When the life force is inactive we may seek the influence of outer activity, this will not be new fresh influence, this has to come from the inner.

The toe is the leader of our steps and far from our centre. The influence symbolized is external and forceful.

In this tao of building up energy (confidence, relationship and so forth) we have a tendency to want to move, to release the stress in us which is building up, but we should not do this too soon, so in order to lessen the tension we feel it less.

The activity of the calves raises the weight of the body onto the toes so that we fall into a step. By restraining this first movement we prevent the step developing which would set a direction and so be narrowing to our choice (evil). In the same way with feeling, once it is defined we fall into its expression; here we are less active in the feeling and so abiding quietly, which is good fortune.

Outer action is quiet in this tao (line 3 is yang) so the influence here is for identity to be involved in quietness. This is beneficial as it allows the inner influences to have attention.

Regret disappears because we are creating no action that we could regret, but we need to maintain this quietness and watch the natural tendency to activity.

Our feelings are actively interpreting the life force, so to become involved here is to assist the influence of the inner life force outwards and so also the influence of the tao.

The spinal area is the central core of our body-being and is associated here to the heart which is traditionally the core of our feeling; it is feeling (line 2) that this line monitors.

The emerging life force (line 1) is active; here our inner being is disregarding it. In a tao about the inner influencing the outer this is also disregarding the tao, so we remain on the outer surface of our being and unable to change our way of being ourselves.

With our jaws and tongue we express ourselves; here we give out our definitions about our situation instead of absorbing experience which is the function of this 6th line. Energy is dissipated if we constantly say what our reality is.

If the life force appears to falter here it is a temporary swing; gathering together is the prevailing movement and it will certainly manifest itself. If we feel insecure due to lack of present support we can gain confidence by looking overall, where gathering together has strength and confidence.

Gathering together has its ups and downs and if we have our being too acutely in the present this appears as gathering and scattering.

The change occurring in us is an inner gathering together and feeling turns inwards and becomes quiet. This moves with the tao, we await the change, we nurture it, but do not try to distinguish it even with feeling—we are allowing it to be itself.

Allowing involves the sacrifice of separate will, without this sacrifice feeling remains a feeling “about” experience and not a feeling from within it.

Although gathering together is internal, identity still needs a flow and action itself is not against the tao; a rhythm of activity, little things, keeps structure in place and feelings secure. Here we need to act but not to focus our being in the act.

The regret comes from the focusing, for the activity is a necessary part of our situation but will not carry our life flow.

Our outer reality (line 3) is in an active state and by identifying in this while the inner strength is gathering together we interfere less with the process; also we are then in the right place when the new energy is manifest.

Here we are identifying with active feeling which centres identity and gathers its elements together.

The regret we have is that some parts are unworthy, untrustworthy, wrong. Without acceptance of these parts we cannot be gathered together.

Our being is now less involved in the process of gathering together. We are not yet ready to accept the consequences of sacrificing our separateness (or what we think are the consequences).

It is not an error to continue in identity, it only means that we are not experienced enough yet to leave it; despite its problematic nature, its sighs and tears, we choose it.

Here the silence of identity (lines 4, 5, and 6 are yang) ignores the activity of the life force and it ceases to have influence.

The brake is applied; there is nothing we can do about it but follow our circumstances. Any attempt to get out of our circumstances will prove unfortunate so we need simply to experience where we are. A lean pig is an underfed pig and when we are under-stimulated we “leap about” to cause activity.

Feeling is our link between the undefined inner and manifest outer; here in this line new activity of feeling is occurring although identity is taking no notice.

Our present identifications (the guests) are not noticing the nourishment available, but this cannot be error, it is just circumstance.

In this tao we do not have a true picture of our circumstances and in this line we act out in circumstances of which we are ignorant.

If our increased involvement is with a sense of outer peace all is well, but this is likely to be a search for outer activity and if it is we will search and find none.

The tank which has or has not fish in it is our personal inner being and the fish are our personal identifications in this. Here there are no fish, the process of identifying is inactive in this tao, so if we expect something we are disappointed.

Our intuition about our circumstances as shown by line 2 is inactive; by accepting this lack of interpretive feeling, we allow life to happen to us.

The melons, the gourd family of fruits, have a multitude of seeds in the fruit casing, many possibilities. These possibilities are hidden within the fruit, the fruit is hidden in the leaves, it appears that nothing is there; then suddenly from this nothing (from heaven) there is a happening. This describes how life is when we do not anticipate it.

By accepting the energy of this tao which flows through emotional channels there is a forcing of their recognition.

The way emotion forces its way into recognition is often uncomfortable and causes regret, but it is necessary for it to be expressed so this is not an error.