31 -- Initiative (Influence) -- 31

 

 

HEXAGRAM NUMBER THIRTY-ONE --

INITIATIVE (INFLUENCE)

Other titles: Influence, Wooing, Attraction, Sensation, Stimulation, Conjoining, Feelings, Sensitivity, Sensing, Affection, Influencing to Action, Tension, Seeking Union, Persuasion, Courting Response, Importuning

 

Judgment

Legge: Upon fulfillment of the conditions implied in Initiative, there will be free course and success. Advantage depends upon firm correctness, as in marrying a young lady. Good fortune.

Wilhelm/Baynes:Influence. Success. Perseverance furthers. To take a maiden to wife brings good fortune.

Blofeld: Attraction. Success! Righteous persistence brings reward. Taking a wife will result in good fortune.

Liu: Attraction. Success. To continue is of benefit. To marry a girl is good fortune.

Ritsema/Karcher: Conjoining, Growing. Harvesting Trial. Grasping womanhood significant. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of the influence that separated parts of an intrinsic whole have on each other. It emphasizes that bringing these parts into contact is the adequate way to handle the situation...]

Shaughnessy: Feelings : Receipt; beneficial to determine; to take to wife a woman is auspicious.

Cleary (1): Sensitivity is developmental. It is beneficial to be correct. Marriage brings good fortune.

Cleary (2):Sensing gets through, beneficial if correct. Marriage is auspicious.

Wu:Affection indicates pervasion and advantage to be persevering. There will be good fortune to marry a young woman.

The Image

Legge: The image of a marsh over a mountain forms Initiative. The superior man frees his mind of preoccupation so that he is open to the influence of others. [Lit: "Thus the superior man receives people by virtue of emptiness."]

Wilhelm/Baynes: A lake on the mountain: the image of Influence. Thus the superior man encourages people to approach him by his willingness to receive them.

Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes a lake situated upon a mountain. In dealing with men, the Superior Man shows himself to be entirely void of selfishness.

Liu: The lake on top of the mountain symbolizes Attraction. With a humble manner the superior man receives people.

Ritsema/Karcher: Above mountain possessing marsh. Conjoining. A chun tzu uses emptiness to acquiesce people.

Cleary (1): There is a lake on a mountain. Thus does the superior person accept people with openness.

Cleary (2): There is a lake atop a mountain – Sensing. Developed people accept others with openness.

Wu: There is a marsh in the mountain; this is Affection. Thus the jun zi receives people with humility.

 

COMMENTARY

Confucius/Legge: Initiative is here used in the sense of mutually influencing. The magnetic trigram is above and the dynamic trigram is below -- their two influences move, respond and unite with each other. The male is placed below the female -- his repression is her satisfaction and brings fulfillment. Advantage depends upon firm correctness, as in the marrying of a young lady. Heaven and earth stimulate each other and all things attain birth. The sages stimulate the minds of men and harmony is born. If we examine the pattern of these influences, the nature of heaven and earth is revealed.

Legge: The lines of the hexagram all deal with moving or influencing to movement, and the figure is an essay on the different ways of creating an influence, and the results engendered thereby. The lower trigram of the youngest son supports the upper trigram of the youngest daughter in happy union. This is correct because the lower trigram (here yang) should always take the initiative. No influence is so powerful and constant as that between husband and wife, and where they are both young, it is especially active. Therefore, mutual influence, correct in itself, and for correct ends is sure to be effective.

 

NOTES AND PARAPHRASES

Judgment: Initiative succeeds only when it originates from the Self.

The Superior Man clears his mind and remains receptive to the will of the Self.

Wilhelm's translation of the name of this hexagram is Influence, but I have chosen Initiative to emphasize the idea of the proper source of the influence implied in the symbolism. Webster's Third New International Dictionary defines initiative as follows:

Initiative 1 : an introductory step or movement: an act designed to originate or set on foot, as a process or train of events. Often used in the phrase: on one's own initiative, as in: "Don't blame me, he acted on his own initiative."

The Judgment states that the situation can be furthered only by the firm correctness associated with the proper contracting of a marriage. We already know that the symbolism of marriage refers to a union of opposites within the psyche. To understand what is meant by the proper contracting of a marriage, we need only look at hexagram number fifty-four,Propriety (The Marrying Maiden), to see the improper way to do it -- that is, when the woman takes the initiative.

Far from being a sexist idea, the symbolism reveals a profound archetypal truth. The polarity of forces in the psyche shows the ego as magnetic to the dynamic Self. That is, the conscious ego-complex in any psyche, male or female, is feminine, or magnetic in relation to the Self, which is masculine, or dynamic. In the I Ching the Self is symbolized by heaven, and the ego is symbolized by earth. This primordial relationship between the two qualities is found in many symbol systems. Here's the Kabbalistic version:

This clearly indicates the function of polarity that prevails between the planes of form and the planes of force; the planes of form being the female aspect, polarized and made fertile by the influencesof the planes of force.
D. Fortune -- The Mystical Qabalah

The Hermetic tradition describes it this way:

There is this dual aspect in the mind of every person. The "I" [Self] represents the Masculine Principle of Mental Gender -- the "Me" [ego] represents the Female Principle.
The Kybalion

In the contracting of a marriage between heaven and earth (uniting the polarities within the divided psyche), the ego must learn, usually through great suffering, that its correct role is a magnetic one in relation to that of the Self. The Work cannot progress until this lesson has been learned and accepted completely. As long as the ego insists on taking dynamic initiative “as usual" in the illusory world of appearances, the results can only be the kind of objective world we inhabit -- one of chaos and strife. The lesson of this hexagram then, is the realization that the only correct source of power lies with the Self, and that the ego must yield to that source as a bride to her bridegroom. (Unfortunately, the contemporary relationship between the sexes has become so confused that this metaphor is seldom effective in conveying the profound truth it represents.)

The Self (the Causal Body of Theosophy) dwells beyond the restrictions of spacetime and is pre-eminently suited for directing the Work, since it can "see ahead” so to speak, and it knows the effects of all of the available choices. The ego, on the other hand, dwells in spacetime and is able to take action: by its choices it makes or breaks the Work. The ideal reciprocity between ego and Self is a simple and logical division of labor -- the Self can see ahead but cannot take direct action, and the ego can take direct action but cannot see ahead. For the ego to act without direction from the Self is to grope blindly in the dark -- and the Work clearly cannot progress under such circumstances. The superior man therefore, "clears his mind and remains receptive to the will of the Self.” Obviously, it takes time to learn how to do this properly; in its initial stages, that's what the Work is all about.

The majority of people are more or less the slaves of heredity, environment, etc., and manifest very little freedom. They are swayed by the opinions, customs and thoughts of the outside world, and also by their emotions, feelings, moods, etc. They manifest no Mastery, worthy of the name.
The Kybalion

The second and third sentences in the Confucian commentary elicit the sexual symbolism in this hexagram quite clearly: "The [female] trigram is above and the [male] trigram is below -- their two influences move, respond and unite with each other. The male is placed below the female -- his repression is her satisfaction and brings fulfillment.” Blofeld comments on this in a footnote:

I doubt if this should be regarded as shedding light upon the ancient Chinese concept of the most acceptable position for intercourse; it is more likely to mean that the girl is able to depend upon the man as a plant depends upon the earth for its nourishment.

Symbolism works on many levels, and Blofeld's aborted insight does apply to some of them. It is an established fact that the sentences in question accurately describe tantric sexual techniques practiced in the Orient for millennia. To understand the principles of the Work we must be able to see the "obvious" as symbolic of an abstraction -- and vice- versa. Sexual polarity is a very tricky and volatile symbol because we are predisposed to confine it to its most literal meaning. The hardest part of symbolic interpretation is to know where in the continuum a specific symbol belongs in any given situation.

Without changing lines this hexagram suggests that you examine your impulses and motivations to act and see if they are truly in accordance with the goals of the Work. The figure can sometimes take on the meaning of importuning: "to press or urge with frequent or unreasonable requests or troublesome persistence.” In other words, you might be importuning the oracle for answers which it is of no mind to give you. It is also significant to note that every line has a more or less negative connotation. These are all very strong warnings to the ego to control its compulsive need to take the Initiative, to influence the situation. Calm down -- reality is not what it appears to be. Please allow the Self to direct the Work.

 

SUGGESTIONS FOR MEDITATION

Compare the concepts in this hexagram with hexagram number fifty-four,Propriety; number fifty-three, Gradual Progress; and number eleven, Harmony. How do they all deal with the symbol of marriage as an aspect of the Work? Compare the first three lines with hexagram number 52,Keeping Still.

Initiativeis the first hexagram of Part II of the I Ching. Why do you suppose the book was divided into two unequal sections? Why did the division appear between the thirtieth and thirty-first hexagrams? (An even division would be between the thirty-second and thirty-third.)

The (I Ching) was originally divided into two books. (Appendix VI) considers the first of these as dealing with the world of nature, and the second as dealing with that of man.
Fung Yu-Lan -- A Short History of Chinese Philosophy

What insights does the alchemical concept of the Unus Mundus bring to bear on these questions?

Line-1

Legge: The first line, magnetic, shows one moving her great toes.

Wilhelm/Baynes: The influence shows itself in the big toe.

Blofeld: Sensation in the toe.

Liu: Stimulation in the big toe. [If you get this line you will plan an undertaking, but if it is planned hastily, it will be difficult to carry out.]

Ritsema/Karcher: Conjoining one's big toes.

Shaughnessy: Feeling his big toe.

Cleary (1): Sensing in the big toe is inauspicious. [The big toe can move but not walk; to feel something one can not carry out is not right sensing. This is sensitivity that stirs the human mentality.]

Cleary (2): Sensing in the big toe.

Wu: He moves his big toes.

 

COMMENTARY

Confucius/Legge: Her mind is set on what is beyond herself. Wilhelm/ Baynes: The will is directed outward. Blofeld: This implies that the will is fastened upon external matters. Ritsema/Karcher: Purpose located outside indeed. Cleary (2): The aspiration is outside. Wu: His affection is outward.

Legge: The first line is magnetic at the commencement of the figure. Although the fourth line is a proper correlate, his influence will be ineffective. However much she moves her toes, that won't enable her to walk. What is "beyond herself" is represented by the fourth line. There is the desire to influence but no strength and/or ability to do so.

 

NOTES AND PARAPHRASES

Siu: At the outset, something is beginning to happen which is not yet apparent to everyone.

Wing: There is something in the air. Perhaps it's the beginning of a compelling attraction or an idea just coming to light. Whatever it is, it is of little significance, since a great deal more must be done to make it a reality.

Editor: Although the image is simple, the concept behind it is not. Wilhelm's commentary suggests the idea of a hidden influence, a latent force within the situation, which has not yet become apparent. This energy is focused on what is beyond itself -- i.e., it wants to become manifest, but as yet is not powerful enough to do so. (There is a suggestion of impatience to take action.) At its most neutral, the line can image a concern with something distant in time or space -- even an abstract idea. Legge's Confucian commentary is a good paraphrase.

In times of stress, physical or mental, he might astonish his friends and even himself by the undisciplined and primitive reactions that suddenly usurp the attitudes of the well-drilled persona. Such reactions do not come from the conscious part of the psyche; they arise from the nonpersonal part and reveal not the conscious characterbut the stage of development that the nonpersonal psyche has reached.
M.E. Harding -- Psychic Energy

A. Unseen forces work toward change. An image of a subliminal influence or latent energy.

B. An image of a restless ego -- a mind seething with "great plans," schemes or intentions.

C. "Don't cross your bridges until you come to them."

Line-2

Legge: The second line, magnetic, shows one moving the calves of her legs. There will be evil. If she abides quietly in her place, there will be good fortune.

Wilhelm/Baynes: The influence shows itself in the calves of the legs. Misfortune. Tarrying brings good fortune.

Blofeld: Sensation in the legs -- misfortune! [I.e. Misfortune if we yield to the urge to exercise our legs by going somewhere else.] Good fortune comes to those who do not venture forth.

Liu: Stimulation in the calves of the legs. Misfortune. Stillness invites good fortune.

Ritsema/Karcher: Conjoining one's calves. Pitfall. Residing significant.

Shaughnessy: Feeling his calf; inauspicious; to dwell is auspicious.

Cleary (1): Sensing in the calf is inauspicious. Biding is auspicious.

Cleary (2): Sensing in the calf bodes ill. To stay put bodes well.

Wu: He moves his calves. It will be foreboding. Should he stay, there will be good fortune.

 

COMMENTARY

Confucius/Legge: If she abides quietly in her place and complies with the circumstances of her condition there will be no injury. Wilhelm/Baynes: Even though misfortune threatens, tarrying brings good fortune. One does not come to harm through devotion. Blofeld: If we gladly accord with others, we shall come to no harm. Ritsema/Karcher: Yielding, not harming indeed. Cleary (2): Because obedience does no harm. Wu: His rash move will be foreboding. Patience will turn into good fortune, as observance will keep out humiliation.

Legge: The calves cannot move of themselves -- they follow the moving of the feet. She is too anxious to move. However, she is magnetic and central, so if she abides quietly in her place until she is acted upon from above, there will be good fortune.

 

NOTES AND PARAPHRASES

Siu: The influence of the man increases, yet it is not obvious. He is eager to act but should wait for more favorable circumstances.

Wing: You may feel compelled to move, to take some kind of action, yet you really don't know what you're doing. It's a little like sleepwalking. Avoid action until you wake up to what's going on. Otherwise there is some danger of getting into trouble.

Editor: This image of the calves of the legs might be rendered in Western idiom as "knee-jerk responses." The meaning is analogous, if not identical.

During the years of our indiscretion, while we are driven hither and thither by our various likes and dislikes, we serve many Masters, who often prove veritable tyrants to us, but when we have had enough of them, we find that there is a Master of a different stamp, who lives not by our passions and desires, but rather by their suppression and subdual.
E. Gewurz -- The Hidden Treasures of the Ancient Qabalah

A. Control your knee-jerk responses. Do not pursue this train of thought, line of speculation, hypothesis, etc. Wait for inspiration from the Self.

Line-3

Legge: The third line, dynamic, shows one moving his thighs, and keeping close hold of those whom he follows. Going forward in this way will cause regret.

Wilhelm/Baynes: The influence shows itself in the thighs. Holds to that which follows it. To continue is humiliating.

Blofeld: Sensation in the thighs. He cleaves so closely to his wife (handmaiden, etc.) that for him to continue in this manner would be shameful.

Liu: Stimulation in the thighs. If he insists on following, he will be humiliated.

Ritsema/Karcher: Conjoining one's thighs. Holding-on-to one's following. Going abashed.

Shaughnessy: Feeling his calf: thigh: holding to his follower; distress.

Cleary (1): Sensing in the thighs; when persistence turns to indulgence, to go on is shameful.

Cleary (2): Sensing in the thighs, when clinging is following, to go on brings shame.

Wu: He moves his thighs and stays close to those he follows. He will regret if he keeps going forward.

 

COMMENTARY

Confucius/Legge: "He moves his thighs" -- he still doesn't want to rest in his place. His will is set on following others -- what he holds in his grasp is low. Wilhelm/Baynes: For he cannot keep still. When the will is directed to things that one's followers hold to, this is very base. Blofeld: Sensation in the thighs also denotes restlessness; while being guided by the will of a wife (or subordinate) involves clinging to what is inferior. Ritsema/Karcher: Truly not abiding indeed. Purpose located-in following people. A place to hold-on-to the below indeed. Cleary (2): Is also not staying put; the aim is in following others; what is clung to is low. Wu: Like his predecessors, he does not want to stay put either. His desire to follow people shows whatever he holds is low.

Legge: The attempt to move the thighs is inauspicious. The dynamic third line, in a dynamic place, wants to run after line four, which is said here to be the seat of the mind. He exercises his influence with an inferior purpose. "What he holds in his grasp is low" is understood to refer to the magnetic first and second lines. "Following" leads the mind to the lines above. "Low" is understood in the sense of "mean."

 

NOTES AND PARAPHRASES

Siu: A person should refrain from running after those he would like to influence, yielding to the whims of his master, and acquiescing to the moods of his own heart. Personal inhibition should constitute the basis for the enjoyment of granted freedom.

Wing: You must gain control of yourself. Don't run this way and that on impulse in an attempt to influence others or indulge in your many whims. You will ultimately be humiliated by such unconsidered actions. Set up a few inhibitions for yourself and operate within these limitations while you develop some self-control.

Editor: Mr. Legge, a proper Victorian, did not bring out the earthy imagery of this line to its fullest. If we were to receive this image in a dream it might take the blatantly sexual form of the pelvic thrusting associated with male dogs. When seen in this way the idea behind this line becomes clear.

Hence it is that in men the privy member is disobedient and self-willed, like a creature that will not listen to reason, and because of frenzied appetite bent upon carrying all before it. In women again, for the same reason, what is called the matrix or womb, a living creature within them with a desire for childbearing, if it be left unfruitful beyond the due season, is vexed and aggrieved, and wandering throughout the body and blocking the channels of the breath, by forbidding respiration brings the sufferer to extreme distress and causes all manner of disorders; until at last the Eros of the one and the Desire of the other bring the pair together, pluck as it were the fruit from the tree and sow the plowland of the womb with living creatures still unformed and too small to be seen.
Plato -- The Timaeus

A. The image suggests a mindless and compulsive urge to influence the situation.

B. You allow yourself to be influenced by base emotions.

Line-4

Legge: The fourth line, dynamic, shows that firm correctness which will lead to good fortune, and prevent all occasion for repentance. If its subject be unsettled in his movements, only his friends will follow his purposes.

Wilhelm/Baynes: Perseverance brings good fortune. Remorse disappears. If a man is agitated in mind, and his thoughts go hither and thither, only those friends on whom he fixes his conscious thoughts will follow.

Blofeld: Righteous persistence brings good fortune and regret vanishes; but only friends and immediate followers will waste their thoughts on one who dithers irresolutely to and fro.

Liu: To carry on reaps good fortune; remorse disappears. If his mind is not quiet and his thoughts go back and forth, only his friends will follow his ideas.

Ritsema/Karcher: Trial significant, repenting extinguished. Wavering, wavering: going, coming. Partnering adheres-to simply pondering.

Shaughnessy: Determination is auspicious; regret is gone. So undecided going and coming, a friend follows you in thought.

Cleary (1): Rectitude brings good fortune, and regret disappears. Coming and going with an unsettled mind: companions follow your thoughts. [Thoughts that “come along with companions” obscure the mind of Tao by the human mentality.]

Cleary (2): Correctness brings good fortune, and regret disappears. Coming and going ceaselessly, companions follow your thoughts.

Wu: From perseverance will come auspiciousness. Regret will fade away. His mind vacillates, but his friends will be able to follow his thoughts.

 

COMMENTARY

Confucius/Legge: There has not yet been any harm from a selfish wish to influence, yet his power to influence is neither brilliant nor great. Wilhelm/ Baynes: In this way one does not stir up anything injurious. Thoughts going hither and thither in agitation: by this one shows that one has as yet no clear light. Blofeld: Persistence rewarded and the vanishing of regret both result from our not having incited anyone to evildoing, but this irresolute conduct scarcely indicates clarity of mind on our part. [This suggests the rather negative good fortune of having a clear conscience; apparently we have little reason for self- congratulation, since our rather spineless conduct alienates everyone who is not bound to us by ties of blood or friendship.]Ritsema/Karcher: Not-yet influencing harming indeed. Not-yet the shining great indeed. Cleary (2): One has not yet sensed danger. One is not yet great. Wu: He has not done anything brilliant.

From the Great Treatise -- It is said in the I Ching: "Full of anxious thoughts you go and come; only friends will follow you and think with you." The Master said: "In all the processes taking place under heaven, what is there of thinking? What is there of anxious scheming? They all come to the same successful issue, though by different paths. There is one result, though there might be a hundred anxious schemes. What is there of thinking? What is there of anxious scheming?”

Legge: Line four is dynamic, but in a magnetic and receptive place. It is the

seat of the mind, and its subject is therefore warned to be firm and correct in order to get a good issue. If he is wavering and uncertain, his influence won't extend beyond his circle of friends.

Wilhelm/Baynes: This is a strong line in a weak place, hence it has a twofold possibility. It can remain firm and, resisting the temptation to use special influence, quietly make itself felt as one of the rulers of the hexagram, by virtue of its character; in this case it does not stimulate anything injurious, since it is in harmony with the right. Or it can instead yield to the influence of the six at the beginning, to which it is related. Thereby it limits its influence; everything is shifted onto the conscious plane, and the inner light darkens.

NOTES AND PARAPHRASES

Siu: No harm has yet been incurred from a selfish wish to influence. But neither is the man's power of any great consequence. He is too indecisive and unsure of himself to move anyone beyond his own circle of friends.

Wing: The desire to influence a specific person or situation is now enhanced. Do not become calculating or manipulative in your efforts. Instead, take a unilateral approach by displaying the strength of your convictions in all that you do. By remaining consistent in all matters you will achieve your goal.

Editor: The Confucian commentary from the Great Treatise hints at the subtle truth behind this line. When the ego has attained true tranquility, all initiative comes directly from the Self. If the ego is "unsettled in its movements," only its "friends" (analogous complexes within the psyche) will respond. Sometimes the message here is to have the discipline not to meddle with a natural process.

As long as the heart has not attained absolute tranquility, it cannot move itself ... If, when stimulated by external things, one moves, it is the impulse of the being. If, when not stimulated by external things, one moves, it is the movement of heaven ... When no idea arises, the right ideas come ... When things are quiet and one is quite firm, and the release of heaven suddenly moves, is this not a movement without purpose? Action through non-action has just this meaning.
The Secret of the Golden Flower

A. Restlessness prevents unity -- calm down and unify your thinking or focus your intent.

B. Let it be -- allow the situation to unfold.

Line-5

Legge: The fifth line, dynamic, shows one moving the flesh along the spine above the heart. There will be no occasion for repentance.

Wilhelm/Baynes: The influence shows itself in the back of the neck. No remorse.

Blofeld: Sensation in the fleshy covering of the spinal column -- no regret.

Liu: Stimulation in the middle of the back. No remorse. [Conflict. Perhaps one's strong opinions ... will create discord ... One can expect difficulty in carrying out his plans. Only small ventures will succeed.]

Ritsema/Karcher: Conjoining one's neck. Without repenting.

Shaughnessy: Feeling his (thigh:) spine; there is no regret.

Cleary (1): Sensing in the flesh of the back, there is no regret. [What separates the mind of Tao from the human (ego) mind is but a hairbreadth; sensing it in the flesh of the back means it is near the heart …The mind that is not mind is called the true mind … It is open awareness unobscured … This is sensitivity preserving the mind of Tao without the human mentality.]

Wu: He moves his upper back muscles. There will be no regret.

 

COMMENTARY

Confucius/Legge: He tries to move the flesh along the spine above the heart -- his aim is trivial. Wilhelm/Baynes: The will is directed to the ramifications. Blofeld: This betokens inability to impose our will as yet. Ritsema/Karcher: Purpose, the tips indeed. [Tips:, MO: growing ends, outermost twigs; last, most distant.]Cleary (2): The aim is concluded. Wu: His affection is at the top.

Legge: The symbolism of line five refers to a part of the body behind the heart, and is supposed to indicate an ineffective influence. The triviality of the aim explains the ineffectiveness of the movement, but since it is free from selfish motivations it is nothing to be repented of.

 

NOTES AND PARAPHRASES

Siu: The man's goals are trivial, although free from selfish motives.

Wing: Look within to determine the depth of your influence on external matters. People with a profound inner resolve can accomplish much. Those with shallow roots cannot exert significant external influence.

Editor: Despite the "no remorse," this is can be a less than positive line. The influence here doesn't come from the heart, but from a region near the heart: it isn't that the motivations are insincere, it's that they miss the mark. "Trivial" (Legge, Siu) means "of little or no value" -- a fair synonym for "illusion." At a deeper level, Wilhelm comments: "What takes place in the depths of one's being, in the unconscious, can neither be called forth nor prevented by the conscious mind. It is true that if we cannot be influenced ourselves, we cannot influence the outside world.” If this is the only changing line, the new hexagram is number 62, Small Powers,with its corresponding line portraying a lack of understanding of hidden matters. This can sometimes imply things within the situation which are beyond the ego's immediate comprehension.

To educate men to a faith they do not understand is certainly a well- meant undertaking, but one runs the risk of creating an attitude that believes everything it does not understand.
Jung -- The Symbolic Life

A. Although your motives are sincere, they are not in accordance with reality. Sincere illusions are still illusions.

B. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." The image suggests erroneous actions or motivations.

Alternate: Cleary’s Taoist commentary describes “the mind of Tao” able to manifest autonomously when the ego-mind does not impede it – a very high and unfortunately rare state of consciousness. Wing’s paraphrase captures the dual nature of this line quite well.

C. The mind of Tao supersedes ego-mindedness. Or: The Self can manifest when the ego doesn’t take the Initiative.

Line-6

Legge: The sixth line, magnetic, shows one moving her jaws and tongue.

Wilhelm/Baynes: The influence shows itself in the jaws, cheeks, and tongue.

Blofeld: Sensation in the jaws and the tongue.

Liu: Stimulation in the jaws and tongue.

Ritsema/Karcher: Conjoining one's jawbones, cheeks, tongue.

Shaughnessy: Feeling his cheeks, jowls, and tongue.

Cleary (1): Sensing in the jaws and tongue. [When the mouth moves, the mind moves. This is sensitivity using the human mentality, utterly lacking the mind of Tao.]

Wu: He moves his tongue and cheeks.

 

COMMENTARY

Confucius/Legge: She only talks with loquacious mouth. Wilhelm/Baynes: He opens his mouth and chatters. Blofeld: This is a way of saying that we open wide our mouths and talk too much. Ritsema/Karcher: The spouting mouth stimulating indeed. Cleary (2): Sensing in the jaws and tongue is speaking a lot. Wu: He likes chattering.

Legge: Line six is magnetic in a magnetic place at the top of the trigram of Frivolity. Her influence by means of speech will only be that of garrulous flattery.

 

NOTES AND PARAPHRASES

Siu: The man resorts to superficial ways of influencing others through nothing but talk. The results are negligible.

Wing: Words are only words. Ideas mean little unexecuted. What are you doing?

Editor: The divided line at the top of the upper trigram is said to symbolize an open mouth. To talk is to use words, and words are a product of the mental realm. The image is of empty rhetoric -- perhaps a too-intellectual approach to the situation at hand. This blather can be inner as well as outer, and the line sometimes refers to the excesses of reason and logic which can blind us to the truths of an expanded awareness. Often in the course of the Work we are severely tested by choices which demand the abandonment of common sense in favor of faith in the Self to carry us to a realm transcending reason. Such tests are excruciating, and often we fail them because we cannot let go of our faith in logic, words and "common sense." Compare with line five of Hexagram 52.

I gradually form the habit of listening inwardly, whenever I want to say something, to be sure I have authority to say it. Gradually I learn to keep my mouth shut except when I really have something to say. And I come to recognize two beings in my self: a personal ego which is often inclined to chatter, without control, purely for the sake of communicating and attracting attention to my person -- and in the background of my consciousness a higher self which restrains my personal ego, telling it when and what it is to speak or do, and when it is to remain silent or passive. The important thing is to pay attention and obey the orders of this higher self. Merely to hear its commands is not enough; everybody does that!
Elisabeth Haich -- Initiation

A. An image of rationalization or intellectual drivel. Your idea is without merit.

May 8, 2001, 3/25/06