Blog post: Limping disentangled

[hilary]

Limping disentangled

‘Above the mountain, there is water. Limping.
Noble one turns himself around to renew his character.’

Hexagram 39, the Image

When the Image authors talked of ‘turning oneself around’ in Hexagram 39, they were picking up on a theme in the older layers of text.

To start with, the Oracle says that the west and south are fruitful, the east and north are not, which implies that a 180 degree turn might be a good idea (especially since the constituent trigrams of this hexagram, mountain and water, are found in the northeast and north of the bagua).

And then there are the moving line texts: four of the six lines contrast ‘going on’ with ‘coming back’, which is always the better idea:

‘Going on, limping; coming back, praise.’
‘Going on, limping; coming back, turnaround.’
‘Going on, limping; coming back, connection.’
‘Going on, limping; coming back, maturity.
Good fortune. Fruitful to see a great person.’

Hexagram 39, lines 1,3,4 and 6

It occurred to me to wonder what happened if you changed all these ‘turnaround’ lines…



…and it turns out that this takes you to Hexagram 25, Without Entanglement. A big theme there is understanding what is not well-founded, not real, or not yours, and freeing your energy from it all. Ceasing to ‘go on limping’, turning yourself around, means disentangling completely from all those responsibilities that aren’t yours, or all the things you can’t actually do.

The two remaining lines, 2 and 5, tell a quite different story.

‘A king, a servant: limping and limping.
In no way is he himself the cause.’
‘Greatly limping; partners come.’

Hexagram 39, lines 2 and 5

These two seem to refer to one another: the servant limping along at line 2, coming to the aid of line 5 in this task that’s bigger than either of them.



Naturally, these two change to the complement of 25: not disentangling, but positive engagement and striving in Hexagram 46, Pushing Upward.

 

[radiofreewill]

Yep, I can see that!

Entanglement is like everyone sloshing around in the mud, aimlessly, while trying to carry too much...

It's almost as if the lines can be split apart to reveal, otoh, that going on with the current approach ~ to continue with entanglement ~ will be (1) ignoble, (3) wrongly directed, (4) alienating and (6) immature...

...all of which can be corrected, otoh, by changing course drastically, by turning around...

...to follow the tangle-free king (2) without leaving anyone behind (5).

At least, now, we'll all be limping along ~ together ~ in the right direction (25)...

...which is ascending (46) out of entanglement to see the great person ~ together.

 

[hilary]

I see a very kind editing fairy has visited this thread to add the hexagram images from the blog post. Thank you!

 

[my_key]

As well as the authors talking of ‘turning oneself around’ that is found in the older layers of text, there is also the deep driving forces guiding the nature of the hardships encountered. Hex 64 nucleates the challenges that have to be met by the superior person to counter the limping. They will be encouraged to 'discriminate carefully the nature of things and keep each of them in their proper position' (Huang)

It is also then this call to careful discrimination aided by 'exhausting the masculine will' that will start the loosening that leads down the path of disentanglement.

39.1 - alternating to Hex 63 (Already fulfilled)
39.3 - alternating to Hex 8 (Union)
39.4 - alternating to Hex 31(Mutual Influence)
39.6 - alternating to Hex 53 (Developing Gradually)

Paraphrasing the Images of each alternating hexagram produces an insight into best practice on how to 'turn oneself around' or to call it differently, how to disentangle yourself.

First, start by understanding the way the cloth has been woven(63), then find peace in the relationship of these threads (8), thus allowing you to open your heart and mind without judgement (31). In so doing, you will live a life of greater virtue and continue to improve your lot and the lot of those around you (53).

Living 'Without Falsehood' (25), therefore, can be achieved through 'Growing Upwards' (46) by ones own efforts. Enriching and nurturing ones harmony (25) one small victory at a time (46).