How do the Hexagrams transform from 1-64/ Sequence Theory

[Apech]

Oic...

 

Re your previous post, the first hexagram speaks of the overthrow of the Shang by the Zhou, and the first half of the book. The second hexagram speaks of reign of the Zhou and the second half of the book. More or less. It's all about out with the old in with the new, and the dynamics therein.

 

 

I think that is likely but it is also true that the historical period is seen as reflecting a heavenly (or Daoist) pattern.

[Daeluin]

I agree with that but you said 26 transforms to 28 ... did you mean 27? or other wise can you explain.

 

It follows the same principle.

 

We have a dual sequence here. On one side we started with building yang, on the other side we start from yin convergence. So hexagrams 3 and 4, each representing the beginning stages of this building and withdrawing, become 5 and 6, which become 7 and 8, flowing through myriad transformations until we get to 23 and 24 transforming to 25 and 26 unfolding to 27 and 28, leading to the timeless hexagrams 29 and 30.

 

Hexagram 23, Stripping Away, ䷖. This hexagram represents acquired yin dissolving yang; it follows on the previous hexagram biting through. In biting through, action requires understanding, so we first investigate principle. Investigating principle means investigating the principle of waning and waxing of yin and yang.

 

Hexagram 23 ䷖ reversed is 24, Return, ䷗. This hexagram represents the return of yang within primordial yin; it follows on the previous hexagram adornment. Adornment is being clearminded and resting in the proper place, thereby to nurture clarity and operate the "fire" to gather primordial true yang. Gathering true yang is the path of returning yang in the midst of yin, reordering personal affairs, by which one can appropriate the creativity of nature and comprehend life and death, so that return is unfailingly developmental.

 

Hexagram 25, Fidelity, ䷘. This hexagram represents vigorous advancement of yang; it follows on the previous hexagram stripping away. Stripping away means that when one submits to one's desires, yin strips away yang. The stripping away of yang is all because of not knowing how to advance yang, and having it stripped away by yin. If you know how to advance yang, and with total attention purely on reality, twenty-four hours a day, without interruption, consider essence [ming] and life [xing] the one matter of importance, then external things cannot thwart you, and you can gradually reach true fidelity, the state of integration with celestial principle; this is fidelity with the path of creation and development.

 

Hexagram 25 ䷘ reversed is hexagram 26, Nurturance of the Great, ䷙. This hexagram represents incubation nurturing the spiritual embryo; it follows on the previous hexagram return. Return means restoration of the primordial energy. When the primordial energy comes back within, slight and vague to begin with, then becoming clearly evident, it restores the original self; the foundation of life is stabilized, the spiritual embryo is formed, and one enters from striving into nonstriving. Then one should carefully seal it and store it securely, forestalling danger, incubating and bathing, aiming for the great transformation, the unfathomable state of spiritual sublimation, making it indestructible and incorruptible.

 

Hexagram 27, Nourishment, ䷚. This hexagram represents choosing good and holding fast to it, becoming empty to seek fulfillment. It follows on the previous hexagram fidelity. Fidelity involves strong action; without the work of care and nurturance, action and strength cannot be appropriate, and fidelity thus errs. This is why the path of nourishment is important; nourishment means nourishing what is right and getting rid of what is not right.

 

So then in 28 we have Excess of the great, ䷛. This hexagram represents harmonious blending of the medicinal substances, in which fullness requires use of emptiness. It follows on the previous hexagram nurturance of the great. In nurturance of the great, one is strong yet can stop and be still; stilling strength, not letting yang energy get too excessive, is properly the means to nurture strength.

 

It is interesting here that 27 ䷚ and 28 ䷛ are not backwards reversals of each other, but polar opposites of each other. Both of these are the same backwards as forwards, and signify a culmination of sorts in our sequence. Ahead lie the timeless hexagrams of 29, water, mastering pitfalls, ䷜ and 30, fire, clarity, ䷝. The sequence of 21, 23, 25 are lessons in fine balance and the necessity of ever present correctness, resulting in 27, the closed system of balanced action within stillness - balanced nourishment - which affects the gathering of the water.

 

On the other side we have lessons in completion, the recovery of the ming leading to the operation of the xing - doing (striving) leading to non-doing (nonstriving). In non-doing the light of consciousness is turned around and preserves the ming as the xing develops. This is the operation of sealing found in 26 followed by the preservation of the fullness by emptiness in 28 ䷛. This fullness preserved by emptiness signifies preparation for the clarity of fire - just like a window pane is clear yet substantial.

 

Now we come to the timeless, Hexagram 29, Mastering Pitfalls ䷜. This hexagram represents the presence of white within black, restoring yang within yin; it follows on the previous hexagram nourishment. Nourishment means seeking fulfillment by emptiness, seeking the true yang that has fallen in a pit. In human beings, after heaven and earth interact, the one point of original yang runs to the palace of earth ☷; earth is filled in and becomes water ☵, and heaven ☰ changes into fire ☲. At this point yin traps the yang; the celestial root is obscured and the mind gets involved with things. Though near to reality by nature, people become estranged from it by habit - descending lower and lower by daily repetition of habit, they fall into a state of ignorant obstinacy and do not know how to stop.

 

And its polar opposite, Hexagram 30, Fire ䷝. This fire embraces the female within it; the hexagram symbolizes the presence of yin within yang, and follows on the preceding hexagram excess of the great. In excess of the great, there is too much yang strength, exercising creativity at will, misusing its light. Illumination is the energy of open awareness in the palace of fire (the heart); it is the spirit of humans, the master of mind. When the mind is open it is aware; the original spirit is in charge of affairs, and illumination is managed properly. One can thereby balance yang. When the mind is unruly, it wanders; the discriminatory consciousness handles affairs, and illumination is not properly directed. This is sufficient to damage yang. Therefore fire is beneficial to correctness and development.

 

Naturally Liu I-ming describes much more on each hexagram.

Hope this helps!

Edited September 27, 2014 by Daeluin

[Apech]

First, as soaring crane explained, this sequence operates in pairs. This can be seen as day unfolding into night, creating a sequence that follows day to day and night to night, exploring the mirrored transformations of predominant yang dynamics and predominant yin dynamics, even as the changes from these opposite perspectives both approach completion.

 

The Taoist I Ching always describes the sequential transformations from one hexagram to the next, providing great insight into the methodology behind these changes. While they don't appear to follow a simple pattern, I think the whole thing is a pattern.

 

Take Hexagram 26, ䷙, which transforms to Hexagram 28, ䷛.

 

.....

 

 

This in bold is what I don't understand.

[Uroboros]

Thank you, all of you! Your different perspectives have helped broaden my grasp of the King Wen Sequence.

 

It does seem to be more about the process of growth/creation and less about mathmatics, as Daeluin and Joeblast have emphasized.

 

Daeluin, thank you for writing out so much, giving detailed explanations to explain. The Taoist I Ching is going on my get list.

 

Im beggining to think that the focus is on the energies of the gua's, such as water, fire, mountain, marsh, etc...and what they represent combined together and less about the transformation of each line.

 

If so, that would explain why in my attempting to grasp the changes of the lines, from hex 2 to 3, it wouldnt be widely known why it changes that way. If looking at it from the perspective of images of growth, thunder/ wood under water makes allot more sense as hex 3/ life just beggining.

 

Im still going to persue the line of inquiry as to why the lines do change as they do, though....if there is a principle to it other then these, I want to know.

 

I am glad this turned into such a lively discussion! Again, Thank you all for making it a discussion.

 

Peace

[Daeluin]

 

Take Hexagram 26, ䷙, which transforms to Hexagram 28, ䷛.

 

This in bold is what I don't understand.

 

I don't know why this order was chosen, and I haven't uncovered the full big picture this sequence represents. But as far as feeling the change described between 26 and 28, I can offer my perspective on the reasons. I think it comes down to what Uroboros noted - that the importance lies in the guas and their meanings. And especially the gua pairings. One inside, one outside, in combination - each with their unique energetic expressions naturally resulting in a balanced or imbalanced transformation into the dynamic of the next hexagram.

 

Mountain over heaven represents a nurturance of energy through compression and stillness. This hexagram paints a pretty clear picture of the inner creative force being covered and compressed by the mountain. Heaven ☰ represents a culmination of yang, and when yang culminates, the seed of yin enters - wind ☴. But under the dynamic of Mountain over Heaven , Mountain ☶ should be sealing the energy of heaven so that it does not change. However the sealing energy of mountain can be likened to a volcano. The hot lava represents Heaven, sealed below. But increasingly the pressure of the hot lava grows, until the mountain can no longer seal it in. The top line in Mountain ☶ represents a choice to maintain pressure, to maintain stillness, or to allow the venting of the pressure.

 

Thus when mountain releases the pressure, or when heaven pushes mountain beyond its limits, we have our transformation. Heaven becomes wind ☴, and mountain ☶ transforms to it's opposite, Lake ☱. Lake can represent the polarity of instant gratification and delayed gratification (maturation, ripening). Transformation comes to lake when it is still, even as at any time it may break that stillness and culminate as happiness. This is represented by the top line, which can either remain empty and transform to the Heavenly trigram, or the top line can accept the invitation to spend the energy and become a conditioning element. With Wind ☴ stirring up the stored heavenly energy from below, Lake is under a lot of pressure to remain still in order to preserve its integrity - and here the sealing operates through emptiness and non-action.

 

So think about this. When 26 ䷙ transforms because too much pressure was built up, that means Heaven wasn't properly stilled under the mountain, and the Wind is likely to be somewhat strong and unruly, sorely testing Lake's ability to preserve it through emptiness and non-action and is rather likely to give in to the many requests to go a spending.

 

However, if 26 has effectively condensed Heaven into a calm and quiet yet powerful state (say a pearl), then the transformation to emptiness may occur as mountain lets go of forcefulness and turns to emptiness - turning the light around and preserving the pearl. Here perhaps this might be a transformation to Hexagram 43 ䷪. Yet if we allow that wind to gently circulate the heavenly energy while cultivating emptiness and non-doing, the operation of 28 then leads to 30, ䷝, Fire, the clarification of inner and outer illumination.

 

So that's how I reason it out. I don't think it is so much related to the lines, as it is to the combination of energies and way they might respond to different types of change, which the lines help to describe.

 

The Wikipedia page has some great info on the King Wen sequence.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Wen_sequence

[soaring crane]

I'd like to suggest this version of the Yijing to any and all who may be interested in a somewhat more traditional take on the Classic:

 

Joseph Wu and Elisabeth Moran's Guide to the I Ching

 

The real title is a bit off-putting, and I wish the translation were available in a more 'hallowed' print, but there ya go. The book is a fount of inspiration and extremely well-researched by genuine experts, with a lot of historical information. I rank it well above my T. Cleary "Taoist" I Ching, and keep it next to my RJ Lynn, which is kind of the King James version of English translations (it's a full translation of the Wang Bi commentaries, are monumental work, but d-e-n-s-e).

 

When I cast a hexagram, I refer first to the Wu/Moran first, and then my Lynn.

[manitou]

Okay. When does this stop, lol? I'm currently reading Daoist Internal Alchemy by Prof. Jerry Alan Johnson. Right underneath that is The Flower Ornament Scripture, a translation of The Avatamsaka Sutra by Thomas Cleary - a 1600 page opus. Now I have to add to that the Taoist I Ching and apparently Joseph Wu/Elisabeth Moran's Guide to the I Ching.

 

On one hand, the Sage says banish learning, put the books down. On the other hand, not being able to spend part of my days with these incredible minds would be too painful to consider. I look forward to knowing more about how to utilize the I Ching and add it to my vision. Thanks for the thread!

[Rocky Lionmouth]

Exciting thread with all manner of niceness i need to revisit because halfway i blew a reading-logic fusebox, reboot and return i shall!

 

Meanwhile i found this

 

http://www.fourpillars.net/pdf/ic_landscape.pdf

 

on here a while back, i like it a lot.

Edited September 29, 2014 by Rocky Lionmouth

[Michael Sternbach]

I think there is indeed a mathematical scheme underlying the whole of King Wen's order. Some of the links given in this thread make this quite clear. It's also an interesting observation that odd and even numbered hexagrams, respectively, develop on from previous odd and even numbered hexagrams, respectively. But I wonder, in what manner, mathematically speaking? Any illuminating thoughts?

Edited September 29, 2014 by Michael Sternbach

[manitou]

The only illuminating thought I have on this is that Time is all Here and Now - and looking at it in a temporal way would be limiting. Any way you can superimpose the thought of timelessness over the numbers?

[Michael Sternbach]

Hmm... But the I Ching is talking about things unfolding in time. Much like astrology, btw. Time may be illusionary, from a higher perspective, but we do experience and measure it nonetheless. Especially as change (the Book of Change-?!).

[soaring crane]

 

But I wonder, in what manner, mathematically speaking? Any illuminating thoughts?

 

I really believe any mathematical models that can be applied have been thought up after the fact, and I don't really understand their value (Not saying for a minute that I doubt their value, I just don't understand it). Here's a short excerpt from the Wang Bi commentary to the sequence, with most of the author's notes left out because that would be too much typing haha:

 

Only after there were Heaven and Earth were the myriad things produced from them. What fills Heaven and Earth is nothing other than the myriad things. This is why Qian [1] and Kun [2] are followed by Zhun [3]. Zhun here signifies repletion.

Zhun is when things are first born. When things begin life, they are sure to be covered [the literal meaning of Meng i.e., encapsulated in membranes, eggs or seeds]. This is why Zhun is followed by Meng [4]. Meng here indicates juvenile ignorance, that is the immature state of things. When things are in their immature state, one cannot fail to nourish them. This is why Meng is followed by Xu [5]. Ihere indicates the dao of food and drink. food and drink necessarily involve Song [contention; 6]. this is why Xu is followed by Song

What Wang Bi did was consider the structure of each of the Hexagrams individually, the dynamic between the yin and yang, and construct a logical framework for them based on stages of existence and the transformation of one stage into the next. I have no idea if he hit on the original thought behind the sequence, but I do agree with the more life-based take on it.

 

The Joseph Yu highlights the historical record, and provides short summaries of the hexagrams, some examples:

 

Hexagram 1: Collectively called the upper classic, Qian summarizes Hexagrams 3 through 30, chronicling the revolution led by King Wen to overthrow the Shang dynasty

Hexagram 2: Collectively called the Lower Classic, Kun summarizes Hexagrams 31 through 64, the last 34 hehagrams

Hexagram 3: This hexagram describes the initial growth and expansion of the Zhou people. They worked hard to accumulate wealth and formed allies with neighboring tribes to strengthen their power. Although the road to success was not always smooth, the Zhou managed to create a strong empire that lasted some 800 years (1045 b.c.e -- c.e.221)

Hexagram 4: This hexagram describes how the Zhou leaders used the name of Heaven (divine authority) to control, educate, and gain the trust of the common people

Hexagram 5: This hexagram describes how the the Zhou leaders moved their tribe several times to find the most auspicious site on which to increase their prosperity. Eventually, they settled in Feng, near present day Xi'an, where they prepared for the revolution against the Shang. Neighboring tribes joined this much-anticipated endeavor

Hexagram 6: This hexagram describes King Wen's affiliation with the Shang government, where he summoned to serve as ruler of the vassal state of Zhou. While in office, King Wen publicly opposed the Shang King's wanton cruelty. This led to a seven-year house sentence.

 

And I'll write out the Hexagram statement and line statements from Song here, to give an idea of the historical context of the Yijing, as written in the Joseph Wu rendition:

 

Hexagram statement: Your sincerity is being obstructed. Do not follow through with legal proceedings. It is advantageous to meet with the great man. It is disadventageous to cross the great stream. This is not a time to seek justice.Do not start a legal battle or major dispute. Do not be forceful or insistent. Such actions will cause great regret. If the dispute cannot be resolved,, compromise or withdraw. By all means, don't let emotions carry you forward. Remain calm. Ally with people who share your view.

Six on line 1: Do not litigate. Although slander my damage your reputation, seeking judicial retribution is a mistake. Voice your complaint publicly. The outcome will be favorable. Litigation against powerful people or corporations will not lead to satisfactory results. Make your point public and cease further action.

Nine on line 2: This is a no-win situation. Withdraw your case. Hide in a small town with only 300 families. There will be no misfortune. Although justice would have prevailed, many times King Wen held his tongue against the Shang King. Fighting a winless battle against the powewrful is unwise. Pick your battles.

Six on line 3: Return to your homeland and rally support. dangerous as the situation may seem, there will be fortune in the end. Continuing to serve the king will yield no reward. King Wen realized that the Shang government was weak.Upon being freed from house arrest, he returned to his homeland to rally support against the Shang king. Start your own business and become a competitor. Give up a relationship and strike a new beginning.

Nine on line 4: The case is not lost. Submit to Heaven's will. Keep quiet and remain peaceful. There will be good fortune. King Wen was unable to reason with the Shang king, so he let fate take its course. Do not engage in conflict with the irrational and foolish. They reap what they sow. They are a lost cause.

Nine on line 5: You will win the case. The outcome is fortunate. Although King Wen did not win the Shang king's verdict, he won the people's support. make your point of view known. The result will be positive.

Nine on line 6: Although you are awarded the leather belt, it will be taken away from you three times in the morning. Even if King Zhou of Shang had bestowed King Wen with honors and gifts for his loyal service, they would have been taken from him repeatedly. You cannot succeed in your situation. Your reward (promotion, prize, inheritance) will be revoked three times in a short period.

[manitou]

The Tao includes temporality, but it also includes yesterday and tomorrow, just as the colliding hadrons in the bubble chamber. Maybe we're not talking about the Nature of Matter at all - maybe we're really talking about the Nature of Thought., To look at the TTC as the book of changes happening in a sequence of point A to point B may be self limiting.

 

I wonder if there's a way to relook at mathematical ideas with perhaps Time equating to Zero, or something along those lines. There is definitely a synthesis of Western and Eastern thought occurring through philosophy and mathematics and they must certainly end in a synthesis of philosophy (thought) and matter (the measure being mathematics). How could it be otherwise? The reversion of the Dao is back to the Dao. Everything must follow suit.

 

I just noticed your reference to the I Ching unfolding in time. Is it really about predicting the future, as much as extending the pole of synchronicity of the moment to show a probability, given the past direction and the present question at hand? From what I've read about the I Ching (the operative word being about, as I no virtually nothing about it itself. Only 'about' it. So I am limited). But I am a seer, which may account for something, if I have the points of triangulation from which to work.

 

Right now I'm triangulating from what I collected (and can remember) from Capra's book. I can't help but notice the incredible similarities that he himself was impressed with. It's as though quantum physics is up against a barrier that is inherent in the nature of matter: that either the measured atomic particle can be measured as a 'particle', which takes up space; or, alternatively, it can be measured as a wave of probability as to where the particle actually is in orbit around the nucleus - which to me connotates an inherent measure of Time, on this measurement. Time needed to measure the wave length between point A and point B. But the thing is, both measurements can't be taken simultaneously. It's like the Dao - it's sort of ineffable! They know the other measurement is there, they've measured it before - but it cannot be done at the same time. It's only one or the other.

 

Astrology, as you mention, was first accounted for through linear time, whereas we now know, since Einstein, that time is not linear at all, but curved. Getting back to the I Ching - it just seems to me - given what mathematics is now capable of measuring - that it works by collecting the synchronicity of the past, present, and future (which it of course knows because time is curved and can fold back on itself) and, like quantum physics, triangulates the moment of "where most likely that darn nucleon is now", as opposed to pretending to a hard and fast rule about the future.

 

I wish one of you brilliant Tao Bums mathmaticians or physicists could come up with the connecting rod between the mysterious workings of the I Ching (or perhaps not so mysterious, if we allow for instantaneous triangulation within the space-time dimension) and the very close proximity to the current state of quantum physics and the nature of thought.

[manitou]

Soaring Crane - is it just me, or is any particular reading of the I Ching enhanced greatly by the inner self knowledge of the one doing the reading?

[soaring crane]

Soaring Crane - is it just me, or is any particular reading of the I Ching enhanced greatly by the inner self knowledge of the one doing the reading?

 

Probably, to some extent. I really don't know. What do you think? We all interpret everything through a filter of some sort.

 

I actually don't spend a lot of time pondering the meaning of the work, or the sequence. In fact, on reflection, I don't really think much at all, period. Haha.

[manitou]

I just saw Rocky Lionmouth's chart link. Yes, it appears that the author has used a mathematical formula to anticipate the likelihood of occurrence at any given point along the 'wave of probability' he has drawn. One more time we're looking at a wave from the original sound?

Edited September 29, 2014 by manitou

[Daeluin]

Exciting thread with all manner of niceness i need to revisit because halfway i blew a reading-logic fusebox, reboot and return i shall!

 

Meanwhile i found this

 

http://www.fourpillars.net/pdf/ic_landscape.pdf

 

on here a while back, i like it a lot.

 

Oh, that is very nice. I will explore more deeply soon.

 

First impression reminded me of the analemma, which is based on the wobble of the earth. And it goes into the 12 earthly branches, which depict the seasons as affected by the wobble of the earth. So I wonder, if then this sequence could be related to descriptions of unfolding change as influenced by this dynamic.

[Daeluin]

I have been utilizing the I Ching for divinations and have had wonderful results. Its so much more then just a fortune teller, though. I am working to understand the lines themselves and the process of change/ transformation of yin and yang

 

The biggest difficulty I have is when I am attempting to grasp the process or mechanism as to how the lines of yin and yang transform and become the hexagrams.

 

In hexagram 1- Qian, its all Yang. Then Kun is all Yin. From here on out is where I get confused.

 

From 2 to 3, somehow a yin line at the first transforms to yang and a yin line at the 5 transforms to yang.

 

Why does it transform that way? What is the theory/ mechanism?

 

This bugs me. If anyone can help me grasp this, I would greatly appreciate it.

 

Thank you

 

Perhaps a new pattern has been published since this thread came out. Can read about it here. Or download it:

 

Gritter Hidden Pattern.pdf

 

This pattern fits very well, and could be an original key used with the King Wen Sequence for some purpose. It is hard to say how well known this key was, and is entirely possible the Sequence was used without the key because of the Sequence's historical value long after the key had been forgotten.

 

 

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It looks like there was some confusion in understanding the yin and yang progression of the King Wen sequence earlier in this thread. I'll try a ground up explanation again.

 

 

 

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So we have hexagrams numbered in a sequence 1-64. This is appears to be the order we received them in from the bamboo strips, ala:

 

 

It reads from top-right to bottom left. Note how 28 of the hexagrams have been given names both below and above the hexagrams. The ones above are upside down, and, if we flip the hexagram over to read the name, the hexagram itself changes. These 28 hexagrams may be flipped over (reversed) to form a matching set of 28 hexagrams, making a total of 56.

 

The remaining 8 hexagrams are the same forwards and backwards, so they are named once and set next to their opposites.

 

Putting it all together by reading from the first hexagram at the top right and proceeding to the left, we come up with the order. Hexagram 1 and 2 have no reversals, but then we come to the 3rd hexagram and take it's reverse as the 4th, and so on.

1. ䷀ 乾 qián
2. ䷁ 坤 kūn, which is the opposite of 1
3. ䷂ 屯 chún
4. ䷃ 蒙 méng, which is 3 flipped over
5. the 4th hexagram listed
6. the 4th hexagram up-side-down
7. the 5th hexagram listed
8. the 5th hexagram up-side-down

and so on. We come to see that this is a dual sequence - one energy, and then it's counterpart. This is similar to day and night. We count a single 24-hour period as one "day", but it is a full fluctuation of change. After midnight the yang energy waxes to noon and wanes to midnight. After midnight the yin energies wane until noon and then wax until midnight.

 

As odd numbers are considered yang and even numbers considered yin, we can write out this same sequence 1-64 in terms of odd and even like so:

 

1 3 5 7  9  11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53 55 57 59 61 63

2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64

 

The top and the bottom rows are counterparts of each other.

 

The cantong qi talks about a monthly hexagram cycle that follows the King Wen sequence, using 2 hexagrams every day. A lunar cycle is 29.5 days, and we have 64 hexagrams, or 32 pairs of hexagrams (one for morning and one for evening). The hexagrams of heaven and earth, fire and water, are considered to be eternal facets of change, and are not part of the sequence. This leaves us with 30 pairs of hexagrams starting with 3 and 4, skipping 29 and 30, and ending with 63 and 64.

 

This gives us 12 hexagram lines every 24 hour period, which aligns with the concept of 12 energy hours.

 

Mid Night ~11pm-1am 子 Yang Water

Late Night ~1-3am 丑 Yin Earth

Dawn ~3-5am 寅 Yang Wood

Sunrise ~5-7am 卯 Yin Wood

Morning ~7-9am 辰 Yang Earth

Late Morning ~9-11am 巳 Yin Fire

Noon ~11am-1pm 午 Yang Fire

Afternoon ~1-3pm 未 Yin Earth

Late Afternoon ~3-5pm 申 Yang Metal

Sunset ~5-7pm 酉 Yin Metal

Evening ~7-9pm 戌 Yang Earth

Early Night 9-11pm 亥 Yin Water

 

So for our 2 hexagrams every day, we start with line 1 (the bottom line) at Mid Night 子, and change lines every hour until we get to the top line at 巳. Then, according to Pregadio's translation of the cantong qi, we switch to the next hexagram, and starting with the TOP line we work our way down from 午 to 亥.

 

Here's what this looks like for hexagrams 3 and 4:

 

 

This arrangement is interesting for several reasons.

• In a hexagram each line position has a different meaning. The 2nd and 5th lines are the centers of the top and bottom trigrams, and here we have the Earth Hours (Earth represents the center) positioned as the center of the trigrams.
• Next we have the bottom lines, which are considered to be subordinate to the other lines, represented as the Water Hours, where Water is considered a beginning, or potential type of energy. Things are stored up in Water and slow to move.
• The top lines in a hexagram are graduating - they've accomplished their goals within change, and tend to represent the higher more spiritual element that is beyond the matter at hand and often chased away by the mundane. Spiritual energy is often associated with the fire phase, and holds properties of illumination and clarity, but is also known to be impatient and easily scattered when its foundation (all the lower lines) do not provide stability.
• While the top two lines (5-6) are considered Heavenly, and the bottom two lines (1-2) are considered Earthly, the middle two lines (3-4) are considered to be within the Human realm. Matched to the hours these middle lines coincide with the hours of sunrise and sunset - the transitional periods where yang overcomes yin as the sun brightens what is dark, and where yin overcomes yang as the light of the sun fades into dark.

When we navigate the hexagrams in this fashion, taking one forwards and the other backwards, it is similar to walking up a hill, and then down the hill. Even though the shape is very similar, it feels very different walking up than down. This is a principle the King Wen Sequence can be used to gain a deeper appreciation of.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Next we might look at the received hexagram chart again and observe the differences between the top and bottom rows, known as the Upper Canon and the Lower Canon.

 

 

The Upper Canon contains 30 hexagrams while the Lower Canon contains 34 hexagrams. Gritter's Grid helps to understand the pattern hidden in this.

 

The Upper Canon begins with the hexagrams of pure yang and pure yin, and ends with double-water and double-fire. We know from the cantong qi that these four are considered eternal forces.

 

They also represent half of the 8 hexagrams that are doubled:

 

• Heaven ☰ under Heaven ☰  --  1 ䷀.
• Earth ☷ under Earth ☷  --  2 ䷁.
• Water ☵ under Water ☵  --  29 ䷜.
• Fire ☲ under Fire ☲  --  30 ䷝.
• Thunder ☳ under Thunder ☳  --  51 ䷲.
• Mountain ☶ under Mountain ☶  --  52 ䷳.
• Wind ☴ under Wind ☴  --  57 ䷸.
• Lake ☱ under Lake ☱  --  58 ䷹.

 

We can see here that these are all paired as sets in the King Wen Sequence: 1-2, 29-30, 51-52, 57-58. And we can see that the Upper Canon is opened and closed by the first and second sets.

 

 

 

The Lower Canon begins with 31 ䷞ and 32 ䷟, ending with 63 ䷾ and 64 ䷿.

 

The pre-celestial, or xian-tian arrangement of the hexagrams are described in the shougua-zhuan as complementary pairs:

 

Heaven ☰ and ☷ Earth settle into their positions;

Mountain ☶ and Lake ☱ intermingle their Qi;

Thunder ☳ and Wind ☴ intertwine with each other; and

Water ☵ and Fire ☲ do not repel each other.

The Eight Trigrams interconnect with one another.

To learn where we are going is the forward way.

To know where we have come from is the reverse way.

 

These pairings seem to exist due to their stability and nobility. There are 8 hexagrams where the trigrams interact in these relationships:

 

• Heaven ☰ under Earth ☷ forms 11 ䷊ which reverses into 12 ䷋.
• Mountain ☶ under Lake ☱ forms 31 ䷞ which reverses into 32 ䷟ which is Wind ☴ under Thunder ☳.
• Lake ☱ under Mountain ☶ forms 41 ䷨ which reverses into 42 ䷩, which is Thunder ☴ under Wind ☳.
• And Fire ☲ under Water ☵ forms 63 ䷾ which reverses into 64 ䷿.

 

We can see that these form 4 sets within the King Wen Sequence, including the opening and closing of the Lower Canon.

 

So we've learned that the Upper Cannon is opened and closed by doubled pairs, and the Lower Canon is opened and closed by these complementary pairs. Perhaps this shows a significance to doubled and complementary trigrams in the King Wen Sequence.

 

 

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As both the doubled and complementary pairs form a sort of central and stable merging of energies, perhaps Gritter had the idea to place them at the center, in their sets.

 

There are 16 hexagrams and 8 sets:

 

 1 ䷀ ䷁ 2

11 ䷊ ䷋ 12

29 ䷜ ䷝ 30

31 ䷞ ䷟ 32

41 ䷨ ䷩ 42

51 ䷲ ䷳ 52

57 ䷸ ䷹ 58

63 ䷾ ䷿ 64

 

Having identified the central column, so to say, Gritter arranged the other sets of hexagrams around them as seen here:

 

 

Aside from the pair in the center 29-30, 31-32, we can see that the Upper and Lower Canon's each have an interesting numerical arrangement, or perhaps 4 different numerical arrangements - 6, 8, 9, 7.

 

The number 6, 7, 8 and 9 are used to represent the ebb and flow of yang and yin, perhaps as seen in a yin-yang symbol, where lesser, younger yang grows into greater, older yang, which having culminated becomes lesser, younger yin which grows into greater, older yin, which having culminated begins as younger yang again.

 

 

The numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 are considered the numbers of creation, while the numbers 6, 7, 8, 9 are considered the numbers of completion.

 

Taking the odd numbers as yang, we add together 1+3+5 to get 9, the maximum of yang.

Taking the even numbers as yin, we add together 2+6 to get 6, the maximum of yin.

 

7 and 8 may be formed by a combination of yang and yin numbers of creation.

1+2+5 = 8

4+3 = 7

1+3+4 = 8

2+5 = 7

 

Or one might use the numbers 2 and 3 to find:

2+2+2 = 6

2+2+3 = 7

2+3+3 = 8

3+3+3 = 9

While the 6 and 9 have absolute combinations, the 7 and 8 may be arranged differently without changing their amount.

 

So we find that Gritter's arrangement of the hexagram pairs/sets yields distinct groupings of 6, 8, 9, 7 pairs.

 

 

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Finally we can see that by placing the Upper Cannon over the Lower Canon, it fits like a glove:

 

 

 

When this happens, the grouping of 6 is merged with the grouping of 9, forming 15. And the grouping of 8 is merged with the grouping of 7, again forming 15. Not only that but we are left with a very neat block of 6 by 5.

 

This brings us back to the Lunar cycle, which waxes for 15 days and wanes for 15 days. Historically, the month was broken into 6 nodes of 5 days, and 6 of the 8 trigrams could be used to measure the progress of this waxing and waning every five days.

 

1st 5: Thunder ☳

2nd 5: Lake ☱

3rd 5: Heaven ☰

4th 5: Wind ☴

5th 5: Mountain ☶

6th 5: Earth ☷

 

We are left with four hexagrams sticking out: [31,32] and [29,30]. But I can't help but remember that hexagrams 1, 2, 29, 30 are known as eternal forces. And I can't help but see that 1 and 2 are immediately beneath 31 and 32. So I feel rather tempted to swap them out. This would leave the eternal hexagrams sticking out. And without forcing things I become more curious to study [31,32]. It is interesting that the new "Canon" is opened with the complementary set and closed with the doubled set.

 

I am still exploring the implications of this. For instance what if one uses this in the manner advised by the cantong qi? Even though the sequence is described by starting with 3 and 4 and ending with 63 and 64, the 6 nodes of 5 days aspect of this arrangement, pieced together based on groupings that add up to create 15, is hard to ignore.

 

Hopefully this helps someone come closer to dao.

Blessings!

[Gerard]

Some good reading info about the 'living' book of wisdom:

 

A critical survey of I Ching books

 

 

Hope you find it all useful.