Our identity accepts an inactive outer world (lines 4 and 3) while it does not accept our active intuitive feeling (lines 5 and 2); this does not favour our taking new directions, but acceptance by our inner being (line 6) creates change there, so although the tao restrains outer activity we are furthered by experiencing it.
Trigram image
The life force seeks to be still (Kên) and there is little flow in our outer world (K’an), so we are unable to act effectively; we hesitate (Li). The K’an, Li, K’an sequence on top of the stillness of Kên contradicts itself, giving the hexagram its common name of “obstruction” as no direction can be usefully taken.
The Chinese Oracle
Comments
The sun traverses the south and west from midday to night; the north and east is traversed through darkness to morning; so the south and west is activity becoming tranquil and the north and east is tranquility becoming active, so it is better to complete works rather than start new ones. It is an advantage to experience widely (the great man) when obstructed and work through the situation so that our inner experience is enriched.
Manifestations
Changing Lines
Line 1 goes yang
life force shows less change
When the life force is inactive less activity is possible, especially when we are in the tao of obstruction.
Remaining involves being still, being alert, being aware; more being, less doing.
❦
Line 2 goes yang
intuitive feeling less active
The natural reaction of feeling to troubled times is to become less sensitive; it is an instinctive move to balance sensitivity with aggravating circumstance.
The minister supplies the king with advice and information, as feeling does for identifying. Feeling is suffering under the stress of our circumstances but this is not a fault in the way we feel.
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Line 3 goes yin
outer world changes more
Here we act out to overcome our frustration although there is no path there; our objectives cannot be reached so we will then give up the attempt.
❦
Line 4 goes yang
accepting the outer state less
The unflowing state of outer action appears to us to be an obstruction. By becoming less involved in this we can be more aware of what is actually going on around us.
Connecting things together is a state of awareness, not of outer activity; here we try to understand our situation instead of battling against it.
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Line 5 goes yin
more awareness of intuition
The obstruction is so great that we turn to our intuitive feeling, which we have been ignoring.
Feeling our circumstances helps as a friend would, be relating innerly. Our ignorance of this feeling was part of the obstruction so this improves matters.
❦
Line 6 goes yang
our inner being accepts less
The obstruction in this tao is about our not being able to be still nor to act. Here our inner being becomes still, which is helpful.
Remaining is also keeping still and to see the great man is to see widely, not narrowing our view by choice; this is the good fortune.
Conflicting opposites.
Line image
With the top three lines yang we cannot respond, and with the second line yang we do not intuitively feel what to do, so it is not surprising that this hexagram is commonly called “difficulty”. There is activity from the life force and in our outer world. The difficulty we have here is our inability to participate.
Trigram image
The alternate male and female symbols of the first two trigrams, each in their opposing form of first male surrounded by female and then female surrounded by male, shows vacillation with doubt and hesitation; this forms into a firm, perhaps obstinate structure in us shown by the third trigram Sun and a lack of involvement for our inner being in the top trigram Ch’ien.
Experiencing this difficult situation has a learning effect in our personality, our personal self, in dealing with the problems of our manifest reality; here we are very much out in the world and struggling with its inconsistencies.
The Chinese Oracle
Comments
Sureness of being right comes to a developed identity who is sure of the rules (the restrictions in reality) that he lives by; this sureness meets obstacles at the boundaries of his restricted reality where the rules no longer apply. We develop by changing, which is to change the rules, so if we are very sure our rules are right this will serve us for a while (the middle) but later on, if we cannot change, this is disastrous to our growth or our ability to move with our environment which itself is changing all the time.
Great is wide; the great man sees widely, without restriction, and to do this will help, but the great water is a wide barrier between us and a changed way of being (the other country over the water) and to jump at change while we have narrow horizons would invite further difficulty.
Manifestations
Changing Lines
Line 1 goes yang
life force shows less change
With our life energy moving into an inactive phase, and having the feeling of difficulties we wish to get out of, we may be persuaded to push some activity to make things better; this is not going to be useful when we are in a state where we do not see our way very well.
The gossip comes from all those parts in us which think we can get out of difficulty by doing something but do not realize that the difficulty is an unawareness that we cannot help at present. Good fortune comes eventually because this state is itself part of change.
❦
Line 2 goes yin
intuitive feeling more active
Here we become free of involvement in difficulty by a re-awakening of our intuitive feeling about our circumstances instead of trying to sort it out with our conflicting ideas.
Resolving a conflict of ideas is not the only way of dealing with it, although when we are in conflict it may seem so. We can simply return to our observing centre and cease to project any idea on what we experience. Kin are those who are related, and within our personal self the related parts which were in conflict do not blame each other, instead they change their way entirely (symbolized by the number 3 for change and hundred for the entirety).
❦
Line 3 goes yang
outer world changes less
Not taking sides in a conflict is sometimes quite difficult. Initially it is a hard course because participants within us wish to join in, but eventually it is rewarding as we understand more widely.
The middle way is the ancient virtue; it attains its ends because conflict is always temporary and fluctuating. If we are ruled by some identification (in service of a king) it is better not to further it now.
❦
Line 4 goes yin
accepting the outer state more
Here we are accepting a world active in conflict. As we accept it, we do not fight to resolve it.
Here we can see the conflict from outside and so do not take sides. We see that the argument is fruitless.
❦
Line 5 goes yin
more awareness of intuition
In this tao our feeling is closed to the “other” so conflict arises; here we recognize this closed feeling and see it as causing the conflict or as an important element in it.
There can only be conflict when views are narrow—when they are wide they overlap.
❦
Line 6 goes yin
our inner being accepts more
The active life energy emerging into this tao becomes conflict due to lack of insight. Here we accept this as the tao, as our way of inner being, but conflict as a way of being resolves nothing and pushes identity further into its identifying isolation. In a wide sense, we lose when in conflict, whether we win or lose the contest.
The situation in contest changes all the time and this (the number 3) takes our advantage from us. The gains are superficial and transitory.
Incomplete change.
Line image
Here the personal self has withdrawn from both inner and outer activity (lines 4 and 6) and we are in the peace of inactive feeling (lines 2 and 5). This uninvolvement and quiet feeling comes at the end of a cycle of involvement and the common name of the hexagram is “before completion”.
Trigram image
In this flow the energy is hesitant in our outer expression and inner being (both Li) so we will be unsure how to express in a situation that is somewhat empty and confusing. The emerging energy is low (K’an) and so is the energy in our identity (also K’an) which pictures our situation at the end of something we have been involved in, the energy has run out but it is not all completed yet and we are hesitant to invest more energy in it.
The Chinese Oracle
Comments
No chosen direction means not starting something new—for to do that we choose. The tail is in the water because the crossing is not yet complete and it is by keeping our choosing mind frozen that we can complete what we have been engaged in (when this becomes liquid the tail gets wet). So the success is in completing (the crossing) and the little fox is he who is learning to take advantage of his circumstances.
Manifestations
Changing Lines
Line 1 goes yang
life force shows less change
Here we are not moving sufficiently with the tao we are in; the drive in the tao diminishes before we have completed our transition out of a habit-reality.
We are in transition so it is essential to keep moving, if we stop to consider our position we get submerged in where we are and the transition ceases.
❦
Line 2 goes yin
intuitive feeling more active
With our intuitive feelings active we are more aware, and to be more aware when in transition means witnessing, not being involved in action; we just feel our situation.
We stop our outer movement; it is this that carries us in the world and so is our carriage. Transition continues here while the old way of moving is stopped, so continuing with this is the way through.
❦
Line 3 goes yang
outer world changes less
If we stop movement during transition we may start off in a new direction to save ourselves the effort of inner change.
Change in our mode of being is not complete so to start any new movement now will be moving from our old motivations and endanger the change that is nearly complete.
❦
Line 4 goes yin
accepting the outer state more
When a change is happening in our identifying pattern our old motivations turn up all sorts of new activities to keep themselves in being; these are the stumbling blocks to change.
We have to continue through the change (three years symbolically is a cycle of change) continually preventing old and habitual ways from keeping their footholds. Before completion means that we are on our way in a process of change and to complete the transition we must persist.
❦
Line 5 goes yang
less awareness of intuition
Our intuitive feeling is quiet in this tao; we have needed to accept this quietness also so that new action did not arise. Now we are further along the path of change and do not need this vigilance.
The transition has passed its doubting phase where we were subject to going back to the old ways. We now have confidence in the wider experience which is the reward of transition.
❦
Line 6 goes yin
our inner being accepts more
The life energy of this tao moves to create change, and here we go with the movement, identifying in it. We need to be careful of this identifying.
Confidence and over-confidence; in the first we trust providence and in the second we trust our heads.