The decisionary man of inferior nature gains a position of authority and is able to do injury to the superior man. But this does not mean that the superior man should relinquish his principles and give into this adverse situation. If his ability to act is curtailed then his influence has no effect. He nevertheless remains inwardly firm.
The Light Hidden
He does not allow his basic principles to be altered by worsened external circumstances. If he finds it necessary to work with others, he does so, although, he does not share their convictions; outwardly he does not make trouble, because there’s no chance that he might be successful, he avoids contention and does not threaten the opposition.
It is not in his power to effectively oppose the inferior man, so he does not resist so as to overthrow him, and does not even actively oppose him. He does not lend his active support of the inferior man’s principles while he keeps his opposition hidden.
The superior man remains steady by actively supporting the inferior man. Since the superior man is not in a position to impose his will on the affairs, he remains steadfast but quiet, keeping his aims and purposes and patiently waiting for the times to change and for his influence to be effective once again.
The Maxim
In times that are not favourable to the progress of superior those men withdraw and do not try to force their views on those around them. They realise that to do so will only intensify the opposition and make the situation more difficult. Though staying apart from the opposing forces, they do not openly castigate them or arouse opposition against them. They realise that this is not a time to correct the behaviours of others and generally try to keep relations smooth and free from contention. But at the same time, they keep themselves unaffected by the unfavourable times.
Interpreting the lines
LINE 1 (Bottom, Yang)
The message is that thoughts may be unclear and confusion may prevail, so avoid coming to conclusions or passing judgement. The three images associated with this line include one of a bird in flight who gets wounded and its wings droop, that is a metaphor of entering the realm of thoughts and feeling impaired due to a lack of information or clarity in thought or inferior concepts or crippling or faulty ideas. The second image is of a man on a journey who goes without food for three days implying food for thought wherein the subject by refusing food avoids jumping to conclusions. The third image is of a master in derision of the subject implying the darkness of midnight outside, intending one to clamour within to ultimately find the light of knowledge, wisdom, discrimination, vivek, etc.
LINE 2
The vision or perception is still clouded when hurt on the left thigh. The left thigh signifies intuition or spiritual connect. A horse aids in healing it. A horse signifies all things positive like will power, inner strength, spirit of nature, etc. Appearance of this line signifies that struggles in life manifest to goad one to higher realms of thought, acts and deeds.
LINE 3
A Southern expedition leads to the achievement of acquiring a great feat. The Book of Changes advises being cautious about imposing intellectual reasoning or making instant corrections on emotional forces. Empathising with an issue is suggested rather than chastising.
LINE 4
Here, clarity to perceive the present situation is achieved. Find yourself at a place where the unpleasant reality is apparent. Having reached the crux of the matter, you can see the forces of evil. One has the choice to exit, leave and run away. Do not leave any opportunity for future encounters to have to resist it. Gather yourself, be courageous and confidently make an obvious choice.
LINE 5
This line speaks of how the Chinese Count Chi “hid his light” by pretending to be insane just to protect himself and deceive his persecutor; yet being firm and correct within. It was a beneficial move for all. The message is that one needs to adapt to difficult circumstances but not surrender one’s integrity; play dumb in the face of pride and conceit.
LINE 6
There is light then there is darkness. This line holds the judgement of the entire hexagram, the fate of the oppressive, egoist and vain ruler. There was clarity, now there is obscurity, darkness, no light and only shadows for those that tried to control a situation. The tyrant falls. The identity or persona has the opportunity to create beauty once again.
(The columnist is a Naturopath and Reiki practitioner and pursues astrology as a hobby)
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