31 - Influence

no2DO - eine Annäherung aus Westen

Contemporary Interpretation

31 - Influence

Disengage. And listen.

Disengage
And let the void
Act.
Disengage
And let the silence
Grow.
Suddenly:
Warmer sounds,
A melody.
Continue listening.

The Changes

yin yang yang yang yin yin

Upper Trigram: Dui, Lake

2nd Core Character: Qian, Heaven

1st Core Character: Sun, Wind (Tree)

Lower Trigram: Gen, Mountain

Information regarding the interpretation model

Classical Interpretation

Influence (31) happens swiftly.

The image

A lake on top of the mountain: the image of influence. Thus by his receptiveness the superior man encourages people to approach him.

The judgement

Influence. Success. Perseverance furthers. To take a maiden [to wife] brings good fortune. Full text of Richard Wilhelm's 1924 translation by Cary F. Baynes

Dynamics of the Hexagram

The Changes: 31 - influence

Lower Trigram: Gen, the Mountain

Gen stands for our ability to disengage. Through letting go of what has become obsolete we can focus on what is essential, ... Read more concentrate our energies and make room for the new. Disengagement harmonizes and focuses our actions and results in reorientation and new beginnings. Gen invites us to honestly examine our possessions, feelings and/or thoughts regarding their validity, and to permanently let go of what is old or outdated. Hide

First Change: Gen → Sun, the Wind / Tree

Sun develops when a (solid) yang line is added (red arrow; yang symbolizes energy, activity). Initial disengagement (Gen) results ... Read more in forward thrusting growth (Sun). We disengaged, we released unnecessary ballast, we concentrated our energies. This way we drew the bow. Until our arrow, Sun, is shot off: unstoppable, unrelenting, heading for our goal. Hide

Second Change: Sun → Qian, the Heaven

Qian develops when a (solid) yang line is added (red arrow; yang symbolizes energy, activity). Sun represents a powerful forward ... Read more thrusting from within ourselves: self-assured, unstoppable, unrelenting, following an invisible, very own, perfect path. This growth reaches its peak in Qian: our clear and coherent self, our true nature. Hide

Third Change: Qian → Dui, the Lake

Qian is the result of an internal growth process towards greater personal integrity, coherence and clarity. But while Qian ... Read more monologues, Dui starts the dialogue: Dui opens the boundaries of the self and lets the outside, the "you" touch our inside. Result: our self (Qian) becomes alive through animated exchange with the world around us. Hide

Upper Trigram: Dui, the Lake

Dui crosses the natural boundary of our self in two ways: from the inside outwardly and from the outside inwardly. From the outside ... Read more inwardly means that we open ourselves to the outside, to our environment, let us be inspired and ultimately accept and integrate what we encounter. From the inside outwardly invites us to express our innermost to the outside and let it come alive within the world. Both movements are tightly interconnected, just like the rhythm of our breathing: inhaling, exhaling. Hide

Follow the Path of the Dao: A Western Approximation

The interpretations shown above gradually moved away from Eastern concepts. Let us proceed even a little further. In this section I develop a model of interpretation from a Western perspective, more precisely: from the perspective of philosophical anthropology.
A detailed article on the subject can be found here: A Western Approximation

Dem Weg des Dao folgen: Annäherung aus Westen

Exemplary Experiences

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You can help the further development of no2DO by sending me the question you asked the I Ching and its response (the hexagram's name and number). Each hexagram's tendencies open up most clearly when examined in the context of a personal situation.

References and Connotations