💾 Archived View for oracular.space › 25 captured on 2023-09-28 at 16:12:38. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
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◈ Primary hexagram: 25—Natural innocence.
Natural innocence.
6. --- yang (top) 5. --- yang 4. --- yang 3. - - yin 2. - - yin 1. --- yang (bottom)
The top half of the hexagram, which deals with the responses of identity, is not involved, not connected with the manifesting half, all the lines are yang. This lack of being in touch with what is going on gives us a lack of guile or calculated wisdom and we act simply with what is there—an active outer world, line 3, and an active intuitive feel for our situation, line 2. Without premeditation we meet the unexpected, and an established identity has some qualms about that.
The tao is experienced as a very gentle flow, shown by Sun in the place of identity and then Ch’ien for our inner being indicating an inner non-involvement. The state of innocence is both vulnerable and protected—vulnerable to being influenced by the active life force (Chên) but as it does not entangle itself with the influence it is rarely damaged; it flows by disaster with breathtaking ease. The problems we have in this tao come from identity being unable to let go and enter the flow; this is indicated by the unflowing nature of Sun which stills the outer flow, Kên.
Innocent integrity.
Great success.
Continuing (in the tao) brings reward.
Action without the best (innocent) motives brings misfortune.
Having goals is not favourable.
Innocence is about not knowing, not having attitudes but relying on a trust in life. Integrity is being one in this trust, not doubting that the natural flow of happenings will carry us. Continuing in this trust brings its reward of harmonious activity, for in this tao we in identity are unaware of the forces acting around us; then thought-out or non-innocent activity becomes cunning and guile which is always against something and so is misfortunate. This activity is having goals, missing fortune.
Confusion does not disturb
those without involvement.
Purified of motive
has no need with which to fear.
Innocence
holds the hand of anger smiling,
steps lightly through confusion.
When the storm roars
the animal sleeps
in its dry cave.
The need of form
makes ways to map.
Mapped confusion—guile.
As the life force manifests actively here, it is easy to follow it innocently. There is no complication because innocence does not try to manipulate or identify itself anywhere but simply experiences; identity finds it easiest to do this with a new activity.
Truly innocent activity.
Progress.
Good fortune.
The life force becomes active in its natural cycle so that a clear flow will appear within it which is easy to follow.
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When our feeling does not interpret the life force, we act innocently; there is no basis for planning what to do with our situation
He reaps not having sown with a thought for harvest.
He collects the third year’s harvest but did not cultivate to this end.
Advantage in every direction.
Truly innocent activity cannot be planned; the changes (third year symbolizes changing in cycles) come of their own accord although we also reap what we sow. Being like this our direction is not confined, there is advantage in any direction that happens.
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It is the nature of identity to identify the life flow and give it form. Here the outer flow is fixed and so is lost.
Unexpected calamity.
Rope, and an ox taken away.
Gain to the traveller,
loss to the resident.
The unexpected comes to us when we are not in the flow (when in the flow the unexpected is normality). By roping the ox we lose it; when we travel in the flow the unexpected is a gain, a step forward, but when we settle down we turn it into a loss because we do not want change expect that which we plan for.
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It is in this line that identity monitors our outer activity, so we may also manipulate it for our own ends.
Continuing correctly (in the tao) is blameless.
It is necessary to follow the tao, it is fine to be involved in outer activity if we do this innocently; if we see a gain for ourselves we will lose our innocence.
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Here we absorb ourselves in the feeling of stillness from the emerging life force and hope to gain something, but the life force will move again when it will, and all we will gain by our interest in its inactivity is an entanglement in feeling stillness which creates a blockage of activity.
Unexpected illness should not be treated but will cure itself.
Illness is at base always an interruption in the flow of something, a blockage of function. Being involved in the stillness of the life force causes us to manifest it, but it will pass as the life energy flows again.
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Innocence brings on the unexpected, but to intentionally travel out to meet the unexpected is not innocence, it is a sort of cunning to defeat its unexpectedness. In the whole of this tao the harmonious is uncomplicated by desires and goals, identity is carried by the life force and has problems if it imposes its will.
Action amongst innocence (or the unexpected) brings injury.
Any action that we take through our interest in the unexpected flow is bound to be an interference with it. As in the fifth line we are acting out of discomfort and not allowing it to pass through our experience.