I Ching or Book of Changes

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The obstructions in the social life of man increase when there is a lack of clarity in the penal codes and slackness in executing them. This last is suggested by the fact that a strong line at the top, which is the ruler of the hexagram, is honored and tended as a sage. The magic tortoise is a creature possessed of such supernatural powers that it lives on air and needs no earthly nourishment. This cannot be changed, but the movements of the heart—that is, a man’s thoughts—should restrict themselves to the immediate situation.

In a resolute struggle of the good against evil, there are, however, definite rules that must not be disregarded, if it is to succeed. If one acts thoughtlessly and tries to push ahead in opposition to fate, success will not be achieved.But as he is upright in character, he meets with response, and his lack of outward form does no harm. We must calmly weigh the conditions of the time and by satisfied with small gains, because for the time being a great success cannot be attained. Publisher s black papered slipcase with label to one panel (wear,separation at opening to right panel, still solid, good or better).

The two trigrams making up the hexagram are the same two that appear in K’uei, OPPOSITION (38), that is, the two younger daughters, Li and Tui. But here likewise two dangers threaten: a man may fail in his education to penetrate to the real roots of humanity and remain fixed in convention—a partial education of this sort is as bad as none—or he may suddenly collapse and neglect his self–development. Volume 1 is in very good condition, with mild soiling to the fore edge of the text block and rubbing along the bottom edges of the boards. The ting, as a utensil pertaining to a refined civilization, suggests the fostering and nourishing of able men, which redounded to the benefit of the state.He attains a station in which he can prove himself fruitful in accomplishment, and as a result he gains recognition. He no longer sees in it the struggle and tumult of individual beings, and therefore he has that true peace of mind which is needed for understanding the great laws of the universe and for acting in harmony with them. For it may cause the other person to come to his senses, so that the alliance that has been sought and so painfully missed is after all achieved. That is why this hexagram, although it is connected with success, is associated with effort of the will. But if he will only see to it that he is possessed of something truly spiritual, the time is bound to come, sooner or later, when the difficulties will be resolved and all will go well.

There are three kinds of shock—the shock of heaven, which is thunder, the shock of fate, and, finally, the shock of the heart. Adapting itself to obstacles and bending around them, wood in the earth grows upward without haste and without rest. A man is in contact with a strong will acting in the same direction as his own, and goes forward like one good horse following another. Therefore seven is the number of the young light, and it arises when six, the number of the great darkness, is increased by one.For it is a question not of man’s doing but of time conditions, which, according to the laws of heaven, show an alternation of increase and decrease, fullness and emptiness. With a foreword by Carl Jung (1875-1961), the famous psychiatrist who founded analytical psychology, and a preface to the third edition by Hellmut Wilhelm (1905-1990), an expert on the I Ching. But while there the elder of the two daughters is above, and what results is essentially only an opposition of tendencies, here the younger daughter is above. Before a bull’s horns grow out, a headboard is fastened to its forehead, so that later when the horns appear they cannot do harm.

He brings to perfection in the sign of Keeping Still”: thus in the early spring, when the seeds fall to earth, all things are made ready. An attitude not permanently in harmony with the demands of the time will necessarily bring misfortune with it. In the course of time, owing to the great repute for wisdom attachingto the Book of Changes, a large body of occult doctrines extraneousto it -- some of them possibly not even Chinese in origin -- havecome to be connected with its teachings. On the other hand, applied to human conditions, it refers to the time when inferior people gradually begin to disappear.The third UK edition of this work in the publisher's original cloth binding, with the original unclipped dust wrapper. Here this stage has not yet been reached: the individual in this instance, though able to keep the ego, with its thoughts and impulses, in a state of rest, is not yet quite liberated from its dominance. Precisely when he experiences great success it is necessary to remain sober and not to try to skip any stages; he must go on slowly, step by step, as though hesitant. If it does not originate in one’s own nature or have a foothold there, one should not resort to external means to eradicate it, but should quietly let nature take its course. Confucius says about this line: "Weak character coupled with honored place, meager knowledge with large plans, limited powers with heavy responsibility, will seldom escape disaster.