I Ching – English | Freud and Psychoanalysis on the dock

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R.E.Campos (camposre001@gmail.com)

I’m posting “up in the clouds” in 2021 and I report in the sequence what I did with I Ching in the mid-90s, when the Internet was crawling, there was neither Google nor Wikipedia. But there was already something, which I mention in the sequence.
I lived in the USA when I got into the subject in the early 80s (I came back from the USA in 83) and the process was to go after books, in bookstores or libraries.
I took a look at the Internet now in 2020 and found the information about I Ching and the authors I mention below are confusing, so I decided to post what I found in the 1980s. My impression is that people who arrived much later, in the last 10 years of this 21st century , do not mention James Ledger and Richard Wilhelm, who were effectively the persons who initiated the introduction of the I Ching to the West. In addition to giving themselves too much importance, they tend to be confused with explanations that escape the fact that the I Ching is not divination, it is an oracle that theoretically resonates with the unconscious of those who are consulting it. It’s not Tarot or divination with shells, or whatever. I will go into detail, but for now let me say howt it is:

There is a table of 64 hexagrams, in an 8 x 8 matrix, that is, 8 trigrams at the top and 8 at the bottom, in a combination of 8 x 8, which gives 64 figures, each with its “I Ching” name, which will be described further down bellow and how they connect.

It is a consultation book divided into three parts:

Text
Material
Comment

Translation results

Which is done for each of the 64 hexagrams

It is an oracular book and it is not divinatory, i.e., it does not foresee the future, it only tells what happens according to the chosen path. It doesn’t really “tell”, because the discourse, although based on the three components above, is obscure. You can tell if it’s going to be a problem or if it’s a good decision.

If you compare what I said above with the information on the Internet when you press “I Ching” on Google, you will think that it is something else, such as the amount of far fetched lucubrations they make. I saw real treatises on top of a single hexagram. The I Ching is not a text, with a beginning, middle and end, it has no characters or history, especially for us Westerners, it is an inexplicable mystery, including why it works. The design of the I Ching, for all practical purposes, is indecipherable, especially for rational Westerners like us. I think what matters is to make it work, which is done the following way:

Presentation (2000)

I discovered I Ching because of the fascination I felt for Jung’s writings. Although fascinated, I tend (and always did) to place myself within the conventional world governed by the Academy and science and, in these environments (and in my head), these things are not serious.

However, though, since Jung had written the preface to the translation which Cary F. Baynes made from the German version of Richard Wilhelm , who is reputed to be an Orientalist, specialized in Chinese culture, and considered the best translation there is, I cheered up, bought the book and racked my brains learning how to use it.

This happenned in 1981-83, I was in the United States, going through a though mid-life crisis, trying to reconstruct my view of reality from the shards that fly in explosions of this nature and, apart from that, I was in a strange, isolated country, with practically no one to talk to, full of doubts and questions which are difficult to submit to a psychoanalyst, for example, or a spiritual advisor.

The book is serious, edited by Princeton University Press, of the Bollingen Series XIX, in the same group of the edition of Jung’s Complete Works, by the same translator, C.F. Baynes.

I even bought the James Legge, translation, which I later discovered was done in 1882, and it is simply confusing and of little use compared to Richard Wilhelm‘s work.
As a curiosity, if we read the preface to the third edition, from 1967, of which I have the 18th impression of 1981, made by Hellmut Wilhelm, son of Richard Wilhelm, he informs that Charles de Harlez, a Belgian orientalist, had made a translation in 1889, which was the first text in Western language that became available (in French).
There is an edition of this French translation, commented on by Raymond Becker, edited in 1959 by Planete Magazine, edited in Paris, which is still available on the Internet today. (maybe not now, but it was possible at the end of the 90s. At 2021, maybe it is not possible).

The Brazilian counterpart of this magazine, Planeta , published attached to its number 133, in 1983, a separate notebook, with little information about the origin of the text, which was compiled by Vani Rezende, which I discovered when I arrived in Brazil and which was clearly the best option in terms of practicality for queries and questions and which I privileged in this work, as will be seen in the text. She appears in the writing of several magazines and has had several books published on divination.

I didn’t find any copy of this appendix on the Internet, where you can find pratically everything used, although I found the no.133 of the Magazine. I decided to create a separate image that retrieves for those interested the contents of the Manual that Prof. Vani Rezende did, in a clear and didactic way, as the Editor of the Magazine at the time, Eduardo Araia mentioned in the presentation, which can be read in a separate file with the content in question.

It should be mentioned that it is written in Portuguese and there is no translation because there are similar texts in English which will be pointed out.

I should add that Revista Planeta, although it has done an excellent job for I Ching, is not a type of publication that I appreciate, as it maintains the same spirit of its French original, which clearly expresses the thoughts of its founders, Louis Pauwels and Jacques Bergier , authors of the work “The Morning of the Magicians”, which left me totally cold.

I lived with the I Ching for 3 or 4 years and I think the experience was positive, without anything exceptional. However, one of the consequences of the mental openness that the midlife crisis provides is that in practice the human experience is a very predictable, with a tedious repetition (I was initially surprised by the universal recurrence of what I thought was a unique and particular experience of mine. …) And that, in the hands of trained people, generated models and characteristics that, if we know them, allow us to understand where things are going to go, or what is going to happen.

They are equivalent for adults to what Piaget did for children and it is worth to summarize, because Piaget was brilliant and whoever had raised children confirms what he said:

According to Piaget, the individual (the child) learns by building and reconstructing his thinking, through the assimilation and accommodation of his structures. This construction of thought, Piaget called stages: sensorimotor stage, symbolic stage and conceptual stage.
According to Piaget in the sensorimotor stage, which goes from zero to 2 years old, this is where the development of motor coordination begins, the child learns to differentiate the objects of his own body and the children’s thoughts are linked to the concrete.
In the symbolic stage, which is from 2 to around 7 years old, the child’s thinking is centered on itself, it is an egocentric thought. And it is at this stage that language is presented, as the child’s socialization, which occurs through speech, drawings and dramatizations.
In the Conceptual Stage, which is from 7 until around 11, the child remains quite self-centered, still having difficulty putting himself in the other’s place. And the predominance of thought is linked to more accommodations than assimilations.
In fact, adolescence enters shortly thereafter, then adulthood enters and midlife can occur in the middle of life, then it enters the third age, above 60, which every 10 years until 100 has very definite characteristics and with extensive literature.
That is, depending on your age, what affects you is very well defined denetically and biologically.
Any model of how the mind works has to take this into account and Jung has an excellent analysis of this in The Stages of Life.

There are some very old models, like Astrology, which surprises despite the evident quackery that exists in it. Another model is the Enneagram, which surprisingly has no Jung quote about it. The Enneagram also has the problem of being a charlatan tool, but it clearly has merits, otherwise it would not have lasted that long. Or rather, it may even be recent and deceptively presented as very old, but it surprises, no doubt.
In the most modern models and, even if not accepted academically, at least they are accepted by the intelligentsia. Freudian psychoanalysis is a good option, but it is exaggeratedly simple for our effective complexity and it consoles very little, being in practice an endless thing, like the tale of Ariadne’s thread .
Jungian psychoanalysis, however, is not so good, and one has to be careful, as it seems profound, in fact, it is entitled as such, but it is confusing, it raises a lot of questions which do not let the person see the point that is really important and it is much more a compendium of all the intricacies that our mind can wander, especially when it is lost.
If the person has a fall, the religious option is also good, especially Christianity, preferably Catholic, which allows more space for you to become, although Christianity has a defect that I consider serious: it hates sex.
Despite my current ill will with Jung, (1995) for those who are picking up the pieces of a crisis, it is worth taking note of two of his works that reasonably model the “burned film” of our existence in an aspect that no one escapes, which is the passing of time or time and the relationship within the marriage.

——————————
2020: I don’t feel disappointed by Jung anymore. But I maintain my judgment. He gave the world what the world wants to receive and will continue to want it, I believe that forever and ever there will be people going after his chimeras. But I confirm and reaffirm everything I felt and this work, in the end, is a warning to navigators, especially those of my descent.
——————————-

Following texts are advisable:

Foreword to the I Ching by C G Jung

SYNCHRONICITY: AN ACAUSAL CONNECTING PRINCIPLE

The Stages of Life.

Marriage as a psychological relashionship

Although I later realized that when we are frustrated and distressed by the loss of the comfortable floor that unconsciousness provides, we accept any reasonably well-built floor, the truth is that the human landscape is, despite being repetitive, extremely varied and contains more possibilities than any model can propose.
Another thing that is common to almost every human being is the need of some guru, (even to be against it…) something that Jung and even Christianity explores admirably.
In fact, I don’t know a line of thought that has no guru behind it.
But it is a good start for those who need to recover their center.
I don’t have the slightest desire today, at 65, (now 77) or even since I was 50, to do any type of consultation, even if oracular. Divinatory, no way… (I abandoned the I Ching in 85)
Personally, I have a paradoxical conviction that I summarize by saying that I think the use of divinatory arts is wrong because it seems to me that it is possible to unveil cracks of what is to come and this seems to me cruelty if revealed, (and for this reason it is hidden) bringing more problems than helping. On the other hand, I believe that in life there is no merit or rational logic, since, as I believe in God, and in grace, I think that He simply gives what He wants to whomever He wants and it is impossible to understand the criteria used.

That is, everything is grace. Or disgrace …

I am convinced that it is possible to reasonably perceive almost the totality of what will happen, through experience, through the study of models, through observation, in short, by the “attention of the spirit”, in the manner prescribed by Oscar Wilde, who said what for me it is the best possible intellectual and psychological posture, in the face of situations where we question ourselves:

“The lack of attention from the spirit is the fundamental crime, since extreme attention reveals the perfect agreement between all the events of a lifetime, and also, possibly, on a broader plane, the perfect agreement between all elements and all movements. of Creation, the harmony of all things”.

Which has as a consequence another sentence of his:

“All that is understood is right.“

That is the true balance of existence.

In fact, true wisdom is not preventing, but knowing how to remedy, that is, making lemonade from the lemons that existence presents us with.

————————————————

With all that in mind, let’s see what it is all about and how it works:

How I Ching works

Framing, conceiving, realization

The design of the I Ching, for all practical purposes, is indecipherable, especially for rational Westerners like us. I believe that what matters is to know the following:

Hexagram Table

There is a table of 64 hexagrams, in an 8 x 8 matrix, that is, 8 trigrams at the top and 8 at the bottom, in a combination of 8 x 8, which gives 64 figures, each one with its “I Ching” name.

It is a consultation book divided into three parts

Text
Material
Commentary

Which is done for each of the 64 hexagrams. It is an oracular book and it is not divinatory, that is, it does not predict the future, it only tells what happens according to the chosen path. It says no, because the discourse, although based on the three components above, is obscure. You can tell if it’s going to be a problem or if it’s a good decision.

How to consult

Important: Ask an open question first (open, not to the type with “yes” or “no” as an answer).
Originally, the Chinese used or use the stems of the plant “mil in raw” milefolium (yarrow – Achillea millefolium)

With Sticks

I never used it, but the information I have is as follows:

The oracle was originally consulted using 50 yarrow sticks. Later versions with aster or bamboo sticks also appeared. In the absence of them, smooth wooden poles about 30 to 36 centimeters in length can be used.
Of the 50 sticks, one is immediately removed and is no longer used during the consultation. It is not, however, entirely expendable, it represents universal unity.
The remaining 49 sticks are divided into two groups, from the right group a stick is removed and placed between the ring and lower fingers of the left hand. From the group on the left, rods are removed in groups of four until only four or less remain. The remaining ones are placed between the middle and ring fingers of the left hand. Proceed in the same way with the sticks in the right group and place the rest between the index and middle fingers of the left hand. We now have five or nine sticks between the fingers of the left hand. Five are assigned a value of 3 and nine are assigned a value of 2.
With the sticks being removed in groups of four, we repeated the whole process two more times, this time we will obtain only eight or four sticks between the fingers. Four are assigned a value of 3 and eight are assigned a value of 2.
Adding the three results we get a value from 6 to 9.
Then proceed with the construction of the hexagram by repeating this process six times.

With coins

It is not necessary to specifically use the Chinese pierced coins, although it is relatively easy to obtain them. They exist at will and cost almost nothing.
Usually one side has inscriptions and the other is smooth or has a figure and is automatically “head”.

Inscription = Yin = 2 = head

Smooth = Yang = 3 = tail

Any coin that has heads and tails will do.
Example using a currency that the Euro replaced in the Netherlands, the Gulden:

In the example below (the figures above are to demonstrate possible combinations)

The first line was the 1st move; 2 tails, 1 head.
The second line was the 2nd move; 2 tails, 1 head.
The third line was the 3rd move; 1 tail, 2 heads.
The fourth line was the 4th move; 1 tail, 2 heads repeating.
The fifth row was the 5th play and gave three heads.
The sixth, final, 6th play / final, gave three tails.

——— X ——— = 6th move /final; 3 tails
———-O——— = 5th move; 3 heads
________ . ________ = 4th move; 1 tail, 2 heads
–——– . ———– = 3rd move; 1 tail, 2 heads
—————-–— = 2nd move; 2 tails, 1 head
———–—-—— = 1rst move; 2 tails, 1 head

The editor does not allow space and I had to use the period, which means empty space. The hexagram formed in the example is the 19 approaach

When there are three tails, there is a cross, or “X”, indicating a “strong” Yin that can change into its opposite, Yang, for good.
When there are three heads, a circle is placed, or “0”, indicating a “strong” Yang, which can change in its opposite, Yin, also definitively.
We must recompose the figure with the indicated transformations, to obtain the final figure.

64 Possible Symbols

Names and succinct meaning of each symbol

KHIEN: Generative and creative principle.
KUN: Passive, receptive principle.
GUN: Obstacles, initial difficulties.
MENG: Immaturity, youthful madness.
XU: The waiting, the lurking.
SUNG: The problem, the conflict.
SHI: The army, the iron discipline.
PI: Unity, solidarity.
XIARO CHO: The power of the weak.
LU: The marks, the tracks, the steps of the walker.
TAl: Harmony, serenity and peace.
PHI: The stagnation, the stop.
TONG REN: The lovers.
TA YU: Ownership, wealth.
JIANG: Modesty, restraint.
JU: Rest, satisfaction, enthusiasm.
SUl: Perseverance, continuity, follow-up.
GU: The decay, the degradation.
LIN: The approximation.
GUAN: Contemplation.
SHI HO: The bite.
BI: Elegance, grace, donaire.
BO: The separation, the disintegration.
FU: The return, the return, the return.
WU WANG: Innocence.
DA CHU: The power, the strength of the powerful.
YI: The food, the mouth corners.
DA GUO: The excess, the exaggeration, the preponderance.
KAN: The abyss.
LI: The flame, the fire, the adhesion.
XIAN: The influence, the attraction.
HONK: The duration, the future, the permanent.
DYN: The withdrawal, the concession.
TE CHUANG: The fortress, the power of the forts.
JIN: Progress.
MING YI: The shadow, the eclipse, the obscurity.
JIA RENG: The family, the clan.
KUl: Opposition, antagonism, contradiction.
JIAN: Conflicts, impediments, problems.
XIE: Liberation, detachment.
KHUN: The loss.
I: The increase.
GUAI: The decision, the resolution.
COU: The Coupling.
CUl: The Clustering.
SHENG: The ascent,
KUN: The oppression, the misfortune, the misfortune.
JING: The deep well.
KO: The revolution, the uprising.
TING: The boiler, the pot, the lunchbox.
ZHEN: The exciting one, the throne.
KEN: The stillness, the stillness, the calm.
JIANG: Evolution, progress.
GUl MEl: The betrothed, the maiden.
FENG: Abundance, fullness.
LÜ: The traveler, the tramp.
SUN: The smoothness, the flexibility.
DUI: The joyous.
HUAN: Dispersion, disunity.
JIE: The control, the bow, the restraint.
KUNG FU: Inner security, serenity, truth.
XIAO GUO: The greatness and the preponderance of the small.
CHI CHI: The achievement, the culmination.
WEI JI: Before the realization and the culmination.

Interpreting and understanding the Oracle’s answers

You can enhance (or complicate beyond understanding…) with the help of Wikibooks

The system that I consider the best is the one presented by Profa. Vani Terezinha de Rezende in Revista Planeta is divided into 4 phases and was built from the three parts that make up the book (text, material and comment):

The sentence
The comment
The image
Comment on each line

1 – Sentence/Judgment

It is the interpretation of the hexagram as a whole, attributed to King Wen. It is believed that he is also the author of the current arrangement of hexagrams, which is why his interpretation is found immediately below each one. In Chinese it is called T’uan.

2 – The comment

It is an explanation of King Wen’s sentences (or judgments), attributed to Confucius. Confucius’ comments are called the T’uan Chuan

3 – The image

It is the greater symbolism or the idea of the hexagram, also attributed to Confucius. It deals with the trigrammatic composition of the hexagram, and refers to ‘the images associated with the trigrams. In Chinese, the name of this part is Hsiang Chuan.

4 – Comment on each line

The lines form the fourth part of the text, with two subdivisions: the first is the explanation given by the Duke of Chou and the second is Confucius’ observations on this explanation, or the minor symbolism.
Observations were also added, when pertinent, based on the text by Richard Wilhelm.
See in the text how it was translated into Portuguese, on page 78: I-Ching
Note that the text indicated above is in English, slightly different in the format adopted by Vani Rezende, which unfortunately I do not have up in the clouds.
In the Portuguese text, you have to do what Vani Rezende did: condense.
In the case of the example above, the result 19 Approximation contains the following:

Lin / Aproach

above K’UN O RECEPTIVE, EARTH
below TUI THE JOYOUS, LAKE

Translation results

The Chinese word lin has a range of meanings that are not exhausted by any single word in another language. The ancient explanations of the Book of Changes give the first meaning “to become great”. What is great is the two strong lines that grow in the bottom hexagram; the power of light expands with them. The meaning is then expanded to include the concept of approach, especially the approach of what is lower. Finally, the meaning includes the condescending attitude of a man in a high position towards the people and, in general, the setting for working on matters. This hexagram is linked to the twelfth month (January to February), when after the winter solstice, the power of light begins to rise again.

1 – SENTENCE/JUDGEMENT

THE APPROACH has supreme success.
Perseverance is favorable.
When the eighth month arrives,

2 – THE COMMENT

There will be misfortune.

The hexagram as a whole indicates a time of joyful and hopeful progress. Spring is approaching. Joy and patience bring high and low together. Success is certain. But we must work with determination and perseverance to make full use of the propensity of the time. Plus, spring doesn’t last forever. In the eighth month, the aspects are reversed. Only two strong and light lines remain; these do not advance, but are in retreat (see the next hexagram). We must pay attention to this change in due time. If we find the evil before it becomes reality – before it even starts to stir – we can master it.

3 – THE IMMAGE

The land above the lake:
The image of the APPROACH.
So the superior man is inexhaustible
In his willingness to teach,
And without limits
In his tolerance and protection of the people.

The land borders the lake from above. This symbolizes the approach and condescension of the man above those below him. The two parts of the image indicate what his attitude will be towards these people. Just as the lake is inexhaustible in depth, the sage is inexhaustible in his readiness to teach mankind, and just as the earth is infinitely wide, supporting and caring for all creatures in it, the sage sustains and cares for all people and excludes no part of humanity.

4 – COMMENT ON EACH LINE

Nine at the beginning means:

Joint approach.
Perseverance brings good luck.

The good begins to prevail and find an answer in influential circles. This in turn is an incentive for men of ability. It is good that IT joins this upward trend, but we must not be carried away by the current of time; we must persevere to adhere to what is right. This brings good luck.

Nine in the second position means:

Joint approach.
Good luck.
Everything is favorable.

When the stimulus to approach comes from a high place, and when a man has internal strength and consistency that needs no warning, good luck will follow. The future should also not cause any concern. He is well aware that all that is earthly is transitory and that a descent follows each ascension, but he need not be confused by this universal law of destiny. Everything serves to continue. Therefore, he will walk the paths of life with speed, honesty and courage.

Six in the third position means:

Comfortable approach.
Nothing that would do more.
If someone is induced to suffer for it,
One is free of guilt.

Things are going well for a man: he gains power and influence. But therein lies the danger that he will relax, and confident in his position, allow the relaxed and carefree mood to show in his relationships with other people. That would inevitably be harmful. But there is the possibility of a change in mood. If he regrets his wrong doing and feels the responsibility of an influential position, he gets rid of the flaws.

Six in fourth place means:

Complete approach.
Without guilt.
While the bottom three lines indicate ascension to power and influence, the top three lines show the attitude of people in the highest position towards those in the lowest position for whom they acquire influence. Here is shown the open-minded approach of a high-ranking person to a man of skill that he attracts into his own circle, regardless of class prejudice. This is very favorable.

Six in the fifth place means:

Wise approach.
That’s right for a great prince.
Good luck.

A prince, or anyone in a leadership position, must have the wisdom to attract skilled people to him who are experts in matters of direction. His wisdom consists in both selecting the right people and allowing the chosen ones to have a free hand without his interference. For it is only through this self-control that he will find the specialists necessary to satisfy all his requirements.

Six at the top means:

Great approach from the heart.
Good-hearted approach.
Good luck. Without guilt.

A sage who has left the world behind and who in spirit has already withdrawn from life may, under certain circumstances, decide to return once more to the here and now and approach other men. That means great luck for the men he teaches and helps. And for him this great humiliation of himself is beyond reproach.

——-

1 – THE JUDGMENT/SENTENCE

APPROACH has supreme success.
Perseverance furthers.
When the eighth month comes,

There will be misfortune.

The hexagram as a whole points to a time of joyous, hopeful progress. Spring is approaching. Joy and forbearance bring high and low nearer together. Success is certain. But we must work with determination and perseverance to make full use of the propitiousness of the time. And on thing more: spring does not last forever. In the eighth month the aspects are reversed. Then only two strong, light lines are left; these do not advance but are in retreat (see next hexagram). We must take heed of this change in good time. If we meet evil before it becomes reality-before it has even begun to stir-we can master it.

THE IMAGE

The earth above the lake:
The image of APPROACH.
Thus the superior man is inexhaustible
In his will to teach,
And without limits
In his tolerance and protection of the people.

The earth borders upon the lake from above. This symbolizes the approach and condescension of the man of higher position to those beneath him. The two parts of the image indicate what his attitude toward these people will be. Just as the lake is inexhaustible in depth, so the sage is inexhaustible in his readiness to teach mankind, and just as the earth is boundlessly wide, sustaining and caring for all creatures on it, so the sage sustains and cares for all people and excludes no part of humanity.

THE LINES

Nine at the beginning means:

Joint approach.
Perseverance brings good fortune.

The good begins to prevail and to find response in influential circles. This in turn is an incentive to men of ability. IT is well to join this upward trend, but we must not let ourselves be carried away by the current of the time; we must adhere perseveringly to what is right. This bring good fortune.
Nine in the second place means:

Joint approach.
Good fortune.
Everything furthers.

When the stimulus to approach comes from a high place, and when a man has the inner strength and consistency that need no admonition, good fortune will ensue. Nor need the future cause any concern. He is well aware that everything earthly is transitory, and that a descent follows upon every rise, but need not be confused by this universal law of fate. Everything serves to further. Therefore he will travel the paths of life swiftly, honestly, and valiantly.

Six in the third place means:

Comfortable approach.
Nothing that would further.
If one is induced to grieve over it,
One becomes free of blame.

Things are going well for a man: he achieves power and influence. But in this lies the danger that he may relax, and confident of his position, allow the easygoing, careless mood to show itself in his dealings with other people. This would inevitably be harmful. But there is possibility of a change of mood. If he regrets his mistaken attitude and feels the responsibility of an influential position, he frees himself of faults.

Six in the fourth place means:

Complete approach.
No blame.

While the three lower lines indicate rise to power and influence, the three upper lines show the attitude of persons in higher position toward those of lower rank for whom they procure influence. Here is shown the open-minded approach of a person of high rank to a man of ability whom he draws in to his own circle, regardless of class prejudice. This is very favorable.

Six in the fifth place means:

Wise approach.
This is right for a great prince.
Good fortune.

A prince, or anyone in a leading position, must have the wisdom to attract to himself people of ability who are expert in directing affairs. His wisdom consists both in selecting the right people and in allowing those chosen to have a free hand without interference from him. For only through such self-restraint will he find the experts needed to satisfy all of his requirements.

Six at the top means:

Great hearted approach.
Good-hearted approach.
Good fortune. No blame.

A sage who has put the world behind him and who in spirit has already withdrawn from life may, under certain circumstances, decide to return once more to the here and now and to approach other men. This means great good fortune for the men whom he teaches and helps. And for him this great hearted humbling of himself is blameless.

19. Lin / Approach

above K’UN THE RECEPTIVE, EARTH
below TUI THE JOYOUS, LAKE

The Chinese word lin has a range of meanings that is not exhausted by any single word of another language. The ancient explanations in the Book of Changes give as its first meaning, “becoming great.” What becomes great are the two strong lines growing into the hexagram from below; the light-giving power expands with them. The meaning is then further extended to include the concept of approach, especially the approach of what is lower. Finally the meaning includes the attitude of condescension of a man in high position toward the people, and in general the setting to work on affairs. This hexagram is linked with the twelfth month (January-February), when after the winter solstice, the light power begins to ascend again.

THE JUDGMENT

APPROACH has supreme success.
Perseverance furthers.
When the eighth month comes,

. There will be misfortune.

THE IMAGE

The earth above the lake:
The image of APPROACH.
Thus the superior man is inexhaustible
In his will to teach,
And without limits
In his tolerance and protection of the people.

THE LINES

Nine at the beginning means:

Joint approach.
Perseverance brings good fortune.

Joint approach.
Good fortune.
Everything furthers.

Six in the third place means:

Comfortable approach.
Nothing that would further.
If one is induced to grieve over it,
One becomes free of blame.

Six in the fourth place means:

Complete approach.
No blame.

Six in the fifth place means:

Wise approach.
This is right for a great prince.
Good fortune.

Six at the top means:

Great hearted approach.
Good-hearted approach.
Good fortune. No blame.

Freud and Psychoanalysis on the dock

Library of the Congress 100 years of Freud

I Ching – English