Not-Finished—Ended—Moving
|or| Unsettled

Now is not the time to overreach. Circumspection is the key to success as your situation is in flux. Be alert. If you see a problem, correct it resolutely and as quickly as possible. Don’t get caught in the cusp of changing circumstances. Above all, trust your intuition and wait for the precise moment to react. (Bright-Fey 157)

 

The unsettled succeed. A young fox, crossing boldly, gets its tail wet. Nothing is gained.

Yin 1: Getting the tail wet is shameful.

Yang 2: Dragging the wheels is correct and bodes well.

Yin 3: When unsettled, an expedition bodes ill. It is beneficial to cross great rivers.

Yang 4: It is auspicious to be stable; regret vanishes. Stirring to attack the barbarians, in three years there is the reward of a great country.

Yin 5: The correct are fortunate and have no regrets. The brilliance of leaders is auspicious when it is genuine.

Yang 6: There is sincerity in drinking wine—no blame. Get the head wet, and you lose what is right even if faithful. (Cleary 397-403)

It is in the nature of fire to rise and of water to fall, thereby the progression of Settled to Unsettled is symbolized by the reversal of the fire and water trigrams. In a time of unsettlement, the fires of ambition, ego, and enlightenment take on an external manifestation while the dangerous temptations of water seep inside the soul. Outwardly, one ought to aim with conscious intention; inwardly, one ought resist the desire for premature action. If this is accomplished, then the disorder of the dissolved former settlement will not be merely chaos but also an opportunity for positive transformation.

The pertinent virtues are prudence and temperance. While adrift in shifting life and social circumstances, the natural impulse is to cling fast to the first thing available—any port in a storm, though this is a mistake and a consequence of deficient judgement and patience. Panicked grasping results in fumbling as much as it does security and is therefore not a reliable means to succeed or survive great difficulty. Instead, one should identity problems, deliberate about solutions, then implement them decisively so as to free oneself to be ready to act when the opportunity to make greater changes arises.

This is the difference between the young and the old fox. During a time of unsettlement, there is opportunity, but he who is reckless rushes headlong into a river too deep to cross. This is the young fox crossing boldly only to be met with failure. An old fox knows to wait until the water—the danger—is at its low point. Then he can cross and meet with success.

The first Yin is like the young fox. Those who are weak and in a low position give into temptation and try to force change prematurely. They are doomed to fail and suffer as a consequence, not only because of their inability and position, but because they will receive no help from their correspondent. The fourth Yang is in the body of fire and is opposed to water, and both trigrams are moving in opposite directions. This means that help from above will be rejected even if offered, as it will not seem good to the weak people at the bottom. The benighted hate the wisdom of the enlightened. It pains their eyes and reveals their inadequacies, so they ignore warnings, rush into the river, and become inundated by danger.

The second Yang rests in a balanced position despite being at the center of the body of danger. This is firmness in a pliable Yin position, further symbolizing  the balance of a wise an able populace. These are those who manifest the virtues of prudence and temperance. They resist the temptations to ride forward on the speed of wheels and instead drag them behind, purposely slowing themselves and training their strength in the process. When the time comes, they are those who will be employable by the fifth Yin of leadership, who is weak and will need their talents to succeed.

The third Yin hangs at the extreme of danger and in a position requiring incredible strength and firmness. But she is weak and therefore prone to succumb to temptation. She wants to follow the example of the sixth Yang, her proper correspondent, but cannot. It is in her nature to descend, not to ascend. Her expedition will fall short and result in failure, and this is despite the fact that the opportunity for great success is real. Now may really be the time to take advantage of unsettlement, but timing is not sufficient. One must also have the ability and proper balance. Those who fail to cultivate their character cannot cheat fate via luck and opportunism.

The fourth Yang rests at the beginning of the body of fire. He is firm in a flexible position that is close to danger. Weakness here would result in a bending toward the first Yin, which would douse the flames of conscious intent—regretful, as the first Yin’s desires are out of accord with her ability and position. The minister would harm himself an the whole populace to give in to the demands of those below. Stability and steadfastness are what are called for, virtues fortunately present in the fourth Yang’s nature. He need only hold to those virtues, and the chaos symbolized by “barbarians” can be subdued, or transmuted into order, a new settlement.

The fifth Yin occupies the position of leadership, a yang position, yet because she is balanced and receptive within the body of intellect and enlightenment, she is able to make use of the abundant Yang energy around her. The fifth Yin, being honest to herself about her limitations, employs morally upright ministers and wise people from the lower social ranks. These are the fourth and second Yangs respectively. Utilizing their talents without envy or jealousy clouding one’s judgement allows such a leader to be genuine. She does not need to put on a mask and pretend to possess competence in areas in which she is not. She can be honest, and through her honesty, she is brilliant in her own way—for it is wisest to bring together the brightest minds and purest hearts for the sake of creating a lasting settled state.

But the sixth Yang brings with him a warning. Though sincerity is a virtue and necessary, it is not sufficient on its own to bring about the good. For that, as for all things, balance is necessary. “There is sincerity in drinking wine,” means that it is honest for people to admit their weaknesses and to enjoy what in excess would be a vice. But honesty is not a license for debauchery. No matter how honest, genuine, or faithful, abandonment of propriety, prudence, and temperance will result in flood and destruction. The flame which rises too high touches the clouds and summons the rain. In this way, the sixth Yang and third Yin really are proper reflections. Deficient will and excessive ambition are one and the same. They are deviations from the way.

I Ching; The Book of Changes, with commentaries by Cheng Yi, translated by Thomas Cleary, Shambala Library, 2003.

I Ching: The Book of Changes; An authentic Taoist translation, translated by John Bright-Fey, Sweetwater Press, 2006.