Above; Heaven the creative
Below; Mountain stillness
The dark power of the
mountain rises from below, and the spiritual light retreats
before it to safety. This hexagram is associated with the
sixth month of the year (July – August), in which
the power of the sun first begins to decline before the
power of winter. So retreat is not a matter to be decided
willfully by man, but a natural process. Withdrawal in these
circumstances is proper and natural.
Withdrawal means success.
Persistence in small matters is nevertheless to one’s
advantage.
In certain situations
a retreat is in effect an advance. A strong yang line is
in the fifth place, the place of the ruler. All other lines
respond to it. All actions take place in accordance with
the times. As young plants grow when properly watered, so
persistence in small matters brings advantage. A withdrawal
at the proper time presages success.
The mountain stands below
heaven. The Superior Man, keeping his distance from men
of inferior character is not angry but dignified.
Line 1
Withdrawing with the
rearguard. This is dangerous. It is no time to choose a
destination.
The rearguard of a retreating
army is designed for sacrifice. Few survive. It is obviously
better to be in the van. But whatever one’s position,
there is no time in the disorder of a retreat to seek out
a direction of one’s own.
Line 2
He binds him with yellow
rawhide thongs. None can untie them.
Yellow is the colour
of the middle way which is the correct line of duty. Rawhide
thongs are very strong and not to be torn or unknotted.
With a powerful will, the inferior man is bound to the superior
so that he cannot be shaken loose. In this way he intends
to achieve his goal.
Line 3
Delay in withdrawal
is frightening and dangerous. But retaining the servants
and concubines brings good fortune.
It is the retainers and
their lack of initiative that occasions the delay. The most
obvious course is to abandon them to their fate. But the
Superior Man who engages them in his service takes the initiative
and leads them out of danger. He has made a step in the
right direction.
Line 4
Choosing withdrawal,
the Superior Man benefits but the inferior one is destroyed.
The man who makes a calculated
retreat from a dangerous situation, not allowing himself
to be burdened with an inferior, escapes. The inferior man,
deprived of the counsel of the other will suffer great misfortune.
The wise man is not be blamed for this. He is not compelled
to link his fate with that of another.
Line 5
Withdrawal by agreement.
Perseverance brings good fortune.
When the time is right
for retreat, the wise man recognizes it and there is no
need for discussion and disagreement. But he must still
adhere firmly to his decision, modifying it only as circumstances
change.
Line 6
Happy withdrawal. Everything
is favourable.
The sense of the word
‘withdrawal’ is now subtly altered. There is
no further danger in retreat. The Superior Man has reached
a spiritual state free from doubt. There are no further
obstacles to his retiring from the world into contemplation.
© 1979 Neil Powell
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