United Airlines UAL under CEO J. Scott Kirby

United Airlines UAL under CEO J. Scott Kirby

 

 

HEXAGRAM 12 – P’i – Standstill (Stagnation)

Above    CH’IEN    THE CREATIVE, HEAVEN

Below    K’UN        THE RECEPTIVE, EARTH

This hexagram is the opposite of the preceding one.

• Heaven is above, drawing farther and farther away, while
  
• the earth below sinks farther into the depths.
  

The creative powers are not in relation.

It is a time of standstill and decline.

This hexagram is linked with the seventh month (August-September),

when

• the year has passed its zenith and
  
• autumnal decay is setting in.
  

 

THE JUDGMENT

STANDSTILL.

Evil people do not further

The perseverance of the superior man.

• The great departs
  
• the small approaches.
  

• Heaven and earth are out of communion and
  
• all things are benumbed.
  

• What is above has no relation to what is below, and
  
• on earth confusion and disorder prevail.
  

• The dark power within,
  
• the light power is without.
  

• Weakness is within,
  
• harshness without.
  

• Within are the inferior, and
  
• without are the superior.
  

• The way of inferior people is in ascent;
  
• the way of superior people is on the decline.
  

But the superior people do not allow themselves to be turned from their principles.

If the possibility of exerting influence is closed to them,

they nevertheless

• remain faithful to their principles and
  
• withdraw into seclusion.
  

 

THE IMAGE

Heaven and earth do not unite: The image Of STANDSTILL.

Thus

• the superior man falls back upon his inner worth In order to escape the difficulties.
  
• He does not permit himself to be honored with revenue.
  

When, owing to the influence of inferior men, mutual mistrust prevails in public life,

fruitful activity is rendered impossible,

because the fundaments are wrong.

Therefore

• the superior man knows what he must do under such circumstances;
  
• he does not allow himself to be tempted by dazzling offers to take part in public activities.
  

This would only expose him to danger, since he cannot assent to the meanness of the others.

He therefore

• hides his worth and
  
• withdraws into seclusion.
  

 

THE LINES

Nine in the fourth place means:

He who acts at the command of the highest

Remains without blame.

Those of like mind partake of the blessing.

The time of standstill is nearing the point of change into its opposite.

Whoever wishes to restore order must

• feel himself called to the task and
  
• have the necessary authority.
  

A man who sets himself up as capable of creating order according to his own judgment

could make mistakes and end in failure.

But the man who is truly called to the task

• is favored by the conditions of the time, and
  
• all those of like mind will share in his blessing.
  

 

MOVING HEXAGRAM

 

HEXAGRAM 20 – Kuan – Contemplation (View)

Above    SUN    THE GENTLE, WIND

Below    K’UN    THE RECEPTIVE, EARTH

A slight variation of tonal stress gives the Chinese name for this hexagram a double meaning.

It means both

• contemplating and
  
• being seen, in the sense of being an example.
  

These ideas are suggested by the fact that the hexagram can be understood as picturing a type of tower characteristic of ancient China.

• A tower of this kind commanded a wide view of the country;
  

  at the same time, when situated on a mountain,
  

• it became a landmark that could be seen for miles around.
  

Thus the hexagram shows a ruler

• who contemplates the law of heaven above him and the ways of the people below, and
  
• who, by means of good government, sets a lofty example to the masses.
  

This hexagram is linked with the eighth month (September – October).

• The light-giving power retreats and
  
• the dark power is again on the increase.
  

However, this aspect is not material in the interpretation of the hexagram as a whole.

 

THE JUDGMENT

CONTEMPLATION.

• The ablution has been made,
  

But

• not yet the offering.
  

Full of trust they look up to him.

The sacrificial ritual in China began with

• an ablution and
  
• a libation by which the Deity was invoked,
  

after which the sacrifice was offered.

The moment of time between these two ceremonies is the most sacred of all,

the moment of deepest inner concentration.

If piety is

• sincere and
  
• expressive of real faith,
  

the contemplation of it has a transforming and awe-inspiring effect

on those who witness it.

Thus also in nature

a holy seriousness is to be seen in the fact that

natural occurrences are uniformly subject to law.

Contemplation of the divine meaning underlying the workings of the universe gives

to the man who is called upon to influence others

the means of producing like effects.

This requires that power of inner concentration which religious contemplation

develops in great men strong in faith.

• It enables them to apprehend the mysterious and divine laws of life, and
  

  by means of profoundest inner concentration
  

• they give expression to these laws in their own persons.
  

Thus

a hidden spiritual power emanates from them,

influencing and dominating others

without their being aware of how it happens.

 

THE IMAGE

The wind blows over the earth: The image of CONTEMPLATION.

Thus the kings of old

• visited the regions of the world,
  
• Contemplated the people, And
  
• gave them instruction.
  

When the wind blows over the earth it

• goes far and wide and
  
• the grass must bend to its power.
  

These two occurrences find confirmation in the hexagram.

The two images are used to symbolize a practice of the kings of old;

1. in making regular journeys the ruler could, in the first place,
   

   survey his realm and
   

   make certain that none of the existing usages of the people escaped notice;
   

2. in the second,
   

   he could exert influence through which such customs as were unsuitable
   

   could be changed.
   

All of this points to the power possessed by a superior personality.

• On the one hand, such a man
  
  • will have a view of the real sentiments of the great mass of humanity and therefore
    
  • cannot be deceived;
    
• on the other, he
  
  • will impress the people so profoundly,
    
    • by his mere existence and
      
    • by the impact of his personality,
      

    that they will be swayed by him as the grass by the wind.
    

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