Hexagram 24 "return" / "turning point"

[beadasil]

Hi there

This hexagram tends to confuse me...when can I interpret it as someone's return or a a turning point in a situation? Also, I believe it can mean "return to your own path"...

So, especially for readings about whether a lover or something else has moved on / away etc, it is quite confusing to interpret.

What would be the best way to interpet this...as a relating or unchanging hexagram?

Bea

 

[tuckchang]

Hi,

I would like to share my comprehension of Hex 24 as follows for your reference.

Fu means to return or to recover. In terms of the I Ching, the line moving forth along the timeline is signified as 'to go', while the line moving backward is 'to come'. From the perspective of the image and the sequence, the masculine line 6 of Hex 23 has survived and returns to position 1 of Hex 24. It is a recovery of masculinity and Fu is the turning point. Fu doesn’t have to return to the old one; its recovery can develop to a new generation.

From the perspective of the sequence and the next (反復其道，七日來復: The route of back to Fu, it returns in seven days), hexagram 25 signifies ‘to be pragmatic, i.e. not to expect or do what is undesired’, and Hex 31 is telepathy between the masculine and the feminine, which is the preceding hexagram of Hex 32: endurance.

From the perspective of the hexagram text, masculinity recovers and it will proceed smoothly. The masculine returns to a place occupied by the feminine; it will encounter resistance but it will grow stronger by means of more and more masculine lines joining; it won’t be hurt and can be free from calamity. From masculinity vanishing (at Hex 44, Gou, wherein masculinity starts to vanishing) gradually to its return will take seven days (i.e. 7 hexagrams, please see the attached below). Back to Fu is the rule of mutual increase and increase between the masculine and the feminine; it is instrumental in doing what is planned.

The commentary on its image suggests ‘to rest and build up strength’, like the world just starting to revive from the day of the winter solstice, the late king (giving an order of) closing all the passes, so that all the merchants and the passengers wouldn’t travel, and the king wouldn’t make an inspection tour.

From the perspective in viewing the line’s performance, line 1 is the founding line and represents Fu, i.e. the returning masculine. The other feminine lines are leaving it (as the line is developing along the timeline) and need to make corrections in order to return to position 1. Line 6 is far away from it and becomes astray; it is the only line of Hex 24 which is ominous.

Regards
Tuck :bows:
www.iching123.com

 

[meng]

Hi there

This hexagram tends to confuse me...when can I interpret it as someone's return or a a turning point in a situation? Also, I believe it can mean "return to your own path"...

So, especially for readings about whether a lover or something else has moved on / away etc, it is quite confusing to interpret.

What would be the best way to interpet this...as a relating or unchanging hexagram?

Bea

Bea,

First, I think Tuck gave an excellent Confucian explanation.

24 can be a bit confusing, because on one hand the yang returns, which is a return of life and action, but on the other hand we're advised not to travel about, and remain below, hidden. The reason is to regather more energy. Meanwhile there's only the observance and acceptance of things coming and going, coming and going. But the time for acting is not yet.

 

[fkegan]

Hi Bea,

Traditionally, hex 24 refers to the Victory of the light, the time after the winter solstice when the days can be seen to be getting longer.

However, it is a universal of the seasons in the Northern hemisphere that first comes the solstice and then the weather changes. With hex 24 this is highlighted. Although the days start to get longer, the worst of the cold and storms of winter have yet to appear.

In the West this is Christmas. Again traditionally the time in Europe for festivals and feasting since their best way to preserve the harvest was as body fat since their techniques of food storage were poor and life was hard. Lent came after Mardi Gras (fat Tuesday of feasting) to encourage fasting and keep folks from eating the necessary seed grain to plant in the spring.

In China their new year is some weeks later. Rather than trying to eat everything in sight to keep it from rotting they stayed home and looked inward and gathered their energy to meet the impending winter.

The return implied in Hex 24 is that of a clear focus solely upon the roots and beginning of this current situation. Absolutely nothing has developed beyond this stirring of the roots. The only line of focus, a Yang line is in the first place. Like a fertile seed everything depends upon what will develop next and how.

Moving lines in hexagram 24 would indicate what is developing next, how this pure fertile seed is germinating and growing. Line 1 is generally very good, the seed is being a seed and its resultant is the fertile earth which supports and nourishes all seeds.
Line 6 is not so fortunate, the seed is being harvested already or somehow sent on to whatever comes next. Maybe you are making juice of the seeds which could be a good thing; but the seed will never become its plant. If you were hoping to speed the seed along toward a lovely plant crop to harvest, line 6 says you making a big mistake.

The other lines fall into their places along that continuum from giving the fertile seed its special potting soil and loving care to flourish and trying to harvest it right now.

In terms of a lover, it would suggest the need to more attention to the relationship which is just a fertile seed at the moment.

Frank

 

[elvis]

The generic focus is on cyclic behaviours, to re-start a cycle. The relationship to 23 covers 23s preparing to get through the down side of the cycle (e.g. winter) and 24s preparing for the return to 'light' (spring) etc etc etc The below focus on faith brings out the attraction to some particular over others.

We can identify how a hexagram will express 'beginnings' or 're-beginnings' by XORing 24 with any other hexagram (e.g. 24 XOR 24 = 02 where 02 covers the set of all POSSIBLE expressions (hexagrams) as do all beginnings. Yangness then adds actualisation etc)

To get the I Ching description of hexagram 24, using analogy to all of the other hexagrams, see the table in http://www.emotionaliching.com/lofting/bx000001.html

Also consider some PAIRINGS of hexagram 24 and other hexagrams:

* In the traditional sequence hexagram 24 pairs with hexagram 23.

With this pair, just as 23 prunes, and does so from within the belief, so 24 returns to the belief. Both reflect 'coming back to'.

RETURN TO FAITH:

23 : return to the faith - through refurbishing, pruning; 23 refurbish, prune, comes out of a context described by hexagram 24 - returning

24 : return to the faith - through come back to; 24 returning comes out of a context described by hexagram 23 - pruning

* In the binary sequence hexagram 24 pairs with hexagram 27.

This pairing reflects an overall sense of 'emptiness' which is resolved by (a) hexagram 24 and a return to the 'true' belief (integrating, re-integrating) and (b) by hungering to be filled and so grasping whatever is at hand (differentiating). This pairing also reflects filtration issues (the EARTH phase in five-phase theory) - such that 24 returns to the 'true' path (and so 'with enlightenment comes devotion') and 27 reflects the hungering that can come with this return as it can also reflect the hungering that leads to the return.

* In the binary sequence hexagram 24 opposes hexagram 44.

This pair reflects issues of being drawn back to a path (24) vs being seduced away from a path (44).

At the LOCAL level we are dealing with an octet of hexagrams with the THUNDER trigram as base. In this sequence hexagram 24, the focus upon returning to the 'true' path, opposes hexagram 25, disentangling. More so, the exaggerated sense of asserting one's opinion without fear of, consideration of, consequence is reflected in a more balanced format through a 'soft' return to a 'true' belief.

* In the traditional sequence hexagram 24 opposes hexagram 41.

In this pairing there is focus on issues of purity where 24 comes back to it and 41 focuses on manufacturing it.

* The generic properties of hexagram 24 reflect the mixing of the generic properties of hexagram 27 with the generic properties of hexagram 23.

A combination of a need to be 'filled', together with a focus on pruning, on removing the chaff, is reflected in the 'return' focus of hexagram 24.

* In the variations on a theme sequence, hexagram 24 complements hexagram 02

The pairing of hexagram 02 and 24 reflects the subtle differences in expression focused on the base line of a trigram. Here the 'receptivity' of yangness, as expressed in hexagram 02, is 'hardened' at a general level to be reflected in the focus of hexagram 24 in returning to the 'one true faith'. In pure yinness there is no such need for any particular where the natural devotion skills reflected in 02 elicit immediate, unconditional intimacy.

 

[beadasil]

Thanks to you all, your answers have helped.

You are truly fabulous! :bows:

Bea xx