Materialise NV MTLS under CEO Wilfried Vancraen

Materialise NV MTLS under CEO Wilfried Vancraen

 

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

 

Six in the second place means:

They bear and endure;

This means good fortune for inferior people.

The standstill serves to help the great man to attain success.

Inferior people are ready to flatter their superiors in a servile way.

They would also endure the superior man if he would put an end to their confusion.

This is fortunate for them.

But the great man calmly bears the consequences of the standstill.

He does not mingle with the crowd of the inferior; that is not his place.

By his willingness to suffer personally he insures the success of his fundamental principles.

 

0 Nine in the fifth place means:

Standstill is giving way.

Good fortune for the great man.

• “What if it should fail,
  
• what if it should fall?”
  

In this way he ties it to a cluster of mulberry shoots.

The time undergoes a change.

The right man, able to restore order, has arrived.

Hence “Good fortune.”

But such periods of transition are the very times in which we must

• fear and
  
• tremble.
  

Success is assured only through greatest caution,

which asks always,

“What if it should fail?”

When a mulberry bush is cut down,

a number of unusually strong shoots sprout from the roots.

Hence the image of tying something to a cluster of mulberry shoots

is used to symbolize the way of making success certain.

Confucius says about this line:

• Danger arises when a man feels secure in his position.
  
• Destruction threatens when a man seeks to preserve his worldly estate.
  
• Confusion develops when a man has put everything in order.
  

Therefore

the superior man does not forget

• danger in his security, nor
  
• ruin when he is well established, nor
  
• confusion when his affairs are in order.
  

In this way

he

• gains personal safety and
  
• is able to protect the empire.
  

 

Nine at the top means:

The standstill comes to an end.

First standstill,

then good fortune.

The standstill does not last forever.

However,

it does not cease of its own accord;

the right man is needed to end it.

This is the difference between

• a state of peace and
  
• a state of stagnation.
  

Continuous effort is necessary to maintain peace:

left to itself it would change into stagnation and disintegration.

The time of disintegration, however,

• does not change back automatically to a condition of peace and prosperity;
  
• effort must be put forth in order to end it.
  

This shows

the creative attitude that man must take

if the world is to be put in order.

 

 

MOVING HEXAGRAM

 

 

HEXAGRAM 40 – Hsieh – Deliverance

Above    CHEN    THE AROUSING, THUNDER

Below    K’AN    THE ABYSMAL, WATER

Here the movement goes out of the sphere of danger.

• The obstacle has been removed,
  
• the difficulties are being resolved.
  
• Deliverance is not yet achieved;
  
• it is just in its beginning, and
  
• the hexagram represents its various stages.
  

 

THE JUDGMENT

DELIVERANCE.

The southwest furthers.

• If there is no longer anything where one has to go,
  
  • Return brings good fortune.
    
• If there is still something where one has to go,
  
  • Hastening brings good fortune.
    

This refers to a time in which tensions and complications begin to be eased.

At such times

we ought to make our way back to ordinary conditions as soon as possible;

this is the meaning of “the southwest.”

These periods of sudden change have great importance.

Just as

rain relieves atmospheric tension, making all the buds burst open,

so

a time of deliverance from burdensome pressure has a

• liberating and
  
• stimulating
  

effect on life.

One thing is important, however: in such times

we must not overdo our triumph.

The point is not to push on farther than is necessary.

Returning to the regular order of life

as soon as deliverance is achieved

brings good fortune.

If there are any residual matters that ought to be attended to,

it should be done as quickly as possible,

so that

• a clean sweep is made and
  
• no retardation occur.
  

 

THE IMAGE

Thunder and rain set in: The image of DELIVERANCE.

Thus the superior man

• pardons mistakes And
  
• forgives misdeeds.
  

• A thunderstorm has the effect of clearing the air;
  
• the superior man produces a similar effect
  

  when dealing with mistakes and sins of men
  

  that induce a condition of tension.
  

Through clarity he brings deliverance.

However,

when failings come to light,

he does not dwell on them;

• he simply passes over mistakes, the unintentional transgressions,
  
  • just as thunder dies away.
    
• He forgives misdeeds, the intentional transgressions,
  
  • just as water washes everything clean.
    

 

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