30 – the clinging
May 2011: The user asks a third question: “How do I get out of this?” The I Ching’s response is 30 – the Clinging. (FYI: Question 1 “What situation I am in” resulted in hexagram 12 – Standstill; question 2 “What about it [my situation] is good, and what happens next?” resulted in hexagram 20 – Contemplation.)
Hexagram 30 – the clinging is composed of a double-trigram Li, meaning both fire and clinging, the latter labeling the entire hexagram. Clinging refers to an important quality of fire, which is to cling to what it burns.
In no2DO I associate Li with the small intestine, which is described in the classical texts of Traditional Chinese Medicine as the organ that separates the “clear” (= that what is useful for us) from the “unclear” (= that what does not serve us). This capacity refers not only to the material world but also includes the mental level. (Citations regarding the function of the → small intestine)
So: what is the way out of the user’s situation? (Remember, the earlier questioning brought about that it is important for her to maintain a buffer between herself and traditional evaluation criteria which on one hand she already questions due to her professional experience but on the other hand still applies in her own self-assessments.)
Hexagram 30 – the Clinging starts out with Li, our clear intellect, which is able to separate what is useful to us from what unnecessarily burdens our existence . This differentiation and clarification is specially helpful when it comes eg to check our own thought patterns and judgements. Unfortunately enough, far too often our own inner voices disturb our peace of mind and / or hinder our progress.
The results of this self-assessment will serve us as a compass for future growth: Sun, (wind / tree; first core character) represents a gentle, yet relentless pushing forward on our very own path – a path just too often overseen but blueprint-like perfectly mapped out before us since our beginnings. In the user’s case this would mean to ideally let go of thoughts and traditional evaluation criteria which weaken her while encouraging thoughts that strengthen her.
In the following Sun transforms into the second core character Dui (the lake). Dui represents an opening, allowing the outside / environment to penetrate our inside, while we express ourselves outwardly. The safe shelter of cocooning is being loosen up and fresh new ideas from our environment now pass through as inspiration, feedback and reality check for our worldview.
And to check reality is vitally important because, while Li represents an instance within our self that can distinguish the world, it is rooted in our human condition and thus imperfect and prone to mistake. This is why any really deep insight is always the result of a continuing process of adhering to reality and progressively double checking any to uncover inconsistencies. And this way hexagram 30 – the Clinging ends in re-examination.
December 2010: Insight, “fire“, is the result of our free encounter with our environment, with the latter being our mirror to match up old and new experiences. In that sense hexagram 30 – the Clinging presents us with a learning environment where we can gain knowledge about ourselves. Sometimes this environmental mirror is merciless and quite drastically shows us any entanglement or attachment. But it isn’t an option to smash the mirror (= actively influencing an “disturbing” environment). Rather it is to draw conclusions regarding our own inner condition, because it is the only place where we can actually make a change. Anything else wouldn’t be but treating symptoms.
Inner and outer worlds reflect each other. The path towards deeper insight is a continuous process shifting between analytical thinking and intuition. And at its end we’ll find our peace with the world.
The current interpretation can be found here: http://www.no2do.com/hexagramme_en/787787.htm
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