Nerdy NRDY under CEO Chuck Cohn

Nerdy NRDY under CEO Chuck Cohn

 

HEXAGRAM 16 – Yu – Enthusiasm

Above    CHEN    THE AROUSING, THUNDER

Below    K’UN    THE RECEPTIVE, EARTH

The strong line in the fourth place, that of the leading official,

meets with response and obedience from all the other lines, which are all weak.

• The attribute of the upper trigram, Chen, is movement;
  
• the attributes of K’un, the lower, are obedience and devotion.
  

This begins a movement that

• meets with devotion
  

and therefore

• inspires enthusiasm, carrying all with it.
  

Of great importance, furthermore, is

the law of movement along the line of least resistance,

which in this hexagram is enunciated as the law

• for natural events and
  
• for human life.
  

 

THE JUDGMENT

ENTHUSIASM.

It furthers one

• to install helpers And
  
• to set armies marching.
  

The time of ENTHUSIASM derives from the fact that there is at hand

an eminent man who

• is in sympathy with the spirit of the people and
  
• acts in accord with it.
  

Hence he finds universal and willing obedience.

To arouse enthusiasm it is necessary for a man to adjust himself and his ordinances

to the character of those whom he has to lead.

The inviolability of natural laws rests on this principle of

movement along the line of least resistance.

These laws are not forces external to things

but represent the harmony of movement immanent in them.

That is

• why the celestial bodies do not deviate from their orbits and
  
• why all events in nature occur with fixed regularity.
  

It is the same with human society:

• only such laws as are rooted in popular sentiment can be enforced,
  
• while laws violating this sentiment merely arouse resentment.
  

Again,

it is enthusiasm that enables us to install helpers

for the completion of an undertaking without fear of secret opposition.

It is enthusiasm too that can unify mass movements, as in war,

so that they achieve victory.

 

THE IMAGE

Thunder comes resounding out of the earth: The image of ENTHUSIASM.

Thus the ancient kings

• made music In order to honor merit, And
  
• offered it with splendor To the Supreme Deity,
  
• Inviting their ancestors to be present.
  

When, at the beginning of summer,

• thunder – electrical energy – comes rushing forth from the earth again, and
  
• the first thunderstorm refreshes nature,
  

a prolonged state of tension is resolved.

Joy and relief make themselves felt.

So too,

music has power

• to ease tension within the heart and
  
• to loosen the grip of obscure emotions.
  

The enthusiasm of the heart expresses itself involuntarily

• in a burst of song,
  
• in dance and rhythmic movement of the body.
  

From immemorial times

the inspiring effect of the invisible sound that

• moves all hearts, and
  
• draws them together,
  

has mystified mankind.

Rulers have made use of this natural taste for music;

they elevated and regulated it.

Music was looked upon as something serious and holy,

designed to purify the feelings of men.

It fell to music

• to glorify the virtues of heroes and thus
  
• to construct a bridge to the world of the unseen.
  

In the temple men drew near to God with music and pantomimes

(out of this later the theater developed).

Religious feeling for the Creator of the world was united with

the most sacred of human feelings,

that of reverence for the ancestors.

The ancestors were invited to these divine services

• as guests of the Ruler of Heaven and
  
• as representatives of humanity in the higher regions.
  

This uniting of the human past with the Divinity

in solemn moments of religious inspiration

established the bond between God and man.

The ruler who revered the Divinity in revering his ancestors

became thereby the Son of Heaven,

in whom the heavenly and the earthly world met in mystical contact.

These ideas are the final summation of Chinese culture.

Confucius has said of the great sacrifice at which these rites were performed:

“He who

• could wholly comprehend this sacrifice
  
• could rule the world as though it were spinning on his hand.”
  

 

THE LINES

 

Six in the second place means:

Firm as a rock.

Not a whole day.

Perseverance brings good fortune.

This describes a person who does not allow himself to be misled by any illusions.

While

• others are letting themselves be dazzled by enthusiasm,
  
• he recognizes with perfect clarity the first signs of the time.
  

Thus

he

• neither flatters those above
  
• nor neglects those beneath him;
  

he is as firm as a rock.

When the first sign of discord appears,

he

• knows the right moment for withdrawing and
  
• does not delay even for a day.
  

Perseverance in such conduct will bring good fortune.

Confucius says about this line:

“To know the seeds, that is divine indeed.

• In his association with those above him, the superior man does not flatter.
  
• In his association with those beneath him, he is not arrogant.
  

For he knows the seeds.

The seeds are

• the first imperceptible beginning of movement,
  
• the first trace of good fortune (or misfortune) that shows itself.
  

The superior man

• perceives the seeds and
  
• immediately takes action.
  

He does not wait even a whole day.

In the Book of Changes it is said:

“Firm as a rock.

Not a whole day.

Perseverance brings good fortune.”

Firm as a rock, what need of a whole day?

The judgment can be known.

The superior man knows

• what is hidden and
  
• what is evident.
  

• He knows weakness,
  
• he knows strength as well.
  

Hence the myriad’s look up to him.

 

 

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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