I Ching 56 Hexagram lǚ (Sojourning)

I Ching 56 Hexagram lǚ (Sojourning)

I Ching 56 Hexagram lǚ (Sojourning)

Keywords
Traveling. Moment of transition. Temporary.
Short Interpretation of Hexagram 56 – The Wayfarer
Crossing without stopping. Postpone your projects for the moment, there will be short separations and changes in assignments.

I Ching – General Description

The mountain (Kenn) is still, the fire above (Li) blazes and does not abide. This is why they don’t stay together. He is a foreigner, and to separate is the traveler’s lot.

I Ching – Comment on sentence

The wayfarer. Successful for smallness. Perseverance is salutary to the traveler.

As a foreign traveler, one must not be rude and have too many ambitions. You don’t have large circles of acquaintances, so you don’t have to put on airs. Instead, we must be cautious and restrained, so we protect ourselves from evil. If you are welcoming to others, you get success. The traveler has no fixed abode, his homeland is the road. Therefore he must take care to be inwardly upright and steadfast, to dwell only in good places and to treat only good people. Then he is healthy and can walk his way undisturbed.

I Ching – Image

On the mountain there is fire: The image of the traveler. Thus the noble is clear and cautious in applying the punishments and does not drag on the quarrels.

When the grass on the mountain burns, it gives a strong glow. But the fire does not abide, but goes in search of new food. It only appears and then leaves soon. So must be the punishments and the trials: phenomena of rapid passage that should not be pulled for long. Prisons must be places that welcome people only passing by, like guests. They must not become stable abodes of men.

I Ching – Series

When greatness runs out, it is sure that it loses its residence. For this he follows the sign: the Wanderer.

I Ching – Single Lines

Analytical description of each individual line

I Ching – First line:

Six at the beginning means:
If the wayfarer gets in the way of trifles, Thus misfortune is drawn.

A wayfarer must not degrade himself by impatting himself along the way with low things. Indeed, the lower and more defenseless towards the outside is his position, the more he must keep his dignity within himself. For if a foreigner thinks he can find a friendly welcome by lending himself to jokes and ridicule, he is mistaken. The consequences will be nothing more than contempt and abusive treatment.

I Ching – Second line:

Six in the second place means:
The wanderer comes to the inn. He has his possession with him. He gets the perseverance of a young servant.

The traveler who is drawn here is modest and discreet. Inwardly he does not lose himself, so he finds a place of rest. Outwardly, he does not lose the affection of men, therefore everyone favors him, so that he can acquire possession. A faithful and trustworthy servant also comes to him; for the traveler a real treasure.

I Ching – Third line:

Nine in the third place means:
The wanderer burns the inn. He loses the perseverance of his young servant. Danger.

A violent foreigner does not know how to behave. He gets involved in matters and quarrels that do not concern him. Thus he loses his resting place. He treats his servant with harshness and haughtiness. Thus he loses his fidelity. When as a foreigner you no longer have anyone to trust, this is very dangerous.

I Ching – Fourth line:

Nine in the fourth place means:
The traveler rests where he found lodging. He gets his possession and an ax. My heart is not happy.

Here is drawn a traveler who knows how to moderate himself in his behavior, even though he is strong inside and yearns to push himself forward. Therefore he finds at least an accommodation where he can linger. He also manages to acquire possession. But he is not safe with his possession. He must be constantly on guard, ready to defend himself at gunpoint. So he doesn’t feel well. It constantly occurs to him that he is a foreigner in a foreign land.

I Ching – Fifth line:

Six in the fifth place means:
He cuts down a pheasant; falls with the first arrow. In the end, praise and employment results.

Statesmen traveling used to introduce themselves to the princes with the homage of a pheasant. The traveler in question wants to enter the service of a prince. For this purpose he cuts down a pheasant which he hits with the first dig. He thus finds friends who praise and recommend him, and finally is accepted by the prince, who gives him a position. Situations often arise that lead us to seek homeland in other lands. If you are able to understand the situation well and to introduce yourself in the right way, you will be able to find, even in a foreign land, a circle of friends and a sphere of activity.

I Ching – Sixth line:

Nine above means: The
bird’s nest burns. The wanderer first laughs, Then he must moan and cry. He loses the cow in lightness. Woe!

The image of the bird whose nest is burned shows the loss of the resting place. If the bird was light and reckless while building its nest, this misfortune can happen to it. So also to the traveler. If he lets himself go, and jokes and laughs, no longer remembering that he is a traveler, he will have to cry and complain later. For if in his lightness he loses his cow, that is, his modest faculty of adaptation, this is bad.