Hexagram 8 (BI. Approximation) - interpretation and meaning of the symbol

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General interpretation of the 8th hexagram in fortune telling

Think about like-minded people, luck does not favor loners, look around, you will probably find like-minded people among them. Do not be afraid to share the victory with others, even if it costs you leadership, because it is better to be an infantryman in the winning army than a general who lost the battle.

Listen to other people's advice, be it words from your boss or a friend, try to delve into their very essence. Staying honest with yourself will help you bring your ideas and plans to life.

Troubles and adversities are already behind us, but the echoes of past troubles still remind us of themselves. Success is based on interaction with like-minded people, be conscientious and honest, fulfill your obligations to them and luck will be on your side. Listen to the people you care about, try to hear them, see their needs and remember to be respectful. Advice from your environment is the path to success. But it’s better to forget about excessive excitement for now.

Comment by Yu.K. Shchutsky

Achieving victory - conquest - is just a moment, the result of which must be consolidated. Action aimed at securing victory characterizes this situation. It consists in the mutual rapprochement of the winner and the region he conquered, which is possible because victory means the destruction and subjugation of everything that is alien, that is not capable of rapprochement. For the latter, it is necessary to make a correct forecast of future development, and for now we are talking not so much about achieving the well-being of the conquered region, but about preventing external forces acting destructively. If for the previous situation the moment of victory is the last moment, then for this situation it acts as its beginning. It contains those initial relationships that are subject to persistent preservation for the entire future. This is how things stand from the point of view of the one to whom (it) approaches. For those who approach him, it is necessary to keep in mind that in this situation the most beneficial rapprochement is possible, which should be immediately taken advantage of by all those capable of rapprochement. Being late in such conditions is tantamount to refusal, tantamount to turning from an accomplice to victory into a defeated and defeated one. — In the process of cognition, while new knowledge has not yet been achieved, various actions have to be taken to achieve it. Here is the opposition of knowledge to ignorance, and the bringing into harmony of the chaos of experiences, and penetration into the as yet inaccessible element of the not yet known, and differentiation from random, interfering ideas. But knowledge has been won. This means that all these actions were brought to a positive result. Then in the field of knowledge everything related to it is achievable, nothing alien hinders it. It is possible and necessary to bring new, higher knowledge closer to what was previously known. That which retains the power of persuasiveness in the latter, despite the achievement of new knowledge, which is at the highest level, is immediately united with it into a single system of knowledge. The same knowledge of the previous stages, which at the moment is late, that is, no longer suitable, is doomed to destruction. This is the intermediate situation between winning victory and its future educational effect. The text expresses it this way: Approaching. Happiness. Delve into the oracle, and there will be no blasphemy from the original eternal perseverance. Isn't it better to come right away? Whoever is late will suffer misfortune.

1

The circle of subordinates that is furthest from the winner and at the same time most pliable is deprived of the opportunity to act independently. He strives most intensely to get closer to the winner, because in him there is a particularly felt distance from the winner, who (taking into account the previous comment) appears here as the bearer of new, true knowledge: as the “possessor of truth.” The relationship here, at the beginning of rapprochement, is still extremely simple, devoid of pretentiousness and artificiality. Therefore, the “possessor of truth” is full of it, just as a simple, ingenuous clay jug is full of water. It's not about his appearance, but about his content. Everyone approaching him, even acting for his own sake, still does what the situation requires. Therefore, by coming to him unconditionally, to the end, he creates happiness not only for himself, but also for others. Passively preserving his knowledge, he is included with it in the entire system of the newly conquered level of world understanding and forms for the latter, as it were, a boundary that shapes it. This is the useful action of simple human reason, common sense, which is replaced by other types of knowledge at further stages. The text expresses this in the following words: At the beginning there is a weak line. Approach the one who has the truth. There will be no blasphemy. He is full of truth, like a full jug. You will come completely to him, and there will be happiness for others too.

2

The approach that is thought of here is not external, not purely spatial proximity, but a rapprochement in essence, for which only internal consonance is decisive. Therefore, in the process of a given situation, first of all, its rhythm and the consonance of this rhythm are taken into account. We have already seen more than once that the process expressed in one hexagram or another represents the rhythm of two waves, in which the second and fifth positions express the highest points of development of each wave. Therefore, there is such an internal affinity between them. Here it is still supported by the opposition of the forces of Light (5) and Darkness (2), and, consequently, by their mutual gravity. With all this, here both of these forces occupy their positions normally. Therefore, it is between them that perhaps the most correct, the most fruitful rapprochement is possible. If it contains the entire essence of this hexagram, then in this line it is expressed most essentially only in concepts, while its figurative development in ideas will be shown in the text of the fifth line. Here we also note that moment in knowledge, which is characterized by passion, a gravitation towards knowledge, but also the full opportunity to realize this gravitation. It exists, and nothing prevents it. The latter is even expressed purely graphically: after all, between the second trait (subject of desire) and the fifth (object of desire) there are no strong traits that can resist. However, at this stage we only mean approaching, but not yet achieving the object of desire. And if the fifth position, as we will see, will be characterized by complete and perfect knowledge, then this one will only be characterized by the desire for it and its possession is not real, but only ideally. The latter, however, is possible, because the line between the internal and the external is here destroyed by the force of their consonance and mutual attraction. These thoughts are given here only in a hint of a very meager text, but they undoubtedly follow from the entire system of the monument and are necessary for a worthy saturation of an overly laconic text: The weak point is in second place. Approach it from the inside. Fortitude is fortunate.

3

The desire for an object - the highest ideal - remains here, but more favorable conditions have already passed. We are talking here about latecomers, who are mentioned in the text of the hexagram itself. The desire itself is force, and the presence of force necessarily causes confrontation. So the subject here confronts face to face all negative forces, which in commentary literature are sometimes considered as infernal. This is also expressed in the fact that here there is only a desire for an ideal with the complete impossibility of its implementation, for the qualities that had such a beneficial effect on the previous stage: consonance, normality, concentration, are completely absent here. The latter is possible only on the second and fifth (central in the trigram) steps, the first and second are absent in this position: both the third and sixth positions are occupied by homogeneous and therefore dissonant forces, and the third, odd position is occupied by an unusually weak line. This is encapsulated in the words of a laconic text: The weak point is in third place. You approach him, but he is not the same.

4

After the crisis experienced, approaching is again possible, but internal affinity can no longer be restored. For him, time has already passed. And the only thing that is possible here is external, spatial proximity, which in these conditions is also significant. — If we were talking about the internal similarity of concepts, now we are talking about the closeness of their comparison. At the same time, of course, the facets of the compared concepts separate them, as well as connect them, i.e. "bringing closer together." For success here you only need the persistence of maintaining this status quo. The most ancient commentary tradition considers this closeness to be the closeness of his advisers to the ruler, between whom it can be maintained not due to internal consonance, but only due to the subordination of advisers to the supreme power. In the text we only read: Weakness in fourth place. External approach to it. Fortitude is fortunate.

5

If in the previous approach the approach was considered from the side of those who are approaching, now it is considered from the side of the one who is being approached. This object of approach is expressed by a single light feature, towards which, due to polarity, all others gravitate. Here, one quality of this object is sufficient, its clarity, which imparts a shade of clarity to the entire process of approximation. However, this is not a passive assumption of a formless and free approach, but a completely definite design of the freedom of those approaching. It is expressed in images borrowed from the rituals of ancient China. As one of the significant commentators, the Song Cheng I-chuano, points out, already during the Zhou dynasty there was a cult ritual of royal hunting, in which beaters were placed only on three sides of the field. The fourth side was open, and the game that fled from the hunting king could freely avoid death. Thus, only those animals were killed that went straight to the hunter, who “did not need life” and they “gave it to him themselves.” They believed that such an action by the king was a powerful prototype for the entire population, and that any prohibitions were unnecessary. This is how this freedom is expressed, framed within the framework of necessity. A relatively common text expresses this in the following words: The strong point is in fifth place. Manifest approach. The king should place beaters only on three sides and miss the game that is in front. Then there will be no prohibitions for the townspeople. Happiness.

6

The last stage indicates some overdevelopment. This is also the overdevelopment of approximation. The sense of the object of approach is lost in it, and only the approach itself remains unknown to what. One aimless desire. The hopelessness of this state is expressed in a laconic phrase of the text as follows: There is a weak line at the top. Approaching him is devoid of the main thing. Misfortune.

BI. Getting closer: in work, business and finance

The time has come to show determination, this is your finest hour, go for it, and you will reach any heights in your career growth, but enlist the support of your environment, know how, if you need to give up leadership at work, then it will all pay off. In the financial sphere, everything will also be fine for you, but exclude risky financial transactions, gambling and any financial risk in general. You won’t experience money problems, but you don’t need to squander them; they may come in handy soon.

How to guess correctly?

To correctly guess using the Book of Changes, you only need three coins of the same denomination. For example, the old “piglets”.

The fortune telling process itself is best carried out according to the following algorithm:

1. Formulate in your mind the question that worries you at the moment.
2. Toss three coins one at a time.
3. Depending on how they fell, draw a line on the paper. If there are more heads, the line should be solid. “Tails” predominated – intermittent.
4. Repeat the previous step five more times, drawing a new line above the old one.
5. Find the lower and upper parts (trigrams) of the picture separately in the table - at the intersection of the corresponding column and row there is the number of the dropped hexagram.
6. Read the description of the prophecy, which allows you to decipher the received signs in detail.

Possible layout options and order of drawing lines

Table for determining the hexagram number

Meaning and interpretation of each line

• Bottom line. You perceive everything correctly. Stick to good people with pure thoughts and deeds, this will bring good luck to you and your loved ones.
• Second line. Trust your intuition. It seems that nothing prevents you from joining an alliance, especially since many people advise it, but don’t be fooled, trust only yourself.
• Third line. Evaluate what you are striving for, are you going in the right direction?
• Fourth line. Do not strive for complete reciprocity with the object of your attraction, it is useless. You are simply being led by the nose. Remember your self-esteem, know your worth and don’t chase the unattainable.
• Fifth line. This is a gift of fate, now everything depends only on you. The possible and the desirable are united, and the hexagram promises happiness.
• Top line. In your race through life, you have lost its meaning. Passion for the road led to the loss of its final destination.

Image

Water spreads across the earth, filling all empty spaces, and tenaciously clings to them. Social organization in Ancient China was based on the principle of unity of dependents and rulers. Water flows to merge with water, because all its parts by nature obey the same laws.

Likewise, human society should be united through common interests that allow all individuals to feel part of the whole. It is the duty of the central authority to see that every member of the society retains an interest in being part of this union.