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HEXAGRAM 49 – Ko – Revolution (Molting)
Above TUI THE JOYOUS, LAKE
Below LI THE CLINGING, FIRE
The Chinese character for this hexagram means in its original sense
an animal’s pelt, which is changed in the course of the year by molting.
From this the word is carried over to apply to
- the “molting” in political life,
- the great revolutions connected with changes of governments.
The two trigram 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 while
there
-
the elder of the two daughters is above, and
- what results is essentially only an opposition of tendencies,
- what results is essentially only an opposition of tendencies,
here
-
the younger daughter is above.
- The influences are in actual conflict, and
- the forces combat each other like fire and water (lake), each trying to destroy the other.
- The influences are in actual conflict, and
Hence the idea of revolution.
THE JUDGMENT
REVOLUTION
On your own day
You are believed.
Supreme success,
Furthering through perseverance.
Remorse disappears.
Political revolutions are extremely grave matters.
They should be undertaken
- only under stress of direst necessity,
- when there is no way out.
- Not everyone is called to this task,
-
but only the man who has the confidence of the people, and
even he only when the time is ripe.
- He must then proceed in the right way, so that
-
he
- gladdens the people and, by enlightening them,
- prevents excesses.
- gladdens the people and, by enlightening them,
Furthermore,
he
- must be quite free of selfish aims and
- must really relieve the need of the people.
Only then does he have nothing to regret.
Times change, and with them their demands.
- Thus the seasons change in the course of the year.
In the world cycle also
- there are spring and autumn in the life of peoples and nations, and
- these call for social transformations.
THE IMAGE
Fire in the lake: the image of REVOLUTION.
Thus the superior man
- Sets the calendar in order And
- makes the seasons clear.
Fire below and the lake above combat and destroy each other.
So too in the course of the year a combat takes place between
- the forces of light and
-
the forces of darkness,
- eventuating in the revolution of the seasons.
- eventuating in the revolution of the seasons.
Man masters these changes in nature by
- noting their regularity and
- marking off the passage of time accordingly.
In this way
- order and clarity appear in the apparently chaotic changes of the seasons, and
- man is able to adjust himself in advance to the demands of the different times.
THE LINES
Nine in the fourth place means:
Remorse disappears.
Men believe him.
Changing the form of government brings good fortune.
Radical changes require adequate authority.
A man must have
- inner strength as well as
- influential position.
What he does
- must correspond with a higher truth and
- must not spring from arbitrary or petty motives;
then it brings great good fortune.
If a revolution is not founded on such inner truth,
- the results are bad, and
- it has no success.
For in the end
- men will support only those undertakings which
- they feel instinctively to be just.
MOVING HEXAGRAM
HEXAGRAM 63 – Chi Chi – After Completion
Above K’AN THE ABYSMAL, WATER
Below Li THE CLINGING, FIRE
This hexagram is the evolution of T’ai, PEACE (11).
- The transition from confusion to order is completed,
and
- everything is in its proper place even in particulars.
- The strong lines are in the strong places,
- the weak lines in the weak places.
- This is a very favorable outlook,
yet
- it gives reason for thought.
For
- it is just when perfect equilibrium has been reached
that
- any movement may cause order to revert to disorder.
The one strong line that
has moved to the top,
thus
effecting complete order in details,
-
is followed by the other lines,
each moving according to its nature,
and thus suddenly
- there arises again the hexagram P’i, STANDSTILL (12).
Hence
the present hexagram
- indicates the conditions of a time of climax,
which
- necessitate the utmost caution.
THE JUDGMENT
AFTER COMPLETION.
Success in small matters.
Perseverance furthers.
- At the beginning good fortune,
- At the end disorder.
The transition from the old to the new time
is already accomplished.
In principle,
everything stands systematized,
and
it is only in regard to details
that
success is still to be achieved.
In respect to this, however,
we must be careful to maintain the right attitude.
- Everything proceeds as if of its own accord,
and
-
this can all too easily tempt us to
relax and let things take their course
without troubling over details.
Such indifference is the root of all evil.
Symptoms of decay are bound to be the result.
Here
we have
- the rule indicating the usual course of history.
But
- this rule is not an inescapable law.
He who understands it
is in position to avoid its effects by dint of
- unremitting perseverance
and
- caution.
THE IMAGE
Water over fire: the image of the condition
In AFTER COMPLETION.
Thus
the superior man
- Takes thought of misfortune
And
- arms himself against it in advance.
When
water in a kettle hangs over fire,
the two elements
- stand in relation
and thus
- generate energy
(cf. the production of steam).
But
the resulting tension demands caution.
If
the water boils over,
- the fire is extinguished
and
- its energy is lost.
If
the heat is too great,
- the water evaporates into the air.
These elements here
- brought into relation
and thus
- generating energy
are by nature hostile to each other.
Only the most extreme caution can prevent damage.
In life too there are junctures when
- all forces are in balance
and
- work in harmony,
so that
everything seems to be in the best of order.
In such times only
the sage
- recognizes the moments that bode danger
and
- knows how to banish it by means of timely precautions.