Students of the Yijing are a diverse lot. Some have dedicated themselves to years of painstaking study and research, while others are much more casual users who would prefer to have all the answers available at the touch of a button. Most are somewhere in the middle, trying to make sense of the vast amount of available material and hoping that some new finding will perhaps make the process of learning a little easier. With time, and a little luck, it does become more familiar, although getting the message can still be elusive even for students who have decades of study "under their belts". The repetition of a particular response from the Yi is a sure sign that the inquirer hasn't fully grasped the meaning of the answer yet. Here's the message I'm still looking at.

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At its most basic, Hexagram 8 is about joining together and participating, supporting and being supported, but creating this kind of group or union is the real challenge, because group dynamics can also work against the more advantageous aspects of joining together. Even if the group can somehow find its center, the center doesn't always hold and things fall apart. Then it probably amounts to a situation that requires continual renewal, or a restatement of the principles upon which the union is founded, rededicating the efforts of the group to the work that will create, if I can borrow a line, "the greatest good for the greatest number".

China seems to be presenting one spectacular show after another these days. Here is a terrific photo of the recent solar eclipse over the western part of the Great Wall. Enjoy!

It's no secret that the industrial Midwest has been hit particularly hard by the economic downturn that this country has experienced since President Bush's first term in office. Even before his presidency, the so-called rust belt had been in slow decline for decades with manufacturing jobs moving out of the region and out of the country at a steady pace. Michigan and Ohio, once places that workers migrated to for employment opportunities, have probably seen the greatest losses..

The mood is apprehensive. Spring has arrived and so we enjoy the warmer temperatures after a cold, dark winter, but the economy is sluggish. During my walks through the neighborhood I see for sale signs and foreclosed homes in greater numbers than ever before. People are moving out, heading south or west for better prospects just like the people of an earlier time in US history. My father grew up during the 20s and 30s and served in the armed forces during WWII like many young men of his generation. He remembers the Great Depression and although the situation isn't nearly as extreme now, he's pessimistic about the future.

Government officials try to reassure the public, still everyone seems to sense that a turnaround could be further away than we would like to think. And the war is constantly in the background--five years of blood and treasure for very ill-defined and dubious goals. A reading with the Yijing includes the following lines from Hexagram 46.

Ascending, (an) empty city.

Ascending, (an) empty city

Without place, doubt indeed
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At times the city does seem empty, especially in the downtown area, and there is doubt. And everyday more people are making the decision to leave.

More time for stargazing is at least some compensation for the winter's increased hours of darkness. Here is a link to an excellent night sky image taken from Pic du Midi Observatory. Our enduring fascination with the night sky is one of the links that we have with the people of the ancient world. Looking up at the stars we feel the same sense of wonder and ask some of the same questions, even though we have the advantage of modern technology to help us explore this amazing and mysterious universe.

Asking a question and receiving an answer is for the most part a simple and straightforward exchange, and one that people everywhere engage in everyday of their lives. However, moving from the ordinary to the extraordinary changes not only the character of the experience, but also the conditions that determine whether or not a successful result is achieved. In working with the Yijing, one encounters a unique situation which should prompt a closer examination of any prior expectations and a comparison with actual experience.

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The amount of emphasis to place on the question, or on formulating a question for the oracle is an issue that is frequently raised. It is widely acknowledged that the oracle will give a response whether a diviner poses a question or simply casts a hexagram without any preconceived idea. Even if a question is carefully chosen, most people will find that there are times when the Yi has responded in reference to an issue other than that which they initially inquired about. The way to approach this is to keep in mind that these responses are not necessarily based on the inquirer's desire to know, but rather they concern the things that the inquirer needs to know. In other words, the Yi is providing guidance instead of merely giving information. Once this is appreciated the inquirer will find that a different attitude towards the practice of consulting the Yi develops, and the diviner is free to consider the possibility that the oracle may have a message to deliver that supersedes any particular question that one might be focused on.

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Consulting without a preconceived idea of what the response refers to may appear to risk even more confusion, but just the opposite is true. This requires the diviner to consider carefully and to engage in some self-reflection before drawing any conclusions. By working in this way, the diviner follows the oracle's lead, instead of assuming the response always refers to the initial question. Of course, this involves allowing more time for contemplation than simply immediately applying the answer to the matter inquired about. Even so, it is an excellent way to sharpen one's perception and to attune oneself to the way the oracle provides guidance.

Finally, it's the New Year and it's time to get back into the flow of things. A recent reading has convinced me that updating this blog is more important than waiting until I have a completely finished article to post or until I feel inspired. There have been many changes over the past year and through it all I've been encouraged to become more involved, and yet I've hesitated. There are so many other things that require attention, why not wait and see how things develop? Often, this is perfectly good advice, but the disadvantage is that waiting and watching can continue for far too long, and developments can definitely take a wrong turn if one stays on the sidelines. And so, in order to get back into blogging after such a long hiatus I began to entertain the idea of creating another blog. This would enable me to have one blog for short articles and reviews which would be updated less regularly, and another blog for readings and brief observations which could be updated much more easily. With this in the back of my mind ( I did not formally ask a question) I received the following.

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(Please excuse the non-standard notation for a solid line changing to opened line)

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According to the text, the imagery associated with Hexagram 28 is that of a roof beam that is slightly weak at the ends so that the beam is bending or sagging under the weight of the roof. Since the name of this hexagram is Great Surpassing, it seems reasonable to think of the structure as being rather substantial. The changing line shows a variation on this theme. Here the roof beam is in much better condition--in fact, the beam is bearing the weight well and the commentary for line four indicates that the beam is not sagging.

Line four connects well with my situation since it answers the question that was on my mind--it indicates that this one blog (roof beam) is just fine and having another (blog) would not be favorable, and might even cause greater difficulty. It is a mild warning, but a warning just the same and it shouldn't be ignored. Overall, it's an encouraging message and it helps to motivate me to make a greater effort to continue blogging and sharing experiences and ideas.

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In recent years Zhang Yimou has become one of China's most celebrated film directors, however he was something of an unknown when his film Raise The Red Lantern (Da hong deng long gao gao gua) was released in 1991. Many viewers have found themselves fascinated by the exotic beauty and poignant drama of this glimpse into the age-old custom of polygamous marriage in China--a subject that has received little treatment in cinema despite the fact that concubinage has had a long history in Asia.

Set during the 1920s, the story begins with a young woman who, after the death of her father, must leave the university she was attending due to her family's difficult financial situation. Since finishing her education is no longer a possibility, she is urged by her mother to marry, and so she feels forced to accept marriage to a wealthy landowner, thus becoming his fourth wife.
Adapted from the novel Wives and Concubines by Su Tong, the film depicts the arrival of Songlian (Gong LI) during the summer, her struggle to adapt to the confinement of the household and the infighting between the wives, and the loss of her dreams for a more fulfilling life. She is isolated in the enormous courtyard house, separated from family and her former life as a university student. The Master of the estate is a distant figure who is only concerned that his wives provide him with male heirs and pleasurable diversion. As Songlian gradually learns more about the family's history and traditions, the story builds to a dramatic conclusion during the winter when she inadvertently precipitates a series of events that have terrible consequences.
The skillful direction and deliberate pace of the story, excellent cinematography and fine performances by the actors all make this film worthy of being included among the best films of the 1990s. Strangely enough, because of the perception of a subtle political allegory at work in the story, the film encountered some difficulty in its homeland during its initial release, but since that time it has become widely available.

Two DVDs of Raise The Red Lantern were released in 2006, and the most recent remastered release by ERA appears to have put to rest the concerns about image quality that plagued another version distributed by Razor Entertainment. See a comparison of the image quality here.
Although Zhang Yimou has gone on to make films with larger budgets since the early '90s, more than a few critics consider Raise The Red Lantern to be his finest work. Certainly, it is a film that rewards even the casual viewer with many fascinating insights into Chinese culture.

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A long overdue thanks is due to Hilary and the members of the Clarity forum for the link to my blog and for recommending the method of working with multiple changing lines that I posted (it has been a while, I know). Hilary's site hosts what is very probably the liveliest and most widely viewed Yijing forum on the Web (a link has been added in the sidebar), and she has helped in many ways to advance the study of the Yijing. Thanks Hilary!

Multiple Changing Lines and the

Inner Structure of the Hexagram

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Of all the issues that have puzzled students of the Yijing, one of the most persistent has been the question of how to work with multiple changing lines. The natural tendency, especially for the novice, is to try to interpret multiple lines as representing different aspects of a situation, but a problem with this approach becomes evident on closer examination. Some of the lines within individual hexagrams are contradictory. Various ideas have been proposed to allow for these contradictions to coexist, but the methods used tend to be awkward and improbable. Ultimately, in attempting to make multiple lines compatible an opportunity is missed to explore the Yijing more deeply.

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If given the proper attention, however, contradictory lines provide a strong indication that only one line is relevant for responses that have multiple changing lines. For example, in the 48th hexagram each line employs the image of a well in various states of usefulness. There will, of course, be different views of what the well represents. Even so, if it is recognized that there is only one well, then naturally it cannot be in two different states at the same time. The contrast between the first line, in which the well is unused and in disrepair, and the situation at the fifth line, in which the well provides cool, clear water, is readily apparent. A similar example is found in the 50th hexagram, the vessel. The fourth line shows a vessel that is damaged and unstable, while in the sixth line the vessel is complete and finely crafted. Clearly, these are distinct situations and attempting to view a combination of these differing statements as one answer is like looking through a lens that is not properly focused--the images and meanings tend to blur and diffuse.

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Readers who are aware of this may still feel that it's necessary to consult all the lines that are changing for fear that they would be discarding some significant piece of information if they did otherwise. However, the confusion that often arises from this style of interpretation is too great to continue following this practice.

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This leaves the problem of identifying the relevant line. Inquirers may rely on their own ability to read the lines and discover which one resonates best with their circumstances, or they can use some technique that will help sharpen the focus. A variety of methods for selecting a single line have been proposed in the past, but none have proven satisfactory either because they produce erroneous results, or because they seem somehow incomplete and arbitrary. What has been lacking is a method for selecting a line that is based on a detectable, underlying pattern.

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By careful reading of the text, and correlating the oracle's responses with the inquirer's circumstances, eventually the pieces of the puzzle can be brought together, and an underlying pattern emerges which corresponds to a recognized structure within the hexagram.

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Nuclear Trigrams

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Many students of the Yi are familiar with the various hexagram features, line positions, arrangements and sequences, etc., and much has been written about how these contribute to the interpretation of the text. Unfortunately, many questions remain unresolved. One of these unresolved issues concerns the nuclear trigrams, and this is largely because their attributes and associations do not seem to offer much towards improving the interpretation of a response. The primary trigrams seem to have a more obvious and useful connection to the text, so the question has been how these additional trigrams might prove valuable to the diviner.

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The nuclear trigrams are comprised of lines 2, 3 and 4 for the lower nuclear trigram, and lines 3, 4 and 5 for the upper nuclear trigram. Lines 1 and 6 are not included because they are positioned at the periphery of the situation represented by the primary hexagram. This leaves lines 2, 3, 4 and 5 as the heart of the 'action' for the situation, with lines 1 and 6 representing the time just before and just after, respectively.

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This unusual, overlapping structure seems to have been accepted almost without question, and most of the attention has been placed on the attributes of the trigrams. Nonetheless, this 'hidden' structure holds another possibility--it can be understood as representing a subtle progression or gradation from the position of the outer lines to the inner lines. Since the hexagram lines are often described as 'moving' from bottom to top in a kind of time sequence, this perspective suggests that for changing lines there is another kind of movement, and the structure of the nuclear trigrams enables the visualization of this progression. Viewed in this way, a changing line can be evaluated according to its position within the hexagram. With the addition of several other key elements, it becomes possible to determine a method that can be employed for a variety of changing line combinations.

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Method

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In regard to their priority, lines 1 and 6 are at the lowest level, proceeding next to lines 2 and 5, and finally lines 3 and 4, which can be thought of as representing the peak of the 'action' for the situation. These lines at the center of the hexagram, sometimes referred to as the 'two of man', also stand at the transition point from the lower trigram to the upper trigram, and this is where the greatest turmoil and struggle is often encountered.

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Consideration must also be given to the fact that the changing lines are within two primary trigrams, and the position of the lines can shift the emphasis from one trigram to the other. The upper trigram, in which the lines are associated with the ruler and heaven, has priority over the lower trigram, in which the lines are associated with the earth and those of lower rank, so that if there are an equal number of changing lines in each the lines of the upper trigram have precedence. Priority is given to the lower trigram if it has a greater number of changing lines. One important exception exists for this shifting of emphasis--because line 6 is considered to be the conclusion of the situation represented by the hexagram, it is only consulted if it is highlighted alone.

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A few examples will help to illustrate this approach.

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A hexagram with changing lines at the second and fifth place has one changing line in both upper and lower trigram. Since the upper trigram has priority in this case, the focus is on the fifth line.

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A hexagram with changing lines at the first and sixth place shows an equal number of changing lines in both upper and lower trigram, but because line 6 represents a conclusion the focus is on the first line.

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Changes at the first and second line--the focus is on line 2.

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Changes at the fourth and fifth line--line 4 is the relevant line.

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Changes at the second, third and fifth lines--the focus is on line 3.

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All lines of the lower trigram changing--the focus is on line 3.

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Changes at the second, third, fourth and fifth lines--line 4 is the relevant line.

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This method of evaluating the lines can be applied to responses that have two, three and four changing lines.

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A response that has five or six changing lines requires a different and somewhat more direct approach. Study of the diagrams reveals structural relationships between hexagrams that at first appear dissimilar. On closer examination connections can be found that enable the diviner to understand certain aspects of a situation on a deeper level, but this often requires a slight shift in perception. The patterns created by five or six changing lines present this kind of situation. A single stable line in the midst of five changing lines draws the focus to the stable line, just as a single changing line is highlighted next to five stable lines.

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Six changing lines can be considered as an equivalent of the response that has all stable lines in that all six hexagram lines are in the same state. None of the lines are highlighted, so this indicates a return to the hexagram statement or judgment as the relevant line of text. The first two hexagrams include an additional line for an answer that has all lines changing, and this is perhaps because these hexagrams represent such special situations that it was necessary to add another line for this possibility.

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Identifying the relevant line becomes a simple procedure using these techniques, and inquirers will find that focusing on a single line allows them to concentrate on understanding the oracle's response without feeling frustrated by multiple lines.

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Copyright 2006 E.Zapert.All rights reserved.

Originally, I intended to present some ideas about the Yijing through a standard website, but I found that a blog could be constructed much more quickly, so for now this will do nicely. Also, this format has the flexibility to allow me to easily cover subjects other than the Yi. For the present, however, I will focus on the ancient and venerable oracle. Before posting, I asked the Yi about this blog and the answer I received was hexagram 58 with all stable lines.

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Dui

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