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02 The Receptive, Earth
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"[With devotion comes trust] The power of the earth: Global nurturing. One supports others through generous devotion"
Class: Integrating
Cooperative Format: Hexagram 02 is devoid of substance, leading to an admiration for someone/ something outside. A sense of emptiness inside develops a need for balance which is achieved through the continuous absorption and nurturing of the outside; one is attracted to a goal of inner stillness rather than outer peace, achievable through devotion - the act of internalizing someone else's belief system. To be open to this requires the development of Absolute Trust and includes a degree of 'dual'-mindedness. Hexagram 02 serves as an example of the particular expression of the characteristics of hexagram 13 where the general sense of 'likemindedness' expressed in 13 is concentrated into hard core devotion and an attempt to be 'identical' minded.
Although dominated by a class categorisation of "Integrating", there is a bias to a 'perfect' balance of integration and differentiation but at a general level such that at a particular level, where the focus is on being A OR B all of the time (a universal perspective), issues can develop in that the realm of the Receptive is highly sensitive to local context and so adapts to that context. There is thus an aire of 'shape-shifting' about this hexagram and those associated with it - this is reflected in the dual-mindedness emphasis. In a too differentiating culture (idealism), where the focus is on always being the same category, this natural ability to shape-shift to fit into a local context is deemed an issue and so labels such as 'identity seeking' are applied.
Oppositional Format: Hexagram 02 manifests total darkness; a black hole from which not even light can escape. The benefit is the darkness and so a place to hide; the cost is the totality of the darkness -- eternal.
Structural Relationship (Being): hexagram 02 is the opposite of hexagram 01, in that 02 reflects dualmindedness as compared to singlemindedness; field as compared to dot; darkness as compared to light; moon as compared to sun; female as compared to male.
Temporal Relationship (Doing): The goal of 02 is hexagram 01 (or 'how do I 01? - 02' - How can I be single-minded? Be totally devoted.)
Five-Phase Relationship : The trigram of Earth reflects Filtration (through faith, a given set of rules). The focus is on the devotion to, the total trust in, what has been given.
02 is the goal of 24 (or 'how do I 02? - 24' - How can I be totally devoted? Return to, stick to, the one 'true' path - avoiding the many distractions)
The raw context from which hexagram 02 has emerged is best described by general analogy with hexagram 23 which reflects, in its under-exaggerated state, the concept of 'housekeeping'. As we move from this general analogy into hexagram 02 to analyse meanings of line positions we find that hexagram 27 Hungering (too little yang) is linked to the bottom line position of hexagram 02 and in general manifests a strong inner 'need', a space to be filled. The refinement in qualitative expression of hexagram 02 works its way up the hexagram where by the time we get to line 5, the expression of line 5 is best described by analogy with hexagram 20 - Contemplating/Admiring Hexagram 20 here manifests the attraction to someone or something; to admire and 'be' like them/it. By the time we get to line 6, the peak expression of a hexagram's static qualities, the admiration has transformed into a state of total devotion and absolute trust; the 'pure' expression of hexagram 02. We have thus moved from an expression of a general 'need' to be filled to the particular internalisation of the beliefs, characteristics etc of that someone/something.
The FULL development sequence, the 64-step sequence that orders the different qualitative expressions of 02 by analogy with the I Ching as a whole, and as summarised by snapshots above, is here given in column two below in a matrix format, read bottom right to top left, working right-to-left in each row. (Note this Quality Matrix does NOT deal with changing lines but more so the qualities of the line POSITIONS which includes combinations of line positions - all 64 of them)
Certain hexagrams of interest are in bold numbering, bottom line to top line (thus line position 1 of hexagram 02 is qualitatively analogous to a general interpretation of 27 - too little yang, hungering for filling. The PEAK expression of pure STATIC yin is at line position 6 (mapped to hexagram 02 itself); the peak DYNAMIC expression is in the last hexagram of the sequence (43 - top row, far left) where the focus is on devotionally 'spreading the word':
|
Root Vertical Binary |
Quality Matrix (0 to 63) |
Root Horizontal Binary |
Balance Matrix (exaggerate/balance) |
|
01 44 13 33 10 06 25 12 |
43 28 49 31 58 47 17 45 |
01 43 14 34 09 05 26 11 |
01 43 14 34 09 05 26 11 |
|
09 57 37 53 61 59 42 20 |
05 48 63 39 60 29 03 08 |
10 58 38 54 61 60 41 19 |
10 58 38 54 61 60 41 19 |
|
14 50 30 56 38 64 21 35 |
34 32 55 62 54 40 51 16 |
13 49 30 55 37 63 22 36 |
13 49 30 55 37 63 22 36 |
|
26 18 22 52 41 04 27 23 |
11 46 36 15 19 07 24 02 |
25 17 21 51 42 03 27 24 |
25 17 21 51 42 03 27 24 |
|
43 28 49 31 58 47 17 45 |
01 44 13 33 10 06 25 12 |
44 28 50 32 57 48 18 46 |
46 18 48 57 32 50 28 44 |
|
05 48 63 39 60 29 03 08 |
09 57 37 53 61 59 42 20 |
06 47 64 40 59 29 04 07 |
07 04 29 59 40 64 47 06 |
|
34 32 55 62 54 40 51 16 |
14 50 30 56 38 64 21 35 |
33 31 56 62 53 39 52 15 |
15 52 39 53 62 56 31 33 |
|
11 46 36 15 19 07 24 02 |
26 18 22 52 41 04 27 23 |
12 45 35 16 20 08 23 02 |
02 23 08 20 16 35 45 12 |
What is being said here is that the 'top' quality of 02, as a whole, is to 'spread the word' (43). The 'bottom' quality of 02, as a whole, the least it can do, is to 'housekeep' (23). The reversal in form is expressed when we review hexagram 01 where the matrix is reversed and the 'top' quality focus on 01 forms an analogy that over exaggerates hexagram 23s focus on 'housekeeping' to be 'maintaining the faith' (pruning) through continued 'polishing' of the 'true' faith as compared to the 'add-ons' that accumulate over time; this 'maintaining the faith' is reflected in the total trust in oneself through continued polishing of one's skills. At the bottom end of the hexagram 01 scale, the sense of a 'bottom' quality under exaggerates 01, as a whole, by analogy with hexagram 43 to a level of having a degree of 'robustness' - in other words the least 01 can express qualitatively is a sense of 'robustness', 'pushyness'.
The above energy, or Quality, Matrix, as a whole, is split into two sections - the development of a STATIC focus on the qualitative elements of 02 (from 23 upto 02) and the development of a DYNAMIC focus on the qualitative elements of 02 (from 24 upto 43). Thus the range of STATIC qualities is from 'at least houskeep' (23) to 'at most total, utter devotion' (02). The range of DYNAMIC qualities (reflecting moving BEYOND just 02 as a static expression) is to 'at least follow the 'true' path' (24) to 'at most strongly 'sell' the faith' (43).
The emphasis at all times is on EXPRESSIONS OF ENERGY where we have here recruited the whole of the I Ching as a source of analogy to describe the differences within the sameness of the 'pure yin' expressed in hexagram 02. As such the matrix converted to a single string of 64 hexagrams reflects a temperature gauge or thermostat control; we can go 'up' or 'down' with phase transitions from static expression to dynamic expression etc. There is thus a sense of reversibility throughout.
As a complement to this energy level mapping, there is also a general temporal, CYCLIC, mapping which zooms-in on the dynamic and, being cyclic, focus is directed to what is NOT reversible, only repeatable. This sequence seems to reflect the Root Vertical Binary but stems from the RVB of hexagram 01, re-ordered to put 02 at the root position (bottom row, right). This re-ordering retains the single direction quality (expand, to go outwards/onwards) reflected in hexagram 01:
24 07 19 15 36 46 11 16
51 40 54 62 55 32 34 08
03 29 60 39 63 48 05 45
17 47 58 31 49 28 43 23
27 04 41 52 22 18 26 35
21 64 38 56 30 50 14 20
42 59 61 53 37 57 09 12
25 06 10 33 13 44 01 02
I will limit the focus to three 'points' on this Temporal Matrix - the beginning, 'peak', and end. Thus the
beginning is reflected in the quality symbolised by hexagram 02 (bottom row, right), the end is symbolised in the
quality of hexagram 24 (top row left - the step marking the end of the cycle and so just before the 'new' beginning)
and the peak is symbolised in the quality of hexagram 43 (five rows up from the bottom, second number from the
right side). The immediate goal of 02 is 01; the immediate goal of 01 is 44, and so on through the cycle.
Hexagram 24 deals with coming back to the one 'true' path - this being the step prior to total devotion
to that path and as such the pre-requisite for the cycle to begin (which happens to be the end of the cycle). Hexagram
43 expresses the 'peak' expression of 02, the 'spreading of the word' - a true act of a disciple, someone reflected
as being the type of persona associated with the 02 quality. As such the 'peak' of the cycle reflects being 'in
the groove' for the particular 'living' of a quality and as such reflects the 'peak expression' after which the
cycle 'falls' to its end position prior to starting off again; here we see the peak of 43 'map' to the 'top quality'
for 02 as expressed in the Quality Matrix discussed earlier. (Hexagram 43s position in this Temporal Matrix reflects
the 'going beyond' position, to the left of the usual 'peak' position of five rows up from the bottom, far right,
here occupied by 23 - showing that the 23 TO 43 path says that you need a clear, uncluttered, 'faith' prior to
successfully selling it.)
There is a third matrix given above as the Root Vertical Binary which is a particular temporal as well as spatial mapping through 02:
01 44 13 33 10 06 25 12
09 57 37 53 61 59 42 20
14 50 30 56 38 64 21 35
26 18 22 52 41 04 27 23
43 28 49 31 58 47 17 45
05 48 63 39 60 29 03 08
34 32 55 62 54 40 51 16
11 46 36 15 19 07 24 02
Temporally, this is readable IN REVERSE (top to bottom, left to right) and so maintains the irreversibility in the cycles (01 TO 44, 24 TO 02, 02 TO 01 etc) and so you cannot be persuasive (44) without FIRST being singleminded (01). Furthermore the 'natural' pushyness, the exploitive element, of 01 ensures you WILL seek-out the persuadable! There is nothing to stop you TRYING to be persuasive without being singleminded - it just wont work. At best you could be implicitly persuasive but that still reflects 'singlemindedness' as a pre-requisite. You CAN read this matrix temporally, as the others (bottom to top) but to do so requires a re-phrasing of the questions as in 'what came BEFORE 02? - the answer is 24. What came before 24? the answer is 07 and so on. You CAN read this matrix bottom to top in its reversible form, i.e. as a linear arrangement of energy oscillations (as in a thermometer as measurer of heat changes)
(Note that these matrices are all 8 x 8. They are expandable to 64 x 64 or even 4096 x 4096 where all we do is get finer details on the relationships.)
By introducing the characteristics of hexagram 02 as a context, you can change a state described by any other hexagram into a state described by hexagram 23.
To make a state associated with another hexagram to transform into the state described by hexagram 02, introduce the characteristics of hexagram 23 as context (as you can see in the matrices above, 23 is the 'lowest' level of 02 development)
The emphasis here is that the pruning process, cutting back to the 'pure' centre, that is represented by hexagram 23 requires trust and especially devotion. Reciprocally to move into a state of devotion/trust the introduction of a pruning emphasis will lead to the emergence of devotion/trust.
It is important to remember that, when using transformative methods, the more lines requiring change, the more energy required when attempting to introduce a different context. It may therefore be of benefit to work on existing changing lines and achieve your goal in steps rather than attempt, for example, a six-line change all at once.
To 'go with the flow', any hexagram that is changing into hexagram 02 reflects an influence of 02 on that hexagram in that the 'flow' is in hexagram 02 and as such this reflects the need to adapt to that flow and so take-on the properties and methods of 02.
