Can someone explain dynamic, magnetic, correlate, and associate mean?

[twilightshadow]

I’m endeavoring to deepen my understanding of the I Ching as much as possible, considering I don’t speak Chinese. Some interpretations, Legge in particular, often refer to dynamic, magnetic, correlate, or associate lines. For example, on Hex 22.5 he refers to the line as magnetic and says it has no correlate with line 2 but associates with dynamic line 6. Can someone explain what those mean and how they affect the reading, particularly if it includes one of those lines? For instance, while a reading is obviously slightly different if you get multiple lines, does their being magnetic vs dynamic or correlates or associates add anything? Thank you for your time.

 

[moss elk]

Dynamic meaning Yang/solid line
Magnetic meaning Yin/broken line.

[Edited]
It's not necessary to study as a way to comprehend the text's meaning or to comprehend your readings,
but It can be useful to know about tendencies with certain positions.
(1, 5, 6..)

But,
If you find something useful in it,
by all means study it.

Tuck Chang talks about it at length on his site/book. Iching123

 

[twilightshadow]

Dymamic meaning Yang/solid line
Magnetic meaning Yin/broken line.


I personally, find that this sort of focus & study on line positions can be considered perpendicular to the texts meaning.
It's Like studying the binding of a book or quality of paper instead of it's contents.

Meaning: it's not necessary to study as a way to comprehend the text's meaning or to comprehend your readings.

Meaning: it's a distraction.

But,
If you find something useful in it,
by all means study it.

Tuck Chang talks about it at length on his site/book. Iching123

Ah. Ok, so magnetic vs dynamic doesn’t seem like it would add much. What about correlate and associate?

 

[Trojina]

I’m endeavoring to deepen my understanding of the I Ching as much as possible, considering I don’t speak Chinese. Some interpretations, Legge in particular, often refer to dynamic, magnetic, correlate, or associate lines. For example, on Hex 22.5 he refers to the line as magnetic and says it has no correlate with line 2 but associates with dynamic line 6. Can someone explain what those mean and how they affect the reading, particularly if it includes one of those lines? For instance, while a reading is obviously slightly different if you get multiple lines, does their being magnetic vs dynamic or correlates or associates add anything? Thank you for your time

I don't think any of it is necessary or relevant for interpreting answers.

If it is interesting to you then study it but it doesn't help practically at all IMO, it's line theory isn't it? I don't even think lines have correlates or associates or that it's a useful way to think about moving lines at all.

I know you are asking for someone to help you with it rather than their opinion on the use of it but just wanted to echo what Moss Elk said, it's not really got a whole lot to do with interpretation so you could happily ignore it all if you wanted to just carry on talking toYi.

To clarify I'm not talking about ideas about what each line position signifies as in line 1 being the beginning, line 4 the line of the minister and so on, I don't think that's what you mean. I think you're talking about line theory where it's said each line is 'trying' to be in relationship with other lines....something like that, well as you demonstrated above, ideas like line 5 has no correlation with line 2 but 'associates' with the'dynamic line 6'.

 

[moss elk]

Ah. Ok, so magnetic vs dynamic doesn’t seem like it would add much. What about correlate and associate?

On second thought, I should say that I do find benefit in knowing that line positions often share
some general qualities, most notably perhaps:
Line 1 is at the beginning of things
Line 6 at the end
Line 5 is the Sovereign/Ruler (many of the Images are drawn from there)

What you are thinking about is written well here:

64 Hexagrams

 

[IrfanK]

Dynamic meaning Yang/solid line
Magnetic meaning Yin/broken line.


I personally, find that this sort of focus & study on line positions can be considered perpendicular to the texts meaning.
It's Like studying the binding of a book or quality of paper instead of it's contents.

Meaning: it's not necessary to study as a way to comprehend the text's meaning or to comprehend your readings.

Meaning: it's a distraction.

Hmm. Yeah, I found myself immersed in Wilhelm's discussion of 47 last night, in book 3, all about the light lines surrounded and hemmed in by the dark lines, correct and incorrect, central and not central, all that kind of stuff. And no, it doesn't really add much to actually comprehending a reading. But it's an interesting background story ... to an extent. It's a bit like knowing about a friend's cultural, ethnic and social background. It's not really necessary, you can just relate to them as you find them, as a person. But it might be interesting to know that stuff. Sometimes it gives you a story to structure your knowledge of them.

 

[Plutonian]

Hello twilightshadow, how's it going?
So, first of all, I need to get this out of my chest...
I find it unbelievable how a majority of people just tend to dismiss any sort of background mechanics as "not helpful to understand a reading". The Yi is not only about interpreting readings, and to understand a hexagrams underlying structure seems essential to me if one pretends to understand the overall body of any one of the signs, why it works the way it does, why it says what it says, what game of forces it is representing, what can it be linked to in the world of phenomena.

For example, take line 1 of hexagram 11, it says "When ribbon grass is pulled up, the sod comes with it.(1)" A literal tanslation is something more like "unroot grass, thereby (uproot) the whole group"(2) Well, you could give it any interpretation you like based on your particular situation, that's for sure!
But if you look at the hexagram structure, you will notice that all three yang lines find their partner in the upper trigram: each yang line finds a yin line that corresponds it and receives it. So, the first line, which starts the hexagram, when it moves ("ribbon grass is pulled up"), it activates the other two lines, for they move as a group! ("the sod comes with it"). And Wilhelm translation ends by saying: "Undertakings bring good fortune.", basically because the upper trigram Kun receives the lower trigram Qian perfectly and doesn't opposes it at all, so it is profitable to advance, namely, to undertake any objectives you have in mind, to "start this quest".
That also explains why the commentary says "purpose is outside", because the purpose of the first line is outside (as are the purposes of the second and third lines), namely, on the upper trigram. Yet, depending on which line the mutation is located in, commentaries are different. Why? because of the nature of each single line. So, know the lines properties, and you shall understand the meaning of the words associated to it.

Now, obviously, you don't rigorously need to know all of this to ask something to the Yi, but some students take the Yi as something more than just an oracular book, but as a guide. A guide towards what? Well, study the book thoroughly, and you shall get some hints. Words in the Yi haven't just been thrown there randomly, and in the same way, I don't think one should understand things randomly, or only based on subjectivity.
But, again, this is only my take on it, I don't mean to say that the above comments are wrong or anything, I just found myself in the same situation of asking something structural and receiving comments such as "ah, that just isn't important you know"...
It is, if it means something to the person asking.

Tuck Chang talks about it at length on his site/book. Iching123

You should definately check out that page, for it does speak a lot about structure and alike.

About your specific question:
correlation means that there are 2 lines of a different nature in positions 1-4, 2-5 or 3-6
associate means that there are 2 lines of a different nature adjacent to eachother. Generally, it is more favorable if the yin stays on the bottom and the yang line stays on the top. Buti guess you can check out for yourself, based in this knowledge, in what places of the Yi it applies, and where it doesnt.

Dynamic meaning Yang/solid line
Magnetic meaning Yin/broken line.

In the specific example you gave, you have no correspondance or resonance between the fifth and second line, because they are of a same nature. But the fifth line does share a bond with the last line, to which it remains receptive. This, at some times, is depicted as a wise man standing on the last line, to whose advice the fifth line is open to. But this isn't always the case.

What i do think, and share with what has been said above, is that you shouldn't stagnate in technical nuances, but rather use them as a tool to understand, and then move on. It is good to build a system, if you can apply it on earth (namely, the words, the "material" of the book). If what you seek is a purely mathematical, technical understanding of the yi, you will be deprived of meaning. I can say "one", and add a whole bunch of metaphysics after it, but if I say "one rabbit", i will actually fill this "one" section with something material. The same works for the Yi. If I had only positions, then i would have only abstract metaphysics. But then again, I put lines over the positions, and so each thing takes a particular meaning of its own.


(1) Wilhelm translation
(2) Based on Hatchers complex translation

 

[moss elk]

So, first of all, I need to get this out of my chest...
I find it unbelievable how a majority of people just tend to dismiss any sort of background mechanics as "not helpful to understand a reading".

please read again, your passion may have caused you to misread.

I, and anothet said "it's not necessary for text comprehension."
Then already qualified that by,
'it can be helpful"

useful? can be.
necessssary?
not necessary.

The Yi is not only about interpreting readings,

Do you use it as a doorstop?

but some students take the Yi as something more than just an oracular book, but as a guide.

You are trying to make a distinction here,
but they are one and the same.

 

[Trojina]

I find it unbelievable how a majority of people just tend to dismiss any sort of background mechanics as "not helpful to understand a reading".

People are perfectly entitled to give their honest view of this. You don't know what 'background mechanics' the 'majority' use and so have no idea what they 'dismiss'. People look at nuclear hexagrams, trigrams, change patterns, structural patterns in Yi, complements/opposites, pairs, it goes on. Just because someone finds line theory less than meaningful it doesn't mean they have dismissed the whole structural aspect of Yi.

And actually if a person is interested in Yi as an oracle then whether something is useful to interpretation does matter and there is no reason at all they shouldn't say so.

The Yi is not only about interpreting readings, and to understand a hexagrams underlying structure seems essential to me if one pretends to understand the overall body of any one of the signs, why it works the way it does, why it says what it says, what game of forces it is representing, what can it be linked to in the world of phenomena.

Line theory isn't especially essential it's a set of concepts about correlates and such, a way of looking at the lines, it's not the absolute bedrock of the study of Yi nor the use of Yi as an oracle. Odd use of the word 'pretends' here, not sure what the implication is? Is it that no one here should interpret since they are 'pretending' to interpret if they do not use line theory along the lines of Legge?

Come to think of it I've yet to see anyone use line theory as Legge does in any readings on this forum and yet still people do readings. Does that make them pretenders? If you do use line theory in readings why not show us how you do it and hop over to Shared Readings and help some people out with their readings? I don't think I've seen you do any readings yet?


Also I don't think people here were just being dismissive I think people, including myself were trying to stress how it wasn't essential, not worth sweating over, he can still read Yi without it it, just in case he thought he couldn't. And that's fine, there is no reason at all one shouldn't say that.

 

[twilightshadow]

Thank you for all of your responses. I will definitely check out the sources suggested. Plutonian, just to clarify, are you saying comments of good fortune, there will be evil, etc are determined based on how the lines and/or trigrams fit together? I thought they were based on what was happening in the line, as well as being a moral judgement and a divinatory prediction, ie if you follow the advice in the line or you act as the superior man, you will have good fortune. If they’re based on the structure of the hex, then that definitely affects my understanding of the reading. It would also explain why there are a few lines where what appears to be acting correctly doesn’t result in good fortune.

Also, you said that Yi is about more than just interpreting a reading, but I think a lot of what you mentioned could affect my understanding of a reading. I actually think that might contribute to people, including myself, sometimes misinterpreting the advice in the reading. If nothing else it might help determine who or what in my situation is being referred to.

One last question, you said some people use it as more than an oracle, but as a guide. What do you see as the difference? Do you mean some people just want to know how things turn out while others ask for advice, or do you mean some people read it like one would read something like the Tao de Ching without actually asking any questions? Thank you again for your time.

 

[IrfanK]

I studied linguistics for a bit at university, and I really liked phonetics. All these complicated symbols to explain the sounds that humans make when they try to communicate! And sometimes you hear a speech sample, and it doesn't quite seem to be following the rules. I remember the tutor always saying, remember, the speech comes first. If there's a contradiction between the speech and the rules, the speech wins and it means the rules aren't quite right. The speech came first and then people made the rules to try and explain it. There was even some quote from some famous linguist: "God made language, humans made the rules to try to explain it."

It reminds me a bit of all this line theory stuff. Sometimes it seems to work and to explain why that particular line is saying what it's saying, but sometimes it doesn't. And when it doesn't, it's about what the Yi is saying, and don't worry about the rules.

 

[moss elk]

The speech came first and then people made the rules to try and explain it.

Bingo.

The Wen & Son publishing company did not write about line theory,

 

[Plutonian]

are you saying comments of good fortune, there will be evil, etc are determined based on how the lines and/or trigrams fit together? I thought they were based on what was happening in the line,

Well, take hexagram 11 and 12, first line.
11: When ribbon grass is pulled up, the sod comes with it. Undertakings bring fortune."
12: When ribbon grass is pulled up, the sod comes with it. Loyalty is fortunate and favorable."
¿Why does it state the same sentence in both hexagrams, only in the first line, but ending them differently?
Think about it.

11: Hexagram 11 has a clear way forwards. Heaven is positioned down, and moves up; Earth is positioned up and moves down. This means encounter between the two hexagrams.

12: Hexagram 12 is the opposite of its predecessor. In this case, you see the bottom trigram staying in its place, and the upper trigram as well. What is up, moves up, what is down, moves down, so there is no encounter at all between both forces. There is no connection, no interrelation, so things stagnate, each one in its place. The "comfort zone", might we say.

In the first line of hex. 11 "undertaking is fortunate" because the time is right to go forth, which is graphically shown by how both trigrams interact with eachother. First line moves up, and this is good according to this particular time, namely, the logic expressed between trigrams, how they fit together, and how good each position is inside of it. First line is good in hexagram 11, is not as good in hexagram 12, its rather bad in hexagram 44, and its excellent in hexagram 24.

as well as being a moral judgement and a divinatory prediction, ie if you follow the advice in the line or you act as the superior man, you will have good fortune.

The moral judgement of the Yi is destined for the junzi, literally the "son of the emperor". Think that this is a man who was destined to govern a kingdom. It was good for him to be wise and measured. Thats why positions 2 and 5 are considered "central and measured". They act as mediators, they stay in the center, thus not leaning towards any extremes. "The Middle Path", that many ancient religious and moral systems taught about. But, for example, line 3 of hexagram 12 just states a situation: "they carry the shame". ¿Why? Because a rou (yin) line stays on a strong yang position at the top of the bottom trigram. Its not its correct position, so it has to endure shame, because he is seen occupying a spot he is not capable of operating. Now, for a question, this could mean anything, based on your particular experience, but in the reading of the book, it means: this is not a position suited for a flexible line, at least not in this particular time, therefore, it has to bear the shame of it.

It would also explain why there are a few lines where what appears to be acting correctly doesn’t result in good fortune.

Exactly. Just for you to know, it is usually considered that the first and last line are not to be judged in terms of "correctness" and "incorrectness". At least according to Wang Bi, Wang Fu Zhi, Wilhelm (and possibly others). Then, the 2nd and 5th line are, above all, central, and correct and incorrectness, although present, are subordinated to the line being in the center. 3rd and 4th lines are the most complicated ones where correct and incorrectness comes most visibly into play. These are only tendencies.

I actually think that might contribute to people, including myself, sometimes misinterpreting the advice in the reading.

I agree. Failure tends to be a better (and former) master than success.

What do you see as the difference? Do you mean some people just want to know how things turn out while others ask for advice, or do you mean some people read it like one would read something like the Tao de Ching without actually asking any questions?

Yes, basically. The oracular usage is only one possibility. You can read it horizontally, for example, all 1st lines, then all 2nd lines and so on, and you will gain great insight on each positions conditions in each of the signs. You can study signs individually and learn their dynamics, and then just apply them on real life situations without a need to throw coins or sticks. But when you are entangled, then sticks or coins are a great ally. I use it in both ways, but I try to limit my consulting and to deepen my understanding of it and my real life experience of it. Usually readings don't tell me the future, but tell me the possibilities of the present moment. I can only affect my destiny, and master it, by learning to take good decisions at the proper time. I think that is what the Yi, among other things, is made for.

 

[Plutonian]

Do you use it as a doorstop?

Only when time tells me it is OK to do so. If not, I usually use it as a book.

You are trying to make a distinction here,
but they are one and the same.

I am making a distinction, and they are not the same. Some people use it as a pop oracle, others use it as a tool for self development, others use it as an alchemical guide. I don't believe these are quite the same.

please read again, your passion may have caused you to misread.

I will accept I did got a bit carried away. Sorry.

Line theory isn't especially essential it's a set of concepts about correlates and such, a way of looking at the lines, it's not the absolute bedrock of the study of Yi nor the use of Yi as an oracle.

Yeah, sure, I agree, but maybe instead of just telling the *girl* "its not useful", it could be more productive to share what you know on the subject, and then finish by saying. "Anyways, I don't find it of much use." But again, I'm not trying to attack anyone or make moral judgments. I just felt that the attitude of firstly saying "it's not that important" to be a bit dismissive, or counter productive for the one asking. But I got a bit carried away in my comment. Sorry. And you and everyone is free to express their opinions, I never meant differently.

If there's a contradiction between the speech and the rules, the speech wins and it means the rules aren't quite right. The speech came first and then people made the rules to try and explain it. There was even some quote from some famous linguist: "God made language, humans made the rules to try to explain it."

Words making rules about words! aaaah!!!

 

[twilightshadow]

I think I need to clarify some things, and I hope I don’t come across as combative, as that’s not my intent. Minor point - I’m a girl, not sure why people in cyberspace always think I’m a guy.

I didn’t pose my original questions because I want to delve into some Chris Lofting level analysis. I have great respect for Chris, but his stuff is way out of my league. It’s brain bleed to me. However, when it comes to translations and interpretations of the IChing certain names garner more respect than others, and Wilhelm and Legge top the list. Legge specifically refers to the relationships of the lines, as does the Wilhelm Baynes translations. I don’t think they would have included this if it didn’t add something to our understanding, but more importantly, I feel that I will not have a full understanding of their interpretations if I don’t have at least a cursory knowledge.

Now, of course everyone has a right to their opinion. However, based on the actual answers to my questions here and reading through IChing123 and a bit of the Wilhelm Baynes I disagree that this is not useful when using Yi as an Oracle, and I plan to study it a bit further. There’s much more to it than the basis of my initial question, and I will likely find some parts more useful than others. For example, I find the idea of each line representing a member of the feudal court intriguing. I’m reminded of the court cards of the Tarot and wonder if this could have similar connotations, particularly in identifying who in a situation the line is referring to.

However, the basic relationships between the lines can also be important in certain cases. Certainly understanding that the “person above” referenced in line 4 of Hex 8 refers specifically to the king in line 5 is significant in interpreting that reading. How important these elements are will likely vary depending on the situation/question and the answer. In that respect I think Yi, like the Tarot, has multiple facets and angles, which is what allows it to give meaningful insight to such a vast array of questions. Because it is such a complex system, I think adding even subtle layers of meaning deepens our understanding of and our connection to Yi. I see Yi as a connection to both my own subconscious and a higher power. The universe speaks to us if we’re willing to listen. Yi is one way we can do that.

One last observation - in reading back through the comments I noted one that gave the analogy that knowing about a friend’s culture or background isn’t necessary in relating to them. I think that’s arguable in relation to people, but it’s absolutely false in relation to the I Ching. Understanding background stories and certain elements of Chinese culture is essential to understanding the I Ching.

I’d like to close by saying that I appreciate the discussion and the time each person took in answering. However, I did actually find some of the responses to be dismissive and focused more on the commenter’s opinion than in answering my questions, and had those been the only comments I might have walked away from an intriguing angle of study that I now think will deepen my understanding.

 

[IrfanK]

One last observation - in reading back through the comments I noted one that gave the analogy that knowing about a friend’s culture or background isn’t necessary in relating to them. I think that’s arguable in relation to people, but it’s absolutely false in relation to the I Ching. Understanding background stories and certain elements of Chinese culture is essential to understanding the I Ching.

Yeah, that was me. I should say that I'm a big fan of Wilhelm and his book three, which has all the good stuff on line positions and the interaction between trigrams. But it is commentary, based on stuff written somewhere between 500 and a thousand years after the Yi was first created (In fact, a lot of Wilhelm's stuff draws heavily on the Song dynasty commentaries, which were written down in about 1000AD -- practically yesterday, when it comes to the Yi). I don't think commentary is a dirty word, you're looking at how other people came to an understanding, and that might be helpful. But it's not set in stone. Some people ignore line positions all together, but still look at the trigrams. Other people are more focused on the poetics. People have been trying to formulate an understanding of the Yi for thousands of years, and good on them. But their words aren't the final statement.

By the time the Song dynasty came along, China was totally different than in the Zhou era, with an extremely hierarchical, bureaucratic system of administration, and with a very different, and somewhat misogynistic, attitude towards women. All that shows in their commentaries, too.

Some people get extremely prickly when you point out that some of the old commentaries are much more recent than the zhouyi itself, as though it's belittling them. It isn't, really. It's just that there's no evidence that it's what the people of the Zhou era actually meant, and a lot of good arguments that it isn't. Does it really matter? I don't think so. The tradition continues to evolve.

 

[Plutonian]

One last question, you said some people use it as more than an oracle, but as a guide. What do you see as the difference? Do you mean some people just want to know how things turn out while others ask for advice, or do you mean some people read it like one would read something like the Tao de Ching without actually asking any questions?

I'll quote a fragment of an essay written by Hon Tze Ki

If one just reads the Shuogua and the Xugua, divination does not seem to have a role in decision making. One makes decisions based on either the confluence of cosmic forces or the longue durée of human evolution. But in the Xici, divination is important. In fact, an extended passage is devoted to discussing how to perform divination with 50 yarrow stalks (Xici I: 8, more about it later). In addition, the Xici authors identify divination as one of four ways to use the hexagrams: (1) to use the hexagram statements and line statements as warnings against danger and downfall; (2) to use the changes in trigrams and hexagrams to understand the ceaseless changes in the natural realm and the human realm; (3) to use hexagram images to enhance rulers’ authority; (4) to use divination to provoke inquirers to think more deeply about their choices (Xici I: 9; WB: 314). Based on these four-fold uses of hexagrams, the Xici authors highlight the broad appeal of the Yijing. It can be a book of “wisdom” (zhi) for those who are interested in pondering the causes and patterns of change; it can be a book of “kindness” (ren) for those who are interested in improving the political order; it can be a book of “life” (riyong) for those who just want to live, overcome obstacles, and make fewer mistakes (Xici I: 4; WB: 298). These three approaches—the cosmological, the political, and the existential—formed the bases for Yijing commentators to philosophize change. Over the two thousand years after the canonization of the Yijing in 125 BCE, commentators developed three distinct views toward change—the cosmology of change, the ontology of change, and the moral-metaphysics of change.

 

[Liselle]

I think I need to clarify some things, and I hope I don’t come across as combative, as that’s not my intent. Minor point - I’m a girl, not sure why people in cyberspace always think I’m a guy.

It's just that it's impossible to tell from people's screen names a lot of the time. Neither yours nor Moss Elk's nor Plutonian's nor a lot of others gives any clue. Why people gravitate to thinking you're a man I have no idea, but I know I've been wrong in both directions on this forum, and both are awkward.

.
I didn’t pose my original questions because I want to delve into some Chris Lofting level analysis. I have great respect for Chris, but his stuff is way out of my league. It’s brain bleed to me.

Agreed! Though I also have the impression some of it might be more presentation than substance. At least some of his work is based on the yang change pattern / change operator (isn't it?), which can be both comprehensible and helpful in readings, but he presented it in a way that only he understood.

I don't know anything about line theory other than its existence, so no comment there. I think I remember Hilary giving an example of it working in a reading once, but she doesn't use it systematically either as far as I know.

...can't find the example, but it involved Huang and here's what she says in her review of his book
https://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/learn/book-reviews-2/translations/huang-complete-i-ching/

Huang’s also very good at ‘humanising’ the tradition of line theory: describing correspondence, support, hierarchy and so on as human relationships in a very approachable way – which at times has turned out to be uncannily accurate.

 

[qafinaf]

It seems interesting and helpful to try to figure out the lines. How to figure out what's going on in the hexagram situation. Tuck Chang has lots of information.

A hexagram as a whole is like one body, one household, one kingdom, one situation, (one cycle of time?). There is a kind of caste system denoted by the lines, from foundation (feet) up to the top (head). Each line has it's proper role. People in the Home hexagram talks about the importance of fulfilling your particular position, subordinate or rulership or what have you.

Each line placement and trigram has a meaning but maybe you have to look in the 10 wings (the appendices). Generally the middle line of a trigram is a good position because it's centered. The third line is sometimes pushing too much (it's gone beyond its center).

Cultivating yang energy is important. If this creative strength gets dissipated by too much yin, one just slouches and the wholesomeness suffers. But it's also important to keep balance.

Huang points out that yang lines move upward while yin move downward.

Legge's comments are sometimes confusing, but he's following some principles, which generally are:
lines 1,3,5 are properly yang. lines 2,4,6 are the place of yin. So a "complete" hexagram would be 63 ("Completed"). The lines are all in their proper places. Also, there is yin-yang correspondence between the lower and upper trigrams.

Yang and yin seek to combine. (thus, dynamic and magnetic/attractive). A yin (weak) line gets support from a yang (strong) line. This help sometimes comes to the yin line when the yang line is just above or just below. Sometimes it comes from the corresponding line in the other trigram.

Sometimes the image informs the text and sometimes its the relation of the trigrams. Like the water trigram is supposed to look like a waggon with 4 wheels (you could say they both roll or flow along). Hexagram 27 Nourishing looks like a mouth (even this chinese character for mouth), but what does a mouth have to do with mountain (stopping) over thunder (sudden impulse)? (You could say the energy impulse "feeds" the magnitude of the mountain. Mountains are formed by upheavals... who knows?)

Then the lines seem to describe stages involved in a process or changing situation. There is first starting out, obtaining a position in the world, rulership (usually 5) and at last retirement (line 6). example, Hexagram 8 (union) : the beginning of union (line 1) is sincerity. Line 6 doesn't bode well since there's no "head". Which is to say union needs a strong focal point or leader. (But why can't line 6 get support from the yang at 5? Grandma comes to live with her children. Maybe if she was wise she would have stayed at line 4, but somehow line 6 means she's left Union behind.)

It's all very interesting and puzzling because you've got to wonder at the sort of mind that thought like this in the first place.