I Ching 5 Hexagram Xū (Attending)
I Ching 5 Hexagram Xū (Attending)
Keywords Patience, Pause, Waiting.
Short Interpretation of Hexagram 5 – The Waiting
For both work matters and your good health it is important at this time to rest and wait before taking on new initiatives. Love is sincere but immature.
I Ching – General Description
All beings need to be fed from above. But the giving of food has its time and we must wait for it. The sign shows the clouds in the sky that spread the rain, which cheers all that grows, providing man with food and drink. This rain will come in its time. You cannot force it to go down but you have to wait for it. The idea of waiting is also suggested by the qualities of the two primordial signs: inside strength, in front of it danger. Strength in the face of danger does not act hastily but knows how to wait; while weakness in the face of danger ends up being agitated and does not have the patience to wait.
I Ching – Comment on sentence
The wait.
If you are true you have light and success.
Perseverance brings health.
It is propitious to cross the great water.
Waiting is not in vain to hope. It possesses the inner certainty of reaching the goal. Only this inner certainty gives the light that alone leads to success. This leads to perseverance which brings health and gives strength to cross the great water. A danger lies ahead and we must overcome it. Weakness and impatience can do nothing. Only those who are strong will be able to face their destiny, since they are capable of persevering in the strong expectation of their inner security. This strength manifests itself in an inexorable truthfulness.
If you know how to see things as they are, looking them straight in the face, a light is born from the attractive ones that allows you to recognize the way to succeed. This recognition must be decisively followed by persevering action; because only if you go to meet your destiny can you face it. Then one can cross the great water, that is, make up one’s mind and overcome the danger.
I Ching – Image
Clouds rise in the sky:
The image of waiting.
Thus the noble eats and drinks, and is happy and confident.
When the clouds rise in the sky it is a sign of rain. One can not help but wait for its fall. This also happens in life when a destiny is prepared. As long as the moment has not yet come, we must not worry or want to shape the future by intervening and busying ourselves; instead one must calmly accumulate strength, for the body, by eating and drinking, for the drive, being cheerful and in a good mood. Destiny comes spontaneously, alone. Then you are ready.
I Ching – Series
When things are still small they should not be left without food. This is why the sign follows: Waiting. Waiting means the way to eat and drink.
I Ching – Single Lines
Analytical description of each individual line
I Ching – First line:
Nine at the beginning means:
Wait outside the walls.
It is auspicious to remain in the lasting: No stain.
The danger is still far away. It is waiting in a vast plan. The situation is still simple. There is only something in the air that one feels coming. Regularity of life should be maintained as long as possible. Only in this way can we protect ourselves from a premature waste of strength and remain free from stains and errors which would later mean weakening.
I Ching – Second line:
Nine in the second place means:
Wait on the sand.
Some bickering occurs.
The end brings health.
The danger is slowly approaching. The sand is close to the river bank, which means danger. Frictions begin to appear. In such times a general restlessness easily arises . Blame is attributed to each other. He who remains calm will be able to ensure that everything ends well. Any backbiting will finally have to be silenced if it is not given the pleasure of responding resentfully.
I Ching – Third line:
Nine in the third place means:
Waiting in the mire Causes the enemy to come.
The mud already lapped by the river water is not a favorable place for waiting. By gathering her strength to cross the water all of a sudden she took a precipitous run-up, whose vigor only led to the mud. Such an unfavorable situation attracts enemies from outside, who, as is natural, exploit the situation. Only with seriousness and prudence is it possible to take precautions against damage.
I Ching – Fourth line:
Six in the fourth place means:
Wait in blood. Out of this hole!
The situation is extremely dangerous. It has taken on the greatest gravity, it is life or death. Bloodshed is to be expected at any moment. You cannot go forward or backward. He is cut off, like in a hole. One simply has to resist and suffer one’s fate. This calm, which does not worsen the damage even more by wanting to act, is the only way to get out of the dangerous hole.
I Ching – Fifth line:
Nine in the fifth place means:
Wait while drinking and eating. Perseverance brings health.
Even in the midst of danger, there are breaks during which one feels relatively comfortable. Having adequate inner strength will take advantage of the moments of rest to reinvigorate yourself for the new struggle. You are able to enjoy the moment without letting yourself be diverted from your goal; as it takes perseverance to remain victorious. This is also the case in public life. You can’t achieve everything at once. It is supreme wisdom to give people moments of refreshment that will revive the good spirit of working to accomplish the work. In this lies the secret of the whole sign. It is distinguished from the Impediment sign, by the fact that in waiting we are sure of the outcome and therefore we are not allowed to be disturbed by the quiet of inner serenity.
I Ching – Sixth line:
Six above means:
You end up in the hole.
And here come three guests uninvited;
Honor them, and in the end comes health.
The wait is over: the danger can no longer be averted. You end up in the hole, you have to surrender to the inevitable. Everything seems to have been in vain. But precisely in this desperate situation, events take an unexpected turn. From the outside, an intervention occurs, without its having been provoked, of which at first one could doubt how it is to be understood, that is, whether salvation or annihilation is approaching. Then it is appropriate to remain internally flexible. Don’t lock yourself in stubborn and grumpy ones; indeed, giving a reverent welcome to the new situation is the right behavior. So you finally get out of danger and everything ends well. Even fortunate changes often come in a form that at first appears disturbing to us.
