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Memorizing the I Ching Hexagram 12. P'i Standstill [Stagnation]

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lightofreason

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12:

Judgment:

STANDSTILL. Evil people do not further
The perseverance of the superior man.
The great departs, the small approaches.
 
L

lightofreason

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IC+

12 Standstill (Stagnation)
Neutralizing, Blocking, Firming
In a context of devotion we utilise singlemindedness.

"PI : closed, stopped; bar the way; obstacle; unfortunate, wicked; refuse, disapprove, deny. The ideogram: mouth and not, blocked communication" ERANOS p197

From the emotional associations - with/from fear comes anger.

As 11 harmonises so 12 neutralises. The negative tone of Wilhelm etc is due to the hexagram supporting NO change and so is at odds with the core focus on change in the IC.

12 shares space with 45 and both cover issues of supporting a belief/following etc - 45 through a cooperative focus, 12 through a competitive focus. BOTH serve to strengthen belief. The competitive focus on 12 covers the parrying of attackd of others on the 'faith'. That is the positive side - the negative is in the loss of development, emergence of stagnation etc.

The infrastructure of 12 is described by analogy to 17 and so covers generic issues of 'following', finding a belief etc etc.

12 starts with, keeps coming back to, a state desrcribed by analogy to 25 - standing up to assert one's point of view regardless of consequence (and/or prepared to deal with them)

the source of nourishment is described by analogy to 50 - the competitive focus on fighting for belief gets is 'food' from transformation, taking the raw and cooking it, make it more digestable.

Note how 12 is 'competitive' - through 11, the mediation dynamic. These battles never kill/replace, they neutralise.

Asummary of the full spectrum of 12 is:

00 :: (02) : What is this hexagrams's potential form? :: 12
01 :: (24) : How does this hexagram 'start', express 'beginning'? :: 25
02 :: (07) : How does this hexagram express uniformity, establishment of? :: 6
03 :: (19) : How does this hexagram express approaching the 'high'; defer to the 'low'? :: 10
04 :: (15) : How does this hexagram level things out, keep words close to facts? :: 33
05 :: (36) : How does this hexagram protect its 'light' when not its time? :: 13
06 :: (46) : How does this hexagram become more entangled with something/someone? :: 44
07 :: (11) : How does this hexagram balance/harmonise, mediate? :: 1
08 :: (16) : How does this hexagram express foresight/planning? :: 20
09 :: (51) : How does this hexagram express surprise, enlightenment, shock? :: 42
10 :: (40) : How does this hexagram express tension release through relaxing structure? :: 59
11 :: (54) : How does this hexagram expend early energy, imaturity? :: 61
12 :: (62) : How does this hexagram express overacting to establish unconditional loyalty? :: 53
13 :: (55) : How does this hexagram deal with abundance/overflowing? :: 37
14 :: (32) : How does this hexagram express commitment? :: 57
15 :: (34) : How does this hexagram actively invigorate others? :: 9
16 :: (08) : How does this hexagram passively attract? :: 35
17 :: (03) : How does this hexagram 'sprout'? :: 21
18 :: (29) : How does this hexagram assert containment/control? :: 64
19 :: (60) : How does this hexagram standardise? :: 38
20 :: (39) : How does this hexagram obstruct, go against, stand up to, the flow? :: 56
21 :: (63) : How does this hexagram complete, 'get it right'? :: 30
22 :: (48) : Where does this hexagram get its nutrition, what sustains it, keeps it going? :: 50
23 :: (05) : How does this hexagram wait for opportunity to come? :: 14
24 :: (45) : How does this hexagram celebrate its 'faith'? :: 23
25 :: (17) : How does this hexagram find a faith? What is its faith? :: 27
26 :: (47) : How does this hexagram integrate with the context, be it by choice or otherwise? :: 4
27 :: (58) : How does this hexagram express itself intensely, self-reflect? :: 41
28 :: (31) : How does this hexagram 'woo', express restrained enticement? :: 52
29 :: (49) : How does this hexagram reveal, unmask? :: 22
30 :: (28) : How does this hexagram express excess, go beyond what is required? :: 18
31 :: (43) : How does this hexagram 'seed', spread the word? :: 26
32 :: (23) : How does this hexagram 'housekeep', clear chaff to bring out the wheat? :: 45
33 :: (27) : What is the basic, skelatal form of this hexagram, The mud from which it has emerged? :: 17
34 :: (04) : How does this hexagram learn social skills? :: 47
35 :: (41) : How does this hexagram achieve clarity, concentration, distillation? :: 58
36 :: (52) : How does this hexagram express blocking, discernment? :: 31
37 :: (22) : What does this hexagram look like, how does it present itself to the outside? :: 49
38 :: (18) : How does this hexagram correct corruption, express that correction? :: 28
39 :: (26) : How does this hexagram express 'holding firm' to traditions? :: 43
40 :: (35) : How does this hexagram bring something into the 'light'? :: 8
41 :: (21) : How does this hexagram resolve problems? :: 3
42 :: (64) : How does this hexagram remain 'open', mis-sequence? :: 29
43 :: (38) : How does this hexagram 'mirror', deal with opposition? :: 60
44 :: (56) : How does this hexagram demonstrate conditional loyalty; loyalty at a distance? :: 39
45 :: (30) : How does this hexagram express guidance/direction setting? :: 63
46 :: (50) : How does this hexagram express conversion of the raw to the cooked, transformation? :: 48
47 :: (14) : How does this hexagram manage from the centre? Direct operations? Push ideology? :: 5
48 :: (20) : How does this hexagram elicit admiration and so invigorate others passively? :: 16
49 :: (42) : How does this hexagram reflect augmentation? :: 51
50 :: (59) : How does this hexagram make things clear, dispell illusions? lift the fog? :: 40
51 :: (61) : How does this hexagram express empathy? yielding, soft core, hard exterior? :: 54
52 :: (53) : How does this hexagram express gradual development, maturity? :: 62
53 :: (37) : How does this hexagram reflect rigid structure as a form of tension release? :: 55
54 :: (57) : How does this hexagram cultivate and become influencial? :: 32
55 :: (09) : How does this hexagram express making small gains to be noticed? :: 34
56 :: (12) : How does this hexagram neutralise attacks on its core beliefs? :: 2
57 :: (25) : How does this hexagram stand up to say its piece, ignoring consequences, disentangle? :: 24
58 :: (06) : How does this hexagram compromise, meet half way? :: 7
59 :: (10) : How does this hexagram traverse a path carefully? :: 19
60 :: (33) : How does this hexagram draw-in its enemies, competitively entice? :: 15
61 :: (13) : How does this hexagram express association with the likeminded? :: 36
62 :: (44) : How does this hexagram persuade/seduce? :: 46
63 :: (01) : How does this hexagram express singlemindedness, competitiveness? :: 11
 
L

lightofreason

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The Image:

Heaven and earth do not unite:
The image of STANDSTILL.
Thus the superior man falls back upon his inner worth
In order to escape the difficulties.
He does not permit himself to be honored with revenue.
 
L

lightofreason

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IC+ image:

"[With devotion comes singlemindedness] : [Stand-off]. One uses as little as possible to temperate hardship, [thus avoids wastefulness], not permitting the use of glory for benefit."
 

martin

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12.
Flow reversed, inward/backward instead of outward/forward. Good time for a holiday. And for recuperation, healing, cleaning the system. Outer world processes come to a halt temporarily but inwardly (although we may not notice it) things are changing. No stagnation, really.
 
B

bruce_g

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martin said:
12.
Flow reversed, inward/backward instead of outward/forward. Good time for a holiday. And for recuperation, healing, cleaning the system. Outer world processes come to a halt temporarily but inwardly (although we may not notice it) things are changing. No stagnation, really.
Good one.

12:
Aw...
Whew!

:D
 

dobro p

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Yup. Down tools. There's no point.

But it can be useful to determine if the obstruction's outward or inward. (This is usually determined by the question, right? For instance, if you're asking about your job and you draw 12, chances are the obstruction's at the workplace. However, not necessarily, lol.)

The reason I say this is cuz if the obstruction's in your environment, you can still do useful work on your own or inwardly.
 

RindaR

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About three years ago I was receiving this hex repeatedly with regard to one of "those situations". I felt betrayed by my two closest friends. One knew of a budding romantic relationship with the other, and she decided to go to bed with him "on a whim". (Some friends, eh?)

All I could do was decide that I was not going to adopt the attitude of a victim. And I had to decide that over and over and over again. Now I am very happily married to another, and I don't believe that could have happened had I not used that 12 time the way I did.
 
L

lightofreason

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12.1

Six at the beginning means:
When ribbon grass is pulled up, the sod comes with it.
Each according to his kind.
Perseverance brings good fortune and success.
 
L

lightofreason

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IC+ 12.1

Line 1
"When one's influence wanes, retire (be still)."

Eranos:

Eradicating thatch-grass intertwisted.
Using one's classification.
Trial : significant. Growing.
 

hilary

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After the time spent today on That Other Thread, why don't I write some commentary on hexagram 12 for a change? :rolleyes:

'Pulling up thatch grass, roots entangled,
With more of its kind.
Constancy, good fortune. Creating success.'

On the surface, everything is coming apart. Under the surface, everything is still tightly connected - as you'll find out, if you start pulling. But you tug away with 'constancy' to yourself, or just because it's the right thing to do - not (unlike 11.1) with a desire to set things out there to rights or an expectation of making progress (46). You know (25) the limits of what is and isn't yours to fix.

Any more thoughts on the connection between pulling up the tangled roots and 25? Or the contrast between 12.1 and 11.1?
 
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lightofreason

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hilary said:
Any more thoughts on the connection between pulling up the tangled roots and 25? Or the contrast between 12.1 and 11.1?

The IC+ line comment covers the sense of the change without change in that with/from neutralising (12) come disentanglement (25). The neutralising includes doing nothing and so not getting involved in entanglements. The ACTION of 25 is on standing up to express one's point of view and so disentanglement - the same ACTION as in pulling the roots up to disentangle, to be 'above' the entanglements.

Here at the bottom of the hexagram, this disentanglement ACTION is in the form of 'standing still'. One can interpret this as being the new kid on the block (issues of a new paradigm/belief to be defended) and so being careful in what one is doing - the best course being to 'do' nothing. (with the added aspect of one's 'class' once influencing, now waning)

In 11.1 the focus is on increasing entanglement (with/from harmonising comes entanglements, push upwards).

Chris.
 
L

lightofreason

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12.2

Six in the second place means:
They bear and endure;
This means good fortune for inferior people.
The standstill serves to help the great man to attain success.
 
L

lightofreason

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IC+

Line 2
"To suffer in silence is better than servility"

With/from neutralising (12) comes compromising (06)
 

dobro p

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"Any more thoughts on the connection between pulling up the tangled roots and 25?"

Mmm...pulling up tangled roots is working directly on a problem - engaging with it directly will work here. Whereas 25's more about just being somewhere else than the tangle.
 

hilary

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Right -that's the natural way to see it. But 12.1 is 12 zhi 25, obstruction's disentangling. So we need to find a connection as well as a contrast. Tradition, I think, says someone is pulling others with him into retirement, away from involvement in the 12-ish world. What Chris says has the same dynamics, I think. I just find it striking that the same action in 11.1 and 12.1 should increase involvement in one case and reduce it in the other. I have the feeling there is something waiting to be understood.
 
L

lightofreason

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hilary said:
Right -that's the natural way to see it. But 12.1 is 12 zhi 25, obstruction's disentangling. So we need to find a connection as well as a contrast. Tradition, I think, says someone is pulling others with him into retirement, away from involvement in the 12-ish world. What Chris says has the same dynamics, I think. I just find it striking that the same action in 11.1 and 12.1 should increase involvement in one case and reduce it in the other. I have the feeling there is something waiting to be understood.

All you are picking up is a property of hexagram 'opposites' - they are opposite sides of ther same coin - name the coin ;-) - thus the coin of 46/25 is tanglement - 46 is to EN, 25 is to DIS-EN etc etc

The 'special' nature here is that 11/12 are opposites and so these sorts of patterns wil emerge since the line changes will reflect opposites as well (and so more of sides of the coin that will bring out these sorts of patterns)

We then open up the three forms of interpretations re anti-symmetric, symmetric, and asymmetric (bifurcation focus of 11 FROM 12 - complement focus - compared to 11 VS 12 - opposites or as hierarchies etc)

Look at 63.1 vs 64.1 etc or 27.1 vs 28.1 or 01.1 vs 02.1 etc etc etc

Just using the traditional perspective will limit things re picking up these patterns rooted in structure, self-referencing etc etc ;-) There is a LOT going on here - but not many working in this area.

Chris.
 
L

lightofreason

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To add more on these patterns - we can extract descriptions of invarience in meaning regardless of scale for eight 'qualities' where they cover - from my WaveStructure page:

-------------------------------------------------
If we review the 'wave' pattern diagram above (WaveStructure page), we note that there are eight 'troughs', each containing, from the I Ching perspective, a single hexagram. These hexagrams represent qualities 'invarient' under change - whereas all of the other positions are 'superpositions', containing 2, 4, or 8 hexagrams.

The eight hexagrams in their order are:

02 - 000000

20 - 000011

62 - 001100

33 - 001111

19 - 110000

61 - 110011

34 - 111100

01 - 111111

If we compress these hexagrams they form into the TRIGRAMS.

000000 becomes 000

000011 becomes 001

001100 becomes 010

001111 becomes 011

110000 becomes 100

110011 becomes 101

111100 becomes 110

111111 becomes 111

In other words we witness in this 'compression' exercise the invarience of the core 'meanings' associated with the trigrams.

Chris.
 

hilary

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Yes, of course I know that 11-12 and 25-46 are opposites. Grmph. What interests me here is the text - how it uses precisely the same image to describe these opposite sides of the coin. Even the prognosis ('good fortune') is the same. There is just a subtle difference between the two in how it's done - bringing order, or showing constancy - to reflect the structural fact that these two are opposites.

Of the other lines you mentioned, 63.1 and 64.1 do also share an image (though not all the imagery of 63.1), but not a prognosis.
 
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L

lightofreason

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BTW - the 'micro' form of opposites is in the PAIRS of the binary ordering - and so general opposites (02/01) as well as local opposites (02,23). Then we also see them as complements (01 from 02 etc) and in hierarchic relationships (general to particular meanings)

Stick to 10 BC methods and you will continue to miss a LOT ;-) - that method is but a part of a whole; a 'small world' network out of a regular network... the GENERAL aka UNIVERSAL forms

Chris.
 
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lightofreason

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hilary said:
Yes, of course I know that 11-12 and 25-46 are opposites. Grmph. What interests me here is the text - how it uses precisely the same image to describe these opposite sides of the coin. Even the prognosis ('good fortune') is the same. There is just a subtle difference between the two in how it's done - bringing order, or showing constancy - to reflect the structural fact that these two are opposites.

Of the other lines you mentioned, 63.1 and 64.1 do also share an image (though not all the imagery of 63.1), but not a prognosis.

Tsk Tsk grasshopper, your grumpyness is being too grumpy to see what is going on!

AS for same prognosis - yea there is - 'he' is going to get his tail wet. ;)

- the opposites focus is on opposites operating WITHIN opposites etc and so entanglements of hexagrams that come out of the entanglement of the method of sequence derivation. This all gets very 'heavy' believe me! -- but we must crawl before we walk otherwise we can get into unwelcome states.

Chris.
 
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lightofreason

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IC+ 12.3

Line 3
"One endures shame; feeling sheepish."

with/from neutralising (12) comes tricking (33) (being enticed in a competitive form, being drawn-in, conned, suckered etc - note the text in 11.3 There is an overall sense in 33/19 of issues with approach, being drawn in, drawn towards - here in 12 the line comment suggests falling for 'it' - in 11 there is a focus on watching out for 'it' - beware of the dangers)

33 covers both being enticed and being the enticer - all from a competitive focus - 33 pairs with 31 that also covers enticement but from a cooperative focus. As such we can flesh-out these line comments etc WAY beyond the traditional level. (and add 58 more 'line comment' texts per hexagram!)

Wilhelm has a hierarchic focus here on people moving beyond their station, 'inferiors' etc amd THEY bear shame - IC+ covers the experiencing of shame.

Given the 'universal' IC focus on self-referencing we could do a chapter or even book per hexagram but then we would have a philosophy not just a divining tool ;-) .. map-in emotions and so allow the material to 'leak' into other perspectives (typologies, emotions that drive, their purpose etc etc etc)

Chris.
 

martin

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lightofreason said:
AS for same prognosis - yea there is - 'he' is going to get his tail wet. ;)

In 63.1 the tail that gets wet is not a prognosis, it has already happened. The prognosis is that the fox will be more careful from now on. ;)
 

martin

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I think, btw, that the hexagram that we get when we change a line can give us some insight into the meaning of the line. But that is usually not the whole story. There are other considerations, right or wrong place, correlate or not, centrality, the trigram(s) near the line, and so on.
It's quite complex and the logic doesn't always seem flawless, to say the least, lol. (I now get the feeling that the ancient writers are laughing too. Logic? lol! :D)
 

frank_r

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hilary said:
Right -that's the natural way to see it. But 12.1 is 12 zhi 25, obstruction's disentangling. So we need to find a connection as well as a contrast. Tradition, I think, says someone is pulling others with him into retirement, away from involvement in the 12-ish world. What Chris says has the same dynamics, I think. I just find it striking that the same action in 11.1 and 12.1 should increase involvement in one case and reduce it in the other. I have the feeling there is something waiting to be understood.

In 11 there is a changing in heaven to wind, from metal to wood and in 12 there is a change from earth to wood. So the connection here is wood. But at the same time they are opposites a yin and yang wood.

So in 11, a harmonious sign, where the action of the trigrams is towards each other is changing to a yin wood sign. A more reducing and spreading action.
And in 12, where the action of the father and mother are in oppsite direction is changing in a yang wood sign. A more involving action towards each other.
 

dobro p

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"I just find it striking that the same action in 11.1 and 12.1 should increase involvement in one case and reduce it in the other. I have the feeling there is something waiting to be understood."

Blow on hot soup to cool it; blow on cold hands to warm them. No biggie.
 

hilary

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Ahh... good ideas all round.

I meant 'prognosis' technically - good fortune, misfortune, no mistake, etc - as distinct from the imagery.
 

dobro p

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Ah, maybe I don't understand your question then.

Blow on cold hands to warm them up: good prognosis.

Blow on hot soup to cool it so you can eat it: good prognosis.

What's your question, then? lol
 

hilary

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You did understand. I was picking up on Chris, who was calling the picture of the dunked tail a prognosis - confusing.
 

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