself strong from the handle and don't loose it too quick, the shake could return ... and meanwhile, think on the future appearence of the garden.

Are your sure that all in it will be rosy?

Hi Charly
Yes I can see that it is saying that as well. Our new awareness, perhaps fuelled by our past regrets, gives us additional insights of what the future might bring for us and how we may be impacted in future transitions. An element of being forewarned is forearmed.

I agree that the future appearance of the garden may not be totally rosy, but I know that at some point after I have spread all the manure around and worked it well into the soil that there will be a wonderful show of roses to follow.

Be Well
Mike

 

[my_key]

57.6

[FONT=&quot]Nine at the top means:[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
Penetration under the bed.
He loses his property and his axe.
Perseverance brings misfortune.
A man's understanding is sufficiently penetrating. He follows up injurious influences into the most secret corners. But he no longer has the strength to combat them decisively. In this case any attempt to penetrate into the personal domain of darkness would only bring harm.
[/FONT]

 

[Trojina]

[FONT=&quot]Nine at the top means:[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
Penetration under the bed.
He loses his property and his axe.
Perseverance brings misfortune.
A man's understanding is sufficiently penetrating. He follows up injurious influences into the most secret corners. But he no longer has the strength to combat them decisively. In this case any attempt to penetrate into the personal domain of darkness would only bring harm.
[/FONT]

some say he looks too hard into the darkness, some that he doesn't look hard enough. wonder which it is ?

 

[charly]

some say he looks too hard into the darkness, some that he doesn't look hard enough. wonder which it is ?

Trojan:

I have highlighted some Wilhelm/Baynes, with strange results.

... I don't dare to paste here...​

I still think that the key could be the double translation of 巽 sun4 as GENTLE and as PENETRATION. Legge also had some troubles with respect to the same word. I go to look for my notes.

Meanwhile:

巽sun4: a sign in the BaGua / to obey / to yield /
在zai4: at / in /
床chuang2: bed / couch / ... altar (Rutt) /
下xia4: under / lower / below / to decline / to go down /

喪sang4: mourning / funeral / sensible loss /
其qi2: his / her / its / theirs / that / such /
資zi1: resources / capital / supply / money /
斧fu3: hatchet / ax / axe / ... power (figurative) /

貞zhen1: divination / omen / perseverance / chaste /
凶xiong1: fierce / terrible / ominous /
​

I wonder why is now unfortunate to penetrate under the bed and not before. Maybe it's unfortunate only when losing money and health (power).

A BUG AT BED BELOW.
Whatever be 巽, a cricket or making things together, under the bed
It would be a lucky omen if not ...

If LOSING MONEY and POWER,
say, what is love if you have not health nor money?

OMINOUS.
... of course

​

Now I understand better W/B (1)


Yours,

Charly

____________________
(1) W/B: «He follows up injurious influences into the most secret corners» Maybe he lost money and health frequenting brothels. Sometimes people confound poetry with lust (2).

(2) Lost in translation:

​

Please read: «Lost in translation: Max Planck Forschung»
at: http://shanghaiist.com/2008/12/11/lost_in_translation_max_planck_fors.php
or: «Chinese 'classical poem' was brothel ad»
at: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-e...se-classical-poem-was-brothel-ad-1058031.html

 

[rosada]

Dear Friends,
I have access to a computer for a bit today so I am going to post further details about what Wilhelm says regarding 57.6...

Nine at the top:

a) Penetration under the bed.
He loses his property and his ax.
Perseverance brings misfortune.

b) "Penetration under the bed." At the top, the end has come.
"He loses his property and his ax." Is this right? It brings mifortune?

By penetration under the bed, the second line establishes connection between what is above and what is below, and so sets everything in order. Here, however, the penetration signifies merely dependence and instability. Thus the line loses what it possesses of firmness (the line, strong in itself, loses its strength because it is at the top of the hexagram of gentleness), together with its ax (nuclear trigram Tui means metal), so that it is no longer capable of any decision. Persistence in this attitude is definitely harmful.
Wilhelm

 

[my_key]

At 57.5 we had reached a position of awareness that nothing that we an do is wrong. Everything comes up smelling of roses, or everything that we do furthers us in some way shape or form. Even if we can't always see it as having that higher good impact, that is what is happening.

Now here we stand at 57.6 and we can't just leave things alone, we can't just let all the things that are happening to us play out their role, we have to start poking around and meddling with them. Because we don't really know what we are doing, our 'penetrations under the bed' has tended to tip over the gazunder and we unwittingly spoil some of what we have and what we own. If we carry on like that it's going to make the situation worse not better.

It's a sort of call to us, a reminder to remember that nothing really needs fixing, even though we might strongly believe that we should be fixing something. If we can find the joy in our hearts in all that we do or that happens to us then that is when all is well. However, it's when we think we know best and try to fix something that isn't broken that things have a tendancy to go off the rails.

Mike

 

[charly]

... details about what Wilhelm says regarding 57.6...
... Here, however, the penetration signifies merely dependence and instability. Thus the line loses what it possesses of firmness ... together with its ax ... it is no longer capable of any decision. Persistence in this attitude is definitely harmful.
Wilhelm

Hi, Rosada:

Time ago I have a cat that passes most of his life under the bed because he fears to be attacked by humans or even by another cats.

The cat felt safe, but maybe, not a good atitude towards life.

But why to remain under the bed at the cost of loosing possessions and firmness?

Maybe the guy «is afraid the sky may fall on his head»:

Abraracourcix, called Vitalstatistix in the English books, the chief of the tribe. Majestic, brave and hot-tempered the old warrior is respected by his men and feared by his enemies. Abraracourcix himself has only one fear; he is afraid the sky may fall on his head tomorrow. But as he always says, 'Tomorrow never comes.'

From: http://www.asterix-international.de/asterix/characters.shtml

Still remains why to penetrate under the bed is sometimes good, sometimes bad.

Not alone but with diviners and sorcerers good, alone having lost money and axe, bad.

I wonder why Legge that used to translate 巽 as flexibility, humility, compliance, here renders «penetration» and why W/B when translating the name of the trigram give «The Gentle, Wind, Wood» but in the line «penetration».

Yours,

Charly

 

[Trojina]

Synchronously (synchronistically ?) I have spent a great deal of time under my bed today...cleaning under it...terrible what you find under there when you look..I'd have been happy to find sorcerers and diviners or a cat...rather than.....

...anyway its clean under my bed now buut really the entire day was wasted because i just got side tracked by all kinds of weird possessions around and under the bed and did not accomplish anything i had intended to when i woke up this morning. Good grief maybe my life is tuning in with where we are in the memorising threads


57.6 Time to clean under your beds folks, go into those corners you normally avoid, find things you forgot you ever had, waste time looking at them and wondering what they are for and if they're yours at all.


Maybe we could move on to 58 ?

 

[rosada]

Excellent suggestion!
I have access to a computer this morning so I will post it immediately.

My traveling about and being able to only get on line now and then for just a few words this last month seems fitting for 57. ..

rosada

 

[rodaki]

stormy weather

dear friends
. . safe and docked while the winds are howling outside at 7-8 beaufort (reaching 9.5 on strong gusts)

winds started last night, under the light of a brilliant moon,dark smoked clouds running wild - a couple of skies higher, different clouds, diferent wind direction -winds passing by one another, dancing around the moon . .
there was a strange party at sea last night -of course no one slept.
I lied on the deck, among forces of nature -images came flushing in my mind, I was taken aback by their force . . went below deck to ask Yi, Yi said 57 straight . . gentle wind huh? not gentle at all in the Aegean during August

went back outside and let the winds spiral me up and leave me down again -gently- . . . cleanse . . .
checked things in the morning; all valuables in place

the party is still going strong today, our boat is firmly tied to the docks (double ropes, some with springs at their end to release tension) but still obeys the wind, it tugs at its reins like a wild horse seeking to roam
Gusts come bringing down 'snakes' -that's what they call them, winds blowing through rigging and masts making piercing, hissing sounds
a candle lit and a prayer for those out on the sea at times like these . .
thought I'd sent a card postal for the 57 gallery

-windswept

 

[Sparhawk]

Now, don't tell me the Yi has no humor! I have a standing alert for Yi related keywords in Twitter and this woman wrote last night:

Though I don't believe in it I just asked the I Ching if my crush likes me. The hexagram I threw was called 'gentle penetration'. Um...

​

Heck, that's a new convert...

 

[midaughter]

57 In Divination

This is a favorable hexagram. Let the winds fill the sail and be off!
From Spoon River Anthology: I now I know that we must lift the sails and catch the winds of destiny wherever they drive the boat. To put meaning in one's life may invite madness but a life without meaning is the torture of restlessness and vague desire. it is a boat longing for the sea and yet afraid.

 

[hilary]

Now, don't tell me the Yi has no humor! I have a standing alert for Yi related keywords in Twitter and this woman wrote last night:

Though I don't believe in it I just asked the I Ching if my crush likes me. The hexagram I threw was called 'gentle penetration'. Um...

​

Heck, that's a new convert...

 

[charly]

...
I lied on the deck, among forces of nature -images came flushing in my mind, I was taken aback by their force . . went below deck to ask Yi, Yi said 57 straight . . gentle wind huh? not gentle at all in the Aegean during August
...

Hi, Dora:

Good to have news from you.

WIND, when gentle, is called BREEZE. Maybe the main sense for Wind is FREEDOM. Be free for to choose behaving with gentleness or with roughness, depending on circumstances (of the wind).

Wind and Bugs are closely related:

風
feng1, Wind
​

... is composed of 虫 BUG / INSECT and SQUARE SAIL 凡 , say, WIND IS THE MISTERIOUS ENVIRONMENT WHERE BUGS NAVIGATE.

Bugs are sailors, wanderers, people like us. People that like freedom.

All the best,

Charly

____________________________
PD:

Maybe the gentle is the sail that almost wraps the bug, wich is, of course, the penetrating.

Ch.

 

[rodaki]

hello everyone
and thanks for your comments on this!
for now the winds have cut short my holidays and brought me back to the city (grmph)

just to make sth clear so I won't be misunderstood, there was nothing sexual about my thoughts that night (even though I have gotten 57 for like matters, hmm . . ), but that experience was about blowing apart things that shouldn't be there, like the really bad temper I had those days -which I had attributed to the coming full moon taking place in my moon sign . .
it did fell somewhat too strong though which got me startled and asked Yi about it . . well, 57 did feel a reassuring reading

 

[bradford]

Still remains why to penetrate under the bed is sometimes good, sometimes bad.

I think you're missing the point of the line here - and of the whole hexagram.
It's about thinking twice, rethinking initial premises and assumptions.
See my commentary.