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◈ Primary hexagram: 51—Shaken in his being.

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Name from “Language of the Lines”

Shaken in his being.

Lines

Image created from the lines

Line 6 is yin while line 1 is yang, so we change innerly in this tao but not from the activity of the emerging life force. The outer world (line 3) is active, while line 4 shows us to be ignorant about this outer activity. When our outer world is the centre of activity and we ignore this we are likely to meet the unexpected and to be unprepared. “Shock” is the common name of the hexagram.

Image created from the trigrams

The strong surge of energy in Chên is met by the immovable Kên. This flow is a severe jolt to the being, which, in its established peace is quite unprepared for such force; it resists and then succumbs (K’an), only to recover again as we recognize and co-ordinate a new reality.

Shock occurs when new experience appears too fast for our co-ordination to deal with it. Feeling cannot come up with a feeling and there may be rejection and disorganization (panic) or withdrawal of feeling (numbness). All this may be fleeting, as when we meet someone suddenly in a doorway, or profound. All this feeling cannot move outwards, cannot be identified, so it moves in our inner being (Chên at the top).

The Chinese Oracle

> Shock (thunder), success.

> Shock then laughter.

> Frightening tumult for 100 miles around.

> He does not spill the sacrificial vessel.

Comments

Shock by its nature is sudden and short, followed by relief and laughter. 100 miles around is symbolic of it going the whole distance—it is total in us. The sacrificial vessel is ourself (as in the Ting, hexagram 50), we do not go outwards in shock, we centre very severely, so the self or sacrificial vessel is not externalized, spilt. The movement of the energy in our inner being can make changes there and this is the success the tao offers.

Manifestations

The pattern

The world is shaken

to its foundation.

Unparalleled relief

must follow.

For humans

Shock follows shock

until his reality

itself is shaken.

Then he will laugh from his belly

at his alarm, at his escape,

at his relief;

and examine his weaknesses.

In nature

Lightning tears the air

and all beasts cower.

Strikes at the earth

and they tremble.

Its thunder rolls away,

uncovering the sun

and beautiful normality.

In forms we make

Authority stamps,

shaking its power;

and withdraws,

creating order.

Moving lines

Line 1 goes yin — life force shows more change

Here we react to shock immediately by stirring our inner peace into activity. We are alert and not taken much off our guard, or the shock is such that it is quickly recognized; either way it is quickly followed by relief.

> Shock roars

> then speaks smilingly.

> Good fortune.

❧

Line 2 goes yang — intuitive feeling less active

This is the numbness reaction to shock. Feeling cannot co-ordinate and so does not function, creating a strange separateness but this will pass.

> Shock signals danger.

> He loses his valuables

> and climbs nine hills.

> He should not go after them,

> in seven days he will have them again.

The danger of overload is a danger to our ability to distinguish what is happening to us, a danger to identity itself. When we cannot distinguish because of shock we lose all of value because confusion has no values.

Over nine hills is nine times up and down again, a vacillation about the number nine, which is 3 × 3 or symbolically change which is changing—all is confusion as we try to follow the change but cannot. But it all comes back again at the end of the process, the seven days. This symbolism just describes the shock syndrome.

❧

Line 3 goes yang — outer world changes less

With shock, action becomes confused; but it is action that leads out of shock so instinctive action is an effective outlet; it also involves acting without caution.

> Thunder (shock) is impetuous;

> reacting likewise is not harmful.

It is necessary to move to get out of shock and our lightning-like reflexes operate, knowing in their own way what is needed; but here we control this and do not move.

❧

Line 4 goes yin — accepting the outer state more

Here we are taking possession of the action of shock, using it for our purposes, conscious or unconscious. This is a misunderstanding; shock is by its nature spontaneous and although we may serve our purposes by this means we narrow our reality.

> Shock in mud.

In mud we get stuck and here we get stuck in shock, using it, entangling with it. Allow shock and it flows out, try to define or use it and it stays.

❧

Line 5 goes yang — less awareness of intuition

This fifth line is our recognition of intuitive feeling. Here the shock to feeling causes withdrawal from it—yet we cannot withdraw successfully from something so evident.

> Shock comes and goes repeatedly.

> Danger.

> Nothing is lost and things need doing.

The danger is that we are distracted from outer action needed in response to the shock, “things need doing”. We are wildly seeking but nothing is lost so we need not seek.

❧

Line 6 goes yang — our inner being accepts less

This line of our inner being does not accept the shock, it is a matter for our outer coordination to deal with it.

> Shock creates disorder and terrified eye movements.

> Advance brings misfortune.

> His neighbours are shocked

> but not he himself, no error.

> The neighbours criticize him.

The outer boundary of self, the identified self which has many facets, are the “neighbours” who are disoriented, not the inner self, they look around with frightened eyes for some help but get none and feel let down.

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