|There were "old" features in your gua (hexagram). It means that you have two hexagrams. The first one — is something that the Book tells you at the moment, the second is something it warns you about.
40. Taking-Apart (xiè). Deliverance
At transition times, happiness is in leaving and coming back. When moving, you can avoid the danger.
Inital text of I Ching
Deliverance. The southwest furthers. If there is no longer anything where one has to go, return brings good fortune. If there is still something where one has to go, hastening brings good fortune.
Thunder and rain set in:
The image of Deliverance. Thus the superior man pardons mistakes and forgives misdeeds.
- Without blame.
- One kills three foxes in the field and receives a yellow arrow. Perseverance brings good fortune.
- If a man carries a burden on his back and nonetheless rides in a carriage, he thereby encourages robbers to draw near. Perseverance leads to humiliation.
- Deliver yourself from your great toe. Then the companion comes, and him you can trust.
- If only the superior man can deliver himself, it brings good fortune. Thus he proves to inferior men that he is in earnest.
- The prince shoots at a hawk on a high wall. He kills it. Everything serves to further.
It is time crisis starts. It is transition time. It seems no success can be expected in any business. It is better to part with the old plans without regret and remorse – soon you will be able to start something new. Do not blame yourself in a failure, do not take too much responsibility, only accept the necessary losses. Look to the future without fear, chase painful thought - after the storm nature comes to life, everything goes on as usually.
Here the movement goes out of the sphere of danger. The obstacle has been
removed, the difficulties are being resolved. Deliverance is not yet achieved;
it is just in its beginning, and the hexagram represents its various stages.
This refers to a time in which tensions and complications begin to be eased.
At such times we ought to make our way back to ordinary conditions as soon
as possible; this is the meaning of "the southwest." These periods of sudden
change have great importance. Just as rain relieves atmospheric tension,
making all the buds burst open, so a time of deliverance from burdensome
pressure has a liberating and stimulating effect on life. One thing is
important, however: in such times we must not overdo our triumph. The
point is not to push on farther than is necessary. Returning to the regular
order of life as soon as deliverance is achieved brings good fortune. If there
are any residual matters that ought to be attended to, it should be done as
quickly as possible, so that a clean sweep is made and no retardations occur.
A thunderstorm has the effect of clearing the air; the superior man produces
a similar effect when dealing with mistakes and sins of men that induce a
condition of tension. Through clarity he brings deliverance. However, when
failings come to light, he does not dwell on them; he simply passes over
mistakes, the unintentional transgressions, just as thunder dies away. He
forgives misdeeds, the intentional transgressions, just as water washes
In keeping with the situation, few words are needed. The hindrance is past,
deliverance has come. One recuperates in peace and keeps still. This is the
right thing to do in times when difficulties have been overcome.
The image is taken from the hunt. The hunter catches three cunning foxes
and receives a yellow arrow as a reward. The obstacles in public life are the
designing foxes who try to influence the ruler through flattery. They must be
removed before there can be any deliverance. But the struggle must not be
carried on with the wrong weapons. The yellow color points to measure and
mean in proceeding against the enemy; the arrow signifies the straight course.
If one devotes himself wholeheartedly to the task of deliverance, he develops
so much inner strength from his rectitude that it acts as a weapon against all
that is false and low.
This refers to a man who has come out of needy circumstances in to comfort
and freedom from want. If now, in the manner of an upstart, he tries to take
his ease in comfortable surroundings that do not suit his nature, he thereby
attracts robbers. If he goes on thus he is sure to bring disgrace upon himself.
Confucius says about this line:
Carrying a burden on the back is the business of common man; a carriage is
the appurtenance of a man of rank. Now, when a common man uses the
appurtenance of man of rank, robbers plot to take it away from him. If a man
is insolent toward those above him and hard toward those below him,
robbers plot to attack him. Carelessness in guarding things tempts thieves to
steal. Sumptuous ornaments worn by a maiden are an enticement to rob her
of her virtue.
In times of standstill it will happen that inferior people attach themselves to a
superior man, and through force of daily habit they may grow very close to
him and become indispensable, just as the big toe is indispensable to the foot
because it makes walking easier. But when the time of deliverance draws
near, with its call to deeds, a man must free himself from such chance
acquaintances with whim he has no inner connection. For otherwise the
friends who share his views, on whom he could really rely and together with
whom he could accomplish something, mistrust him and stay away.
Times of deliverance demand inner resolve. Inferior people cannot be
driven off by prohibitions or any external means. If one desires to be rid of
them, he must first break completely with them in his own mind; they will
see for themselves that he is in earnest and will withdraw.
The hawk on a high wall is the symbol of a powerful inferior in a high
position who is hindering the deliverance. He withstands the force of inner
influences, because he is hardened in his wickedness. He must be forcibly
removed, and this requires appropriate means. Confucius says about this
The hawk is the object of the hunt; bow and arrow are the tools and means.
The marksman is man (who must make proper use of the means to his end).
The superior man contains the means in his own person. He bides his time
and then acts. Why then should not everything go well? He acts and is free.
Therefore all he has to do is to go forth, and he takes his quarry. This is how a
man fares who acts after he has made ready the means.
Barbara Hejslip interpretation
You had to overcome the long period of anxiety and troubles. And here this period behind. Now it is necessary to gather and immediately to start to operate, differently it is possible to miss an opportunity to achieve brilliant results. A certain old desire will be executed, new - too, but hardly later. You will have new friends. If at you the trip, travel, - happy journey is planned! They will give to you only pleasure. The begun period is very favorable well to earn.
5. Attending (xū). Waiting
Keep calm being in involuntary failure. Try to see no inauspicious where there is no it.
Inital text of I Ching
Waiting. If you are sincere, you have light and success. Perseverance brings good fortune. It furthers one to cross the great water.
Clouds rise up to heaven:
The image of Waiting. Thus the superior man eats and drinks, is joyous and of good cheer.
- Waiting in the meadow. It furthers one to abide in what endures. No blame.
- Waiting on the sand. There is some gossip. The end brings good fortune.
- Waiting in the mud brings about the arrival of the enemy.
- Waiting in blood. Get out of the pit.
- Waiting at meat and drink. Perseverance brings good fortune.
- One falls into the pit. Three uninvited guests arrive. Honor them, and in the end there will be good fortune.
Show trust to the situation. Any event should ripen. Preparatory self-control and patience are needed. There are no trifles in life. Listen to news – quite unexpectedly dropped word can help solve the problem. Do not get bored, be who you are, no rash actions, do not act haphazardly. Be attentive to unexpected guests – they are not accidental. Know how to relax, enjoy your life, have good time, enjoy good food and beverages, but be moderate. You will soon get the desired, the situation will be harmonious.
All beings have need of nourishment from above. But the gift of food comes
in its own time, and for this one must wait. This hexagram shows the clouds
in the heavens, giving rain to refresh all that grows and to provide mankind
with food and drink. The rain will come in its own time. We cannot make it
come; we have to wait for it. The idea of waiting is further suggested by the
attributes of the two trigrams--strength within, danger in from. Strength in
the face of danger does not plunge ahead but bides its time, whereas weakness
in the face of danger grows agitated and has not the patience to wait.
Waiting is not mere empty hoping. It has the inner certainty of reaching the
goal. Such certainty alone gives that light which leads to success. This leads
to the perseverance that brings good fortune and bestows power to cross the
great water. One is faced with a danger that has to be overcome. Weakness
and impatience can do nothing. Only a strong man can stand up to his fate,
for his inner security enables him to endure to the end. This strength shows
itself in uncompromising truthfulness [with himself]. It is only when we
have the courage to face things exactly as they are, without any sort of self-
deception or illusion, that a light will develop out of events, by which the
path to success may be recognized. This recognition must be followed by
resolute and persevering action. For only the man who goes to meet his fate
resolutely is equipped to deal with it adequately. Then he will be able to cross
the great water--that is to say, he will be capable of making the necessary
decision and of surmounting the danger.
When clouds rise in the sky, it is a sign that it will rain. There is nothing to
do but to wait until after the rain falls. It is the same in life when destiny is at
work. We should not worry and seek to shape the future by interfering in
things before the time is ripe. We should quietly fortify the body with food
and drink and the mind with gladness and good cheer. Fate comes when it
will, and thus we are ready.
The danger is not yet close. One is still waiting on the open plain.
Conditions are still simple, yet there is a feeling of something impending.
One must continue to lead a regular life as long as possible. Only in this way
does one guard against a premature waste of strength, keep free of blame and
error that would become a source of weakness later on.
The danger gradually comes closer. Sand is near the bank of the river, and
the water means danger. Disagreements crop up. General unrest can easily
develop in such times, and we lay the blame on one another. He who stays
calm will succeed in making things go well in the end. Slander will be
silenced if we do not gratify it with injured retorts.
Mud is no place for waiting, since it is already being washed by the water of
the stream. Instead of having gathered strength to cross the stream at one try,
one has made a premature start that has got him no farther than the muddy
bank. Such an unfavorable position invites enemies from without, who
naturally take advantage of it. Caution and a sense of the seriousness of the
situation are all that can keep one from injury.
The situation is extremely dangerous. IT is of utmost gravity now--a matter
of life and death. Bloodshed seems imminent. There is no going forward or
backward; we are cut off as if in a pit. Now we must simply stand fast and let
fate take its course. This composure, which keeps us from aggravating the
trouble by anything we might do, is the only way of getting out of the
Even in the midst of danger there come intervals of peace when things go
relatively well. If we possess enough inner strength, we shall take advantage
of these intervals to fortify ourselves for renewed struggle. We must know
how to enjoy the moment without being deflected from the goal, for
perseverance is needed to remain victorious.
This is true in public life as well; it is not possible to achieve everything all
at once. The height of wisdom is to allow people enough recreation to
quicken pleasure in their work until the task is completed. Herein lies the
secret of the whole hexagram. It differs from Chin OBSTRUCTION (39), in
the fact that in this instance, while waiting, we are sure of our cause and
therefore do not lose the serenity born of inner cheerfulness.
The waiting is over; the danger can no longer be averted. One falls into the
pit and must yield to the inevitable. Everything seems to have been in vain.
But precisely in this extremity things take an unforeseen turn. Without a
move on one's own part, there is outside intervention. At first one cannot be
sure of its meaning: is it rescue or is it destruction? A person in this
situation must keep his mind alert and not withdraw into himself with a
sulky gesture of refusal, but must greet the new turn with respect. Thus he
ultimately escapes the danger, and all goes well. Even happy turns of fortune
often come in a form that at first seems strange to us.
Barbara Hejslip interpretation
Now time to wait and gather with forces, they will soon be necessary for you, and is very fast-when there will come spring, the snow will thaw, and flowers again will blossom. Haste and impatience in acts now can harm only. It is necessary to suffer still a little, month two, a certain person who will assist you yet is not how you and do not wait. And if you resolutely and vigorously will occupy in planning of the further actions the help and support will come even more quickly. You can feel an inclination to the person who is more senior than you. Try to find out the interest to him not too. If you will purposefully operate and circumspectly enough, your desire will be executed.
Richard Wilhelm's commentary