Ford Motor Company F under CEO James Farley

Ford Motor Company F under CEO James Farley

 

HEXAGRAM 08 – Pi – Holding Together [Union]

Above    K’AN    THE ABYSMAL, WATER

Below    K’UN    THE RECEPTIVE, EARTH

The waters on the surface of the earth flow together wherever they can,

as for example in the ocean,

where all the rivers come together.

Symbolically this connotes

• holding together and
  
• the laws that regulate it.
  

The same idea is suggested by the fact that

all the lines of the hexagram except the fifth, the place of the ruler, are yielding.

The yielding lines hold together because they are influenced by

• a man of strong will in the leading position,
  
• a man who is their center of union.
  

Moreover, this strong and guiding personality in turn holds together with the others,

finding in them the complement of his own nature.

 

THE JUDGMENT

HOLDING TOGETHER brings good fortune.

Inquire of the oracle once again

Whether you possess sublimity, constancy, and perseverance;

Then there is no blame.

Those who are uncertain gradually join.

Whoever comes too late

Meets with misfortune.

What is required is that we unite with others, in order that

all may complement and aid one another through holding together.

But such holding together calls for a central figure around whom other persons may unite.

To become a center of influence holding people together is a

• grave matter and
  
• fraught with great responsibility.
  

It requires

• greatness of spirit,
  
• consistency, and
  
• strength.
  

Therefore let him who wishes to gather others about him ask himself whether he is equal to the undertaking,

for anyone attempting the task without a real calling for it

only makes confusion worse than if no union at all had taken place.

But when there is a real rallying point,

those who at first are hesitant or uncertain gradually come in of their own accord.

Late-comers must suffer the consequences, for in holding together the question of the right time is also important.

Relationships are formed and firmly established according to definite inner laws.

Common experiences strengthen these ties, and he who comes too late to share in these basic experiences must suffer for it if, as a straggler, he finds the door locked.

If a man

• has recognized the necessity for union and
  
• does not feel strong enough to function as the center,
  

it is his duty to become a member of some other organic fellowship.

 

THE IMAGE

On the earth is water: The image Of HOLDING TOGETHER.

Thus the kings of antiquity

• Bestowed the different states as fiefs And
  
• cultivated friendly relations With the feudal lords.
  

Water

• fills up all the empty places on the earth and
  
• clings fast to it.
  

The social organization of ancient China was based on this principle of the holding together of

• dependents and
  
• rulers.
  

Water flows to unite with water, because all parts of it are subject to the same laws.

So too should human society hold together through a community of interests that

allows each individual to feel himself a member of a whole.

The central power of a social organization must see to it that

every member finds that his true interest lies in holding together with it,

as was the case in the paternal relationship between king and vassals in ancient China.

 

THE LINES

Six in the fourth place means:

Hold to him outwardly also.

Perseverance brings good fortune.

Here the relations with a man who is the center of union are well established.

Then we may, and indeed we should, show our attachment openly.

But we must

• remain constant and
  
• not allow ourselves to be led astray.
  

 

 

MOVING HEXAGRAM

 

 

HEXAGRAM 45 – Ts’ui – Gathering Together (Massing)

Above    Tui    THE JOYOUS, LAKE

Below    K’UN    THE RECEPTIVE, EARTH

This hexagram is related in form and meaning to Pi, HOLDING TOGETHER (8).

• In the latter, water is over the earth;
  
• here a lake is over the earth.
  

But since the lake is a place where water collects,

the idea of gathering together is even more strongly expressed here than in the other hexagram.

The same idea also arises from the fact that

• in the present case it is two strong lines (the fourth and the fifth) that
  
  • bring about the gathering together,
    

whereas

• in the former case one strong line (the fifth)
  
  • stands in the midst of weak lines.
    

 

THE JUDGMENT

GATHERING TOGETHER.

Success.

The king approaches his temple.

It furthers one to see the great man.

This brings success.

Perseverance furthers.

To bring great offerings creates good fortune.

It furthers one to undertake something,

The gathering together of people in large communities is

• either a natural occurrence, as in the case of the family,
  
• or an artificial one, as in the case of the state.
  

The family gathers about the father as its head.

The perpetuation of this gathering in groups is achieved through the sacrifice to the ancestors,

at which the whole clan is gathered together.

Through the collective piety of the living members of the family,

• the ancestors become so integrated in the spiritual life of the family that
  
• it cannot be dispersed or dissolved.
  

1. Where men are to be gathered together,
   

   religious forces are needed.
   

2. But there must also be a human leader to serve as the center of the group.
   

   In order to be able to bring others together,
   

this leader must first of all be collected within himself.

Only collective moral force can unite the world.

• Such great times of unification will leave great achievements behind them.
  

  This is the significance of the great offerings that are made.
  

• In the secular sphere likewise there is need of great deeds
  

  in the time of GATHERING TOGETHER.
  

 

THE IMAGE

Over the earth, the lake: The image Of GATHERING TOGETHER.

Thus the superior man renews his weapons In order to meet the unforeseen.

If the water in the lake gathers until it rises above the earth,

• there is danger of a break-through.
  

  Precautions must be taken to prevent this.
  

Similarly

• where men gather together in great numbers, strife is likely to arise;
  
• where possessions are collected, robbery is likely to occur.
  

Thus in the time of GATHERING TOGETHER

we must arm promptly to ward off the unexpected.

Human woes usually come as a result of unexpected events against which we are not forearmed.

If we are prepared, they can be prevented.

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