The Five-Phase I Ching

(Copyright © 2003 C. J. Lofting)

Introduction

In the context of the I Ching and Ancient China, the yin/yang perspective is extended into the realm of dynamics through what is called 'Five-Phase Theory' (also see Phases). This theory reflects a dynamic of energy 'flow', Qi (or Ch'i, [chee]), and is dominant in Chinese Medicine as shown through the specialisation of Acupuncture. The overall focus in Chinese Medicine is in the maintaining of the balance of 'Qi' in the body, to maintain 'harmony'. In this "Five-Phase I Ching" we show all of the hexagrams and their trigram relationships in the context of five-phase theory. [Take me to the hexagrams]

Five-Phase (Sheng Cycle) Theory

The formal ordering of the five-phase sheng cycle (for the alternative orderings see the tables on five-phase) is:

WOOD phase (prepare, produce)
FIRE phase (express, distribute) [in the realm of emotions this sign maps to acceptance and a 'selling' of an ideology etc]
EARTH phase (filter, discern, intervene - do I 'swallow it' or not?)
METAL phase (absorb, exchange) [in the realm of emotions this sign maps to a focus on replacement]
WATER phase (process, consume)

(I use capital letters to distinguish these five-phase names from some of the I Ching trigrams that have the same names).

Economic Theory

Do we find anything like five-phase in other specialisations? yes we do, in the area of Western Economics Theory where the 'Qi' inside of us is manifest in social interactions in the form of money and its exaggeration as Capital. Political Economists categorised the dynamics, the circulation, of money and capital into five phases/categories:

Production
Distribution
Filtration
Exchange
Consumption

Karl Marx expounded on these greatly in the mid 1800s in his analysis of Political Economy (in three volumes of Capital as well as in three volumes on Surplus Value (Collectively considered as volume IV or Capita and various other textsl). For example, Marx wrote:

"PRODUCTION creates articles corresponding to requirements; DISTRIBUTION allocates then according to social laws; EXCHANGE in its turn distributes the goods, which have already been allocated, in conformity to individual needs; finally in CONSUMPTION the product leaves this social movement, it becomes the direct object and servant of an individual need, which its use satisfies. PRODUCTION thus appears as the point of departure, consumption as the goal, distribution and exchange as the middle, which has a dual form, since according to the definition, DISTRIBUTION is actuated by society, and EXCHANGE is actuated by individuals. In production persons acquire an objective aspect, and in consumption objects acquire a subjective aspect; in distribution it is society which by means of dominant general rules mediates between production and consumption; in exchange this mediation occurs as a result of random decisions of individuals." (*my* uppercase) IN from section 2 - General Relations of Production to Distribution, Exchange, and Consumption in Marx, K., "Introduction to a Critique of Political Economy" IN C.J.Arthur (ed) of Marx and Engels "The German Ideology" (International Publishers, 2001)

Note the last section:

"In production persons acquire an objective aspect, and in consumption objects acquire a subjective aspect; in distribution it is society which by means of dominant general rules mediates between production and consumption; in exchange this mediation occurs as a result of random decisions of individuals"

Obviously Marx was AWARE of Filtration (here using the term mediation) but he did not attribute it as a phase in its own right - although he correctly associated mediation to the 'middle' elements of the cycle as a part to distribution and a part to exchange.

PRODUCTION
DISTRIBUTION (includes filteration rules from society)
EXCHANGE (includes filtration rules from self)
CONSUMPTION

As we shall see, the ORDERING Marx gives here reflects the exact ordering within the Filtration processes we will identify in five-phase, the 000 element in EARTH that is focused on rules being sourced externally (I Ching trigram of Earth), followed by the 001 element in EARTH that was focused on personal sense of discernment (I Ching trigram of Mountain).

PRODUCTION (WOOD - thunder/wind)
DISTRIBUTION (FIRE - fire)
FILTRATION (EARTH - earth/mountain)
EXCHANGE (METAL - lake/heaven)
CONSUMPTION (WATER - water)

When you include Filtration as a phase of its own so you include perspectives other than of those participating in the 'loop', you include Marx's perspective of rejecting the loop altogether where the attempt to be precise and so 'distance' himself from Capitalism made him believe he was 'outside' of the loop.

What I mean here is that the loop is part of our species nature and as such you cannot stand 'outside' of it, only take-up an extreme position in a phase. Here for Marx et al was a filtering position of total rejection and as such he and others failed to include that perspective as part of the loop.

The ability to map these patterns from Western Economics and Eastern Medicine reflects the GENERAL nature of these patterns, their being parts of, expressions of, our species nature as a whole. Of special notice is that, being a product of recursion so the whole loop is repeated IN EACH PHASE.

Of particular note regarding the cycles is that Marx comes up with two basic circuits of flow:

(1) C » M » C Where a commodity (C) is exchanged for money (M) that is then exchanged for a commodity. This is a traditional, balancing, and so maintaining of integration process. The M was introduced to allow one to hold off on a direct commodity for commodity exchange, to transfer the value into money that can be used later to get a commodity of the same value. Overall, things remain balanced and any exploitation is done through the exploitation of money.

(2) M » C » M' Here we have turned the above circuit 'on its head' where now we use money to buy commodities that we then sell for (a) our original outlay PLUS (b) a little bit 'extra' - here is the source of the concept of 'Surplus Value'. In other words this circuit shifts the focus of exploitation from money to the exploitation of commodities - aka labour and raw materials.

The C-M-C circuit reflects the flow of Qi between nodes. The M-C-M' circuit reflects the recruitment of Qi to make more Qi, and so the process of exploitation and transcendence over the more traditional focus on integration, transformation where all we do is shapeshift rather than also transcend - we maintain overall balance where 'exaggerations' are localised to adaptations to context changes - The exploitation focus is on REPLACING the context altogether with something considered 'better'. (See the concepts of The Transformation function and the Transcendence function in IDM).

Commonality

In the basic derivation of a set of qualities to be used to describe 'reality' we use the concept of recursion, self-referencing. Here we apply recursion to the abstract concepts of 0 and 1 to give us:

(level 0) : 0 (a potential)
(level 1) : 0 / 1 (distinction within the potential)
(level 2) : 00, 01 / 10, 11 (further distinctions)
(level 3) : 000, 001, 010, 011 / 100, 101, 110, 111 (eight symbols for measuring qualities)

Firstly note that this process of recursion takes the general qualities declared at level 1 and pushes them out to the boundaries, all new qualities emerge from the middle.

Secondly, note that this process of recursion has given us a set of scalars, magnitudes, that we can use as representing expressions of energy etc. e.g. 'COLD (000)' to 'HOT (111)'. What determines the qualifying terms (COLD - HOT) is the context. This method of deriving a set of qualities to use as measurement is universal. The linking of the universals to a context gives us 'meaning' in the form of specific concepts rather than generals.

The universals themselves are just markers of differences in energy expression, from conserving (000) to expending (111), from WHERE (000) to WHAT (111) from integrating (000) to differentiating (111). This ordering is 'natural' - see for example psychologist Clare Graves' attempts to order mental states - the ordering of his categories from top of page (mapped to 000) to bottom of page (mapped to 111) reflects the above sequence at work unconsciously, see http://www.clarewgraves.com/theory_content/CG_FuturistTable.htm

This SAME sequence is used in the I Ching to derive the trigrams, ordered:

earth (000), mountain, water, wind, thunder, fire, lake, heaven (111).

The level 3 sequence as such serves as a PASSIVE form of description, being scalars so we can move 'up' or 'down' and so the sequence is both repeatable as well as reversible. BUT nature is not like that. In nature we have 'flow', 'hot to cold', production to consumption etc etc

The properties and methods of the dynamics of Qi and the dynamics of Money/Capital reflect an overall set of properties and methods within the species' method of deriving meaning, of processing 'value'. Thus the Chinese extension of yin/yang into five-phase is also reflected in the socioeconomic extension of supply/demand into five socioeconomic phases. The difference seems to be in that Acupuncture aims to 'keep things moving' by defusing exaggerations and so maintaining balance and ensuring 'flow' whereas Capitalism favours accumulating 'Qi' at certain points to use it as leverage to 'make' more Qi, or more so to exaggerate, to form an asymmetry out of the symmetry. As such Capitalism can be 'unhealthy' if not managed correctly!

Comparative analysis between Five-Phase Theory and Economics (as well as some useful/questionable acupuncture terms (Nth hemisphere perspective)) shows that:

PRODUCTION reflects the meanings of WOOD (Liver?Spleen functions, heavenly soul, EAST, humaneness, Spring)
DISTRIBUTION reflects the meanings of FIRE (Heart?Lungs functions, to pump out; spirit, SOUTH, wisdom, Summer)
FILTRATION (QA processes) reflects the meanings of EARTH (Spleen?Heart functions, mind, CENTRE, trust)
EXCHANGE reflects the meanings of METAL (Lung?Liver?Kidney functions, Oxygen/CO2, corporeal soul, WEST, rightness, Autumn)
CONSUMPTION reflects the meanings of WATER (Kidney?Liver functions, will, NORTH, ritual decorum, Winter)

Chinese medicine focuses on the management of 'Qi'. Western economics focuses on the management of money/capital. Both reflect a general 'quality' of a 'life-force of 'value'. Both focus on the circulation of this 'force', both cover the accumulation of, release of, this 'force'. IOW both categorise the local concepts of Qi/money-capital that reflects a general concept that is part of our species' perspective on reality.

When we zoom-in on the qualities WITHIN the Chinese distinctions we find:

WOOD is split into two:

production through something original, new, raw
production through something cultivated, reproduced, cooked

EARTH is spilt into two:

filtration through something given, a book of rules, standing orders etc (no personal 'say')
filtration through something derived, as in one's learnt set of qualities, personal discernment

METAL is split into two:

exchange through cooperation
exchange through opposition/competition

Thus in five-phase the eight have become five where the five 'nature' reflects the influences of dynamics, of context, on the ideal eight, note that the eight of five-phase can be identified in the phases in economics theory. Now lets look again at that level of 8 categories of 'energy' levels:

(level 3) : 000, 001, 010, 011 / 100, 101, 110, 111

The eights of five-phase/economics are reflected in fives here as:

000 - filtration through given means (instincts, standing orders) EARTH (soft)
001 - filtration through derived means (personal experience) EARTH (hard)

010 - consumption WATER

011 - production through reproduction, raw-into-cooked WOOD
----------
100 - production through creation of something new, raw, 'enlightening' WOOD

101 - distribution FIRE

110 - exchange through cooperation METAL (soft)
111 - exchange through competition/opposition METAL2 (hard)

What does all of this mean? the focus is on energy expenditure. filtration is one of the most primitive forms of food processing and here (000) it reflects the energy expenditure when the process is 'mindless' - controlled by instincts. (000)

The next level of energy is where there is personal discernment applied (001)
The next level of energy is on the focus of active consumption. I have to do more than 'filter'. (010)
The next level of energy is in the processing of food etc but food already existing as 'raw' (011)

We now cross over into a PROACTIVE level. Here the level of energy for production of something 'new' is more than production through cooking etc. (100)
The next level of energy is where products get distributed to others. (101)
The next level of energy is where we move into 'sales' - the active promotion of something, to sell it. Here this process is through cooperation. (110)
The 'final' level of energy is where we sell in competition with others. (111)

Thus - the 'lowest' level of energy expenditure is in QA (filtering). The 'highest' level of energy expenditure is in Sales (exchange).

What this 'ordering' says is that PROACTIVE processes require a level of energy in excess of REACTIVE, and so of filtering, consuming, and reproducing etc.

Lets go back to the sequence:

(level 3) : 000, 001, 010, 011 / 100, 101, 110, 111

The dynamic for 'new' products, and for 'transcendence' in general requires one to be at the energy level of 100, in the I Ching the realm of Thunder. The implication here is that this is also the level out of which consciousness etc will emerge. The CYCLE process loops out of this 100 level (or from the middle of 011/100) but to get it going, to get it to 'take off' on its own requires a buildup of energy levels as a foundation. That is what the basic recursion process does - gives you the level 3 from which more can develop. Overall the reording of level 3 gives us:

100, 011, 101, 000, 001, 110, 111, 010. The 'flow' of energy in the development process. These differences in energy distribution will be of interest later.

Intervention Dynamics

What we note in the intentional exploitation to make money is the reaction to this process in that the excessive exploitation of labour (people) and means of production (the planet's raw materials) has led to something Marx did explicitly NOT pick up on - formal interventionism as a 'stand alone' phase and so of equal stature to the other phases of production to consumption.

Interventionism comes in the form of (a) Socialism to aid in mediating the exploitation of labour, and (b) Conservationism to aid in mediating the exploitation of raw materials, and as such reflects the Acupuncturist's needles. (and so in modern, more developed, times, we find most countries have a political party that is 'capitalist' and often TWO respondent parties, a socialist party ('Labour' or 'Democrat' parties (e.g. Labour in the UK, SPD in Germany, Democrats in the USA)), and a conservationist party (the "Greens" in UK,Germany, Australia etc etc - Ralph Nader's party in the last US elections, showing the distinct differences between Socialist focus vs Conservationist focus where the latter took votes off the Democrats since the Democrats are more focused on labour than resources)

In Chinese medicine, in Acupuncture this 'mediation' is in the form of the use of needles 'in the right places'. (The Marxist-Leninist focus on capitalism turning into socialism etc reflects the intuitive understanding of the mediation of capitalism, of exaggerations, but a failure to understand that you cannot 'remove' or 'replace' capitalism, just 'moderate' it to a degree where it can look 'socialist' - but then modern capitalism IS socialist when compared to the unbridled capitalism of the 1850s - the times that Marx wrote about. Furthermore, Marxist_Leninist philosophy focuses on the abolition of 'exploitation' - again something 'impossible' since it is a behaviour built-in to all species as a method of survival! - see the IDM material).

In BOTH Chinese five-phase and in the analysis of the flow of capital we find identical, GENERIC patterns, patterns that 'aid' in flow, slow it down, speed it up, or block it, that are not properties of Chinese Medicine nore Capitalist Economics but properties of the species' determination and use of 'value'. Thus Government intervention on social development is in the form of interest rate management and so a form of 'acupuncture' to control, to block or loosen-up flow.

By understanding these 'universal' properties and methods of dynamics so we can start to see the possibilities in the use of such metaphors as the I Ching to 'describe' reality, not just in describing the static forms of trigrams and hexagrams but also their dialectical properties that 'feed' both the maintaining of balance (transformations) as well as the ability to 'transcend'.

As such, just as there are two forms of economics - balancing vs transcending - so there are two forms of five-phase where rather than maintain 'balance' all of the time, there may be LOCAL situations where some exaggeration is needed to 'transcend' something. The issue is to avoid getting too 'addicted' to transcendence. (drug use reflects this where the use of cocaine/speed acts to exaggerate the sense of self, as does the use of ecstasy act to exaggerate social contact/well-being)

What is required is a mapping of the generic processes from the level of 'differentiations and integrations' and this stems from the IDM work where the similarity in dynamics of 'Qi' management 'in the body' vs money/capital 'management' between bodies reflects the ability to treat social interactions as organic in form and as such move from managing/predicting body states to managing/predicting socioeconomic states. We will next endeavor to map these generic processes but through the specialisation that is the I Ching.

Note that the CONTROL loop in the Five-Phase reflects:

Production supports (feeds into) Distribution

Production is controlled by Exchange

Distribution supports Filtration

Distribution is controlled by Consumption

Filtration supports Exchange

Filtration is controlled by Production

Exchange is supported by Filtration

Exchange is controlled by Distribution

Consumption is supported by Exchange

Consumption is controlled by Filtration

Five-Phase and the I Ching

Note how in the 'traditional' Western economic cycle the EARTH function is often ignored/impoverished in that the cycle is assumed to be 'automatic', 'mindless' and unidirectional. Furthermore, 'unbridled' capitalism wishes it would go away - who needs Quality Assurance!? In five-phase theory there appears to be a distinct phase of CHOICE in accepting/rejecting what is being distributed. Marx dedicated Capital Volume II to focus on circulation processes within the categories of production, distribution, exchange, and consumption but had little to say about mediation processes that come out of the middle of these circulations - where mediation is formally defined in five-phase as phase three - the phase of EARTH.

In economics this area of choice can be interpreted as "market forces" acting to filter the flow of money/capital but there does not seem to be a strong focus on this filtering in the context of Economic theory - it is considered a realm of, a source of, 'randomness' and something left to Psychologists and Advertising companies etc. The economics perspective is more focused on the 'drive' to exploit, a focus more on quantitative interests rather than qualitative, and if left to its own devices becomes 'unbridled' capitalism where any formal filtering is bypassed. This bypassing perspective allows for the 'boom or bust' phases in capitalism, a focus on exaggerations over balance (and yet the double-entry bookkeeping focuses on 'balance'!)

The above five-phase ordering reflects ICPlus trigram/hexagram properties where the WATER realm deals with consumption that includes such acts as socialisation through education and acts to enclose the loop, to force a loop back to production etc - this reflects the overall focus of the hexagram of water, 29, being interpreted as 'from containment comes control' - the act of consumption develops a dependency and so a source of control. (In IDM the generic nature of water is 'contractive bounding' - to enclose something and focus on within rather than to push the enclosure outwards - as is done in fire (expansive bounding))

Note in the above I have also mapped distribution to Fire and exchange to Metal - in ICPlus the hexagram of fire deals with issues of guidance and a sense of direction, an ideology - all reflective of forms of distributing the 'ideas' produced out of Wood. This focus on a carrier reflects the nature of, the dependence of, fire having some manner of distribution (and so the traditional name of 'the clinging')

Thus from Wood comes a production. Through Fire it is distributed, in Earth it is filtered, we use devotion/trust in others/discernment to decide to accept/reject. Acceptance means we exchange and so take-in the product to replace something. In Water the product is consumed.

From an I Ching trigram perspective:

Wood - Production = new : thunder. derived (cultivated) : wind
Fire - method of Distribution (fire)
Earth - Filtration (earth = devotion to others/another, mountain = block, discern quality)
Metal - Exchange (lake = reflect, social interactions , heaven = competitive interactions - overall focus on replace)
Water - Consumption (water = socialisation processes, integration, tie-in to a loop)

This cycle, this circulation of 'Qi', is here described through the reflection of the cycle in the hexagrams of the I Ching. The I Ching reflects the ordering of eight octets of hexagrams, each octet reflecting the five-phase cycle functioning across the whole system operating in all parts of that system.

We can lay-out a 'five-phase' sequence of the hexagrams and compress that 64-hexagram sequence into a matrix of the sheng cycle, reflecting the ordering of the trigrams as:

thunder, wind, fire, earth, mountain, lake, heaven, water, (WOOD1, WOOD2, FIRE, EARTH1, EARTH2, METAL1, METAL2, WATER) and the application of that sequence to itself to give us the 64-hexagram sequence of five-phase dynamics::

51 42 21 24 27 17 25 03 (base trigram of thunder) - 'new' production (raw, given)
32 57 50 46 18 28 44 48 (wind) - manufactured (refined, re-produced)
55 37 30 36 22 49 13 63 (fire) - distribution
16 20 35 02 23 45 12 08 (earth) - filtration (rules supplied)
62 53 56 15 52 31 33 39 (mountain) - filtration (rules developed with experience)
54 61 38 19 41 58 10 60 (lake) - exchange ('soft')
34 09 14 11 26 43 01 05 (heaven) - exchange ('hard')
40 59 64 07 04 47 06 29 (water) - consumption

In this matrix form we can also analyse the columns where each column reflects one of each trigram in different contexts as compared to the rows that reflects the different trigrams in the one context.

Below we flesh-out the properties of each of the hexagrams as interpreted in this five-phase ordering, where, using the above matrix as a guide we move top-left to bottom-right, left-to-right. Additional comments regarding alternative processes (reversals, Ko cycle etc - see the tables) have been included where necessary in that within each set of eight hexagrams, five move 'forewards' freely, the other three show some form of 'suffering' (except, apparently in the consumption phase, where it appears to be four/four).

WITHIN each hexagram description you will find TWO matrices applicable to the hexagram in question:

(1) The changing line matrix reflecting stepping-through all 64 possible changing line configurations of a hexagram from bottom to top. This sequence brings out static five-phase properties WITHIN a hexagram but ordered in the form of 'low' energy to 'high' energy and so in a mapping of five-phase categories as EARTH (filtration), WATER (consumption), WOOD (production), FIRE (distribution), METAL (exchange).

This changing-line matrix identifies qualities of the particular hexagram in a particular context - for example, in a context of 'raw' or 'original' production we will find eight hexagrams used as analogy to describe different expressions of the the hexagram in question. Thus for hexagram 51 (see sample below) we find the 'basic' nature of raw/original production in a form described by analogy to hexagram 21 - a focus on 'problem solving' - Row 5 from the base of the matrix - WOOD (original Production). The associated sequence ends in the far left position of the row with the highest energy level in 'raw' production expressed by analogy to hexagram 50 - The act of refinement, cooking (and so reflecting the energy levels required in the realm of competitive exchange that rules that far left column)

Note that the energy levels reflect two forms of management, that of exaggerating one's nature and that of dampening one's nature. Thus the highest energy level of hexagram 02 is in the form of hexagram 01 - thus a need to 'exaggerate' one's nature to reflect the characteristics of hexagram 01 WITHIN a context of hexagram 02. On the other hand, the highest energy level of hexagram 01 is not as hexagram 02 but in the dampening of one's "natural" high energy to reflect the characteristics of hexagram 02 WITHIN a context of hexagram 01 - thus to express '02-ness' requires 'toning it down' considerably for an '01er' whereas to express '01-ness' requires over-exaggeration for an '02-er'. An 'easy' method to do this is through emotions - anger and lust are more '01' in form, sadness and fear more '02' in form.

In all hexagrams for this changing line matrix, the hexagram of concern is always the first one in the sequence (bottom right) - this reflects NO changing lines as compared to the last hexagram in the sequence (top left) that reflects ALL changing lines. The energy level of 'no changing lines' is a base level state - it reflects a 'genetic' nature and as such no need to use excess energy to express one's 'basic' state. As you move 'up' the sequence so some hexagrams need 'exaggeration' and others need 'dampening' of their 'natural' states.

(2) The second matrix is the above matrix put into Five-Phase dynamic format from WOOD (production) to WATER (consumption), thus each row is sorted in five-phase orderings - the focus is on the cycle not the energy levels of each unit in the cycle.

An example of the matrices (here for hexagram 51):

These two matrices reflect the two formats of the I Ching in general - that of Fu Hsi where the focus is on structure, on parts (an ordered list of energy levels as expressed by analogy to other hexagrams) vs that of King Wen where the focus is on cyclic processes. (there is an unresolved question here in that the Mountain position in the King Wen compass seems to be 'out of place'. I have kept the order to that of five-phase and so end with Water trigram not Mountain however I note that a 'normal' cycle would be as in five-phase, you just repeat a cycle - but the placement of Mountain as the last trigram in a cycle reflects the passage through a gateway and so a focus on 'transcendence').

[Note: for those of you who wish to rigidly stick to 6 lines, their position in the changing line matrix are identified in underlined and highlighted order in the above sample starting bottom-right]

WOOD - The Realm of Production [Thunder, the Arousing - the new, the sudden, the ready-to-use]

"[God] Comes forth in the sign of the Arousing"

The nature of production as represented in the I Ching in the trigrams of Thunder and Wind.

Thunder, in the context of production, reflects the production of the 'new', the 'original', the 'enlightening', the 'sudden', the 'surprising'. As such the product can emerge more or less 'whole' and ready to use - like a paradigm 'shift'.

The hexagrams that have thunder as base reflect the five-phase process operating WITHIN the specific phase of production, reflecting a property of recursion, the method used to derive the I Ching, where the whole is encoded in all parts such that within each phase are all of the others.

51 The Arousing, Thunder Enlightenment, Awareness In a context of enlightenment, a new beginning, we utilise (sudden) awareness. "CHEN : arouse, excite, inspire; thunder rising from below; awe, alarm, trembling; fertilizing intrusion. The ideogram: excite and rain." ERANOS p550

The trigram of Thunder reflects raw Production. The focus is on a raw/new product - be it an idea or thing 'suddenly' coming into being.

This trigram is self-referencing and so the bottom trigram reinforces the top.

42 Increase Augmenting, Ascending In a context of enlightenment one becomes influential "YI : increase, advance, promote, benefit, strengthen; pour in more; full, superabundant; restorative. The ideogram: water and a vessel, pouring in more".ERANOS p462

The trigram of Thunder reflects Production (new material). The trigram of Wind reflects Production (through re-production, cultivation). The relationship expresses the augmentation of something 'new' or 'raw', to raise it qualitatively.

This hexagram is self referencing at the general level (wood to wood) and so the bottom reinforces the top.

Of special note here is the consequence of changing five-phase context.The previous hexagram, hexagram 51, has an original production sequence focused on the overall nature of 'rawness' (50 14 56 30 64 38 35 21). That hexagram's REFINED production sequence (48 05 39 63 29 60 08 03) now appears as hexagram 42's ORIGINAL production sequence. The context shift has been from overall 'raw' nature of 51 (arousing) to the more 'refined' nature of 42 (augmenting) and in doing so the originating/refined sequences of 51 are swapped since hexagram 42 will reflect refinement concepts as its 'base' nature.

21 Biting Through Ruling, Problem Solving In a context of enlightenment, a new beginning, we utilise setting a direction (an ideology). "SHIH HO - SHIH : bit away, chew; bite persistently and remove; snap at, nibble; reach the essential by removing the unnecessary. The ideogram: mouth and divination, revealing the essential.. HO : close the jaws, bite through, crush between teeth. The ideogram: mouth and cover, jaws fit together as a lid fits a vessel." ERANOS p276

The trigram of Thunder reflects Production (raw/new). The trigram of Fire reflects Distribution. Production through Distribution is expressed as setting a 'rule', a process line.

Hexagram 24 reflects the concept of filtering within the context of production. The focus being on returning to, be pulled back to, the one 'true' path and by avoiding the distractions that occur. (with enlightenment comes faith in another/others)

24 Return (The Turning Point) Returning In a context of enlightenment, a new beginning, we utilise trust. "FU : go back, turn back to the starting point; recur, reappear, come again; restore, recover, retrace; an earlier time or place. The ideogram: step and retrace a path."ERANOS p301

The trigram of Thunder reflects raw Production. The trigram of Earth reflects Filtration (through faith). The focus is on coming back to the 'true' faith, on repeating the cycle of development.

Part of the KO cycle in that the expression replaces a past state and as such destroys it.

27 The Corners of the Mouth (Providing Nourishment) Hungering In a context of enlightenment, a new beginning, we utilise discernment. "YI : mouth, jaws, cheeks, chin; take in, ingest; feed, nourish, sustain, rear; furnish what is necessary. The ideogram: open jaws" ERANOS p327

The trigram of Thunder reflects raw Production. The trigram of Mountain reflects Filtration-by-discernment. Production through Filtration-by-discernment is expresses as hungering for 'food' with a warning on what comes into one's mouth ('take in') as well as what comes out of one's mouth ('furnish what is necessary').

Part of the KO cycle where a past state is replaced and so destroyed.

17 Following Believing In a context of enlightenment we utilise intensity. "SUI : come or go after; pursue, impelled to move; come after in inevitable sequence; move in the same direction, comply with what is ahead; follow a way or religion; according to, next, subsequent. The ideogram: go and fall, unavoidable movement" ERANOS p242

The trigram of Thunder reflects raw Production. The trigram of Lake reflects cooperative Exchange. a 'new' production through cooperative exchange is expressed as establishing a belief, to follow.

Part of the KO reversal cycle where an injury takes place.

25 The Unexpected (Innocence) Dis-entangling In a context of enlightenment we utilise single-mindedness "WU WANG - WU : devoid of; -less as suffix.. WANG : caught-up in, entangled, involved; disorder, incoherence; foolish, wild, reckless; false, brutish behaviour; vain, idle, futile." ERANOS p311

The trigram of Thunder reflects Production (new, fresh). The trigram of Heaven reflects Exchange (through competition, opposition). The relationships is expressed as standing-up to express one's opinion without fear, ignoring consequences of one's actions as an act of 'breaking-free'.

Part of the KO reversal where an injury takes place.

03 Difficulty at the Beginning; Sprouting In a context of enlightenment, a new beginning, we utilise control. "CHUN : begin or cause to grow; assemble, accumulate, bring under control; hoard possessions; establish a military camp; difficult, arduous. The ideogram: sprout piercing hard soil"ERANOS p114

The trigram of Thunder reflects the process of raw production (as reflected in a new sprout). The trigram of Water reflects consumption. Consumption of the 'raw' can be difficult.

Part of the SHENG reversal in that the outcome exhausts what it came from.

WOOD - The Realm of Production [Wind, The Gentle - the cultivated, 'cooked', re-production]

"[God] brings all things to completion in the sign of the Gentle"

We now move on to the other trigram of production in the form of Wind. Wind reflects the manufacturing required as part of production - In other words what is produced has not come into being as if 'out of nowhere', it obviously needs/is/has gone through observable manufacture and re-production. The overall focus here also includes support structures, such as the need to monitor the processes, to ensure they are not neglected nore intentionally corrupted.

57 The Gentle (The Penetrating), Wind Cultivating, Influencing In a context of cultivation we utilise influence. "SUN : base on which things rest; support, foundation; mild, subtly penetrating; nourishing. The ideogram: stand and things arranged on it, the subtle influence of the ground."ERANOS p605

The trigram of Wind reflects Production through re-production, cultivation.

Self-referencing and so reinforcing.

32 Duration Committing In the context of cultivation we utilise awareness. "HENG : continue in the same way and spirit; constant perpetual, regular; self-renewing; extend everywhere; the moon almost full" ERANOS p371

The trigram of Wind reflects manufactured production, a need to cultivate. The trigram of Thunder reflects raw production, the 'new'. The overall focus is on commitment to production or more so to reproduction ('self-renewing').

Self-referencing (wood to wood) and so reinforcing.

50 The Caldron Refining, Transforming In a context of cultivation we utilise a sense of direction (an ideology). "TING : bronze cauldron with three feet and two ears, sacred vessel used to cook food for sacrifice to gods and ancestors; founding symbol of family or dynasty; melting pot, receptacle; hold, contain, transform; establish, secure; precious, respectable."ERANOS p540

The trigram of Wind reflects Production (cultivated). The trigram of Fire reflects Distribution. Production through distribution is expressed as transformation.

46 Pushing Upward Entangling, Distilling In a context of cultivation we utilise trust. "SHENG : go up; climb step by step; rise in office; advance through effort; accumulate; bring out and fulfill; lit: a measure of fermented liquor, ascension as distillation."ERANOS p562

The trigram of Wind reflects Production (manufactured, reproduction). The trigram of Earth reflects Filtration (through belief, given rules). The focus on increased entanglement reflects a 'rise in office' and so a process of refinement.

Part of the KO cycle - a circumstance is replaced and so distroyed.

18 Working on what has been spoilt (Decay) Correcting In a context of cultivation we utilise discernment. "KU : rotting; poisonous; intestinal worms, venomous insects; evil magic; disorder, error; pervert by seduction, flattery, unquiet ghost. The ideogram : dish and worms, putrifiction and poisonous decay." ERANOS p251

The trigram of Wind reflects Production (by cultivation). The trigram of Mountain reflects Filtration (through discernment). Production through Filtration is expressed in correcting corruptions.

Part of the KO cycle. A circumstance is replaced and so destroyed.

28 Preponderance of the Great Exceeding In a context of cultivation we utilise intensity. "TA KUO - TA : big, noble, important, very; orient the will toward a self-imposed goal, impose direction; ability to lead or guide your life... KUO : go beyond, pass by, pass over; excessive, transgress; error,fault." ERANOS p336

The trigram of Wind reflects cultured Production. The trigram of Lake reflects cooperative Exchange. The concept of cultured production (and so re-production) expressed through cooperative exchange is expressed as excess, as going beyond what is required.

Part of the KO reversal. As a result of the expression something is injured.

44 Coming to Meet Persuading, Seducing In a context of cultivation we utilise singlemindedness. "KOU : intense, driven encounter, at once transitory and enduring, that is the reflection of primal yin and yang; meet, encounter, copulate; mating animals; magnetism, gravity; to be gripped by impersonal forces." ERANOS p483

The trigram of Wind reflects Filtration (through discernment). The trigram of Heaven reflects Exchange (through competition). The focus is on persuation and seduction as examples of discernment through competitive exchange.

Part of KO reversal. The expression causes injury.

48 The Well Founding In a context of cultivation we utilise control. "CHING : water well at the center of the fields; rise and flow of water in a well, rise and surge from an inner source; life-water, nucleus of life; found a capital city. The ideogram: two vertical lines crossing two horizontal ones, eight fields with a well at the center." ERANOS p521

The trigram of Wind reflects Production (manufactured, cultivated). The trigram of Water reflects Consumption. Production (as cultivation, reproduction) through Consumption reflects a source of nourishment for development - a 'well'.

Part of the Sheng Reversal. The expression exhausts that from which it came.

FIRE - The Realm of Distribution [Fire, The Clinging]

"[God] causes creatures to perceive one another in the sign of the Clinging"

Continuing the focus of five-phase theory in the I Ching we here focus on Fire and the activity of distribution. The ruling hexagram is that of hexagram 30. In this hexagram the focus is on Guidance and establishing a sense of direction, an ideology if you like. The focus reflects the method of fire where, given a starting point it will spread-out in all directions, encompassing all that it comes across (as long as it is burnable! - as we shall see the concept of consumption within distribution is reflected in the closure focus of hexagram 63, covered later)

As fire moves out so it converts difference to sameness, all is reduced to 'ashes' and as such these symbolise the established perspective, the 'ideology' distributed.

55 Abundance (Fullness) Abounding,Overflowing,Diversity In a context of guidance we utilise (sudden) awareness. "FENG : abundant, plentiful, copious; grow wealthy; at the point of overflowing; exuberant, fertile, prolific; rich in talents, property, friends; fullness, culmination; ripe, sumptuous, fat."ERANOS p586

The trigram of Fire reflects the distribution phase. The trigram of Thunder reflects the 'raw' production phase. The overall theme is twofold - (a) the distribution of production leads to abundance BUT it also reflects OVER-production - too much and so possible problems (just as there is too much 'good' so there will also be too much 'bad')

Part of SHENG reversal - The expression exhausts where it came from.

Changing Line Matrix (numbers read bottom right to top left, lowest energy to highest)		Five Phase Dynamic Ordering (read bottom right to top left)
	METAL (competitive Exchange)		WATER (Consumption)
	METAL (cooperative Exchange)		METAL (competitive Exchange)
	FIRE (Distribution)		METAL (cooperative Exchange)
	WOOD (original Production)		EARTH (personal Filtration)
	WOOD (refined Production)		EARTH (social Filtration)
	WATER (Consumption)		FIRE (Distribution)
	EARTH (personal Filtration)		WOOD (refined Production)
	EARTH (social Filtration)		WOOD (original Production)

37 The Family (Clan) Rigid Structuring (releases tension) In the context of guidance we utilise influence. "CHIA JEN - CHIA : home, house, household, family; domestic, within doors; live in. The ideogram: roof and pig or dog, the most valued domestic animals... JEN : humans individually and collectively; an individual; humankind." ERANOS p415

The trigram of Fire reflects Distribution. The trigram of Wind reflects Production (through re-production, cultivation). The relationship is expresses as use of rigid structure to enable tension release (a quality context, the home, family, clan, nation is the foundation and acts to release tension).

Part of the SHENG reversal. The expression exhausts where it came from.

Changing Line Matrix (numbers read bottom right to top left, lowest energy to highest)		Five Phase Dynamic Ordering (read bottom right to top left)
	METAL (competitive Exchange)		WATER (Consumption)
	METAL (cooperative Exchange)		METAL (competitive Exchange)
	FIRE (Distribution)		METAL (cooperative Exchange)
	WOOD (original Production)		EARTH (personal Filtration)
	WOOD (refined Production)		EARTH (social Filtration)
	WATER (Consumption)		FIRE (Distribution)
	EARTH (personal Filtration)		WOOD (refined Production)
	EARTH (social Filtration)		WOOD (original Production)

Both of these WOOD-associated hexagrams contain an element of a need for structuring, reflecting the requirements of distribution.

30 The Clinging, Fire Guiding, Directing (an Ideology) From guidance comes direction "LI : glowing light, spreading in all directions; light-giving, discriminating, articulating; divide and arrange in order; the power of consciousness. The ideogram: bird and weird, the magical fire-bird with brilliant plumage."ERANOS p353

The trigram of Fire reflects Distribution. The overall focus is on guidance and a sense of direction.

Self-referencing and so reinforced.

Changing Line Matrix (numbers read bottom right to top left, lowest energy to highest)		Five Phase Dynamic Ordering (read bottom right to top left)
	METAL (competitive Exchange)		WATER (Consumption)
	METAL (cooperative Exchange)		METAL (competitive Exchange)
	FIRE (Distribution)		METAL (cooperative Exchange)
	WOOD (original Production)		EARTH (personal Filtration)
	WOOD (refined Production)		EARTH (social Filtration)
	WATER (Consumption)		FIRE (Distribution)
	EARTH (personal Filtration)		WOOD (refined Production)
	EARTH (social Filtration)		WOOD (original Production)

36 Darkening of the Light Uncompromising In the context of guidance we utilise trust. "MING YI - MING : light-giving aspect of burning, heavenly bodies and consciousness; with fire, the symbol of the trigram radiance, LI [the clinging].. YI : keep out of sight; remote, distant from the center; equalize by lowering; squat, level, make ordinary; pacified; colorless; cut, wound, destroy, exterminate." ERANOS p406

The trigram of Fire reflects Distribution. The trigram of Earth reflects Filtration (through faith, given rules). The focus is on the affect of filtration upon distribution (blocking/hiding the light) but more so the focus on faith in distribution - an overall sense of being uncompromising.

Changing Line Matrix (numbers read bottom right to top left, lowest energy to highest)		Five Phase Dynamic Ordering (read bottom right to top left)
	METAL (competitive Exchange)		WATER (Consumption)
	METAL (cooperative Exchange)		METAL (competitive Exchange)
	FIRE (Distribution)		METAL (cooperative Exchange)
	WOOD (original Production)		EARTH (personal Filtration)
	WOOD (refined Production)		EARTH (social Filtration)
	WATER (Consumption)		FIRE (Distribution)
	EARTH (personal Filtration)		WOOD (refined Production)
	EARTH (social Filtration)		WOOD (original Production)

22 Grace Adorning, Facading. Gloss In a context of guidance we utilise discernment. "PI : embellish, ornament, deck out, beautify; variegated (flowers); elegant, brilliant; also: energetic, passionate, eager, intrepid; capable of great effort; brave. The ideogram : cowrie shells (money) and flowers, linking ornaments and value."ERANOS p284

The trigram of Fire reflects Distribution. The trigram of Mountain reflect Filtration-through-discernment. Distribution through Filtration is here expressed in the form of adornment, facading, gloss-over.

Changing Line Matrix (numbers read bottom right to top left, lowest energy to highest)		Five Phase Dynamic Ordering (read bottom right to top left)
	METAL (competitive Exchange)		WATER (Consumption)
	METAL (cooperative Exchange)		METAL (competitive Exchange)
	FIRE (Distribution)		METAL (cooperative Exchange)
	WOOD (original Production)		EARTH (personal Filtration)
	WOOD (refined Production)		EARTH (social Filtration)
	WATER (Consumption)		FIRE (Distribution)
	EARTH (personal Filtration)		WOOD (refined Production)
	EARTH (social Filtration)		WOOD (original Production)

49 Revolution (Molting)