Work on this web page completed on November 28, 2022. Copy of this web page was left at THE WAYBACK MACHINE on the same day.


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This web page is a more detailed exposition on the answers received from Yi Jing when this question was asked:

#1: Question asked on The Harvest Moon of 2021 (September 20, 2021):

9/20/2021 17:10 Since the beginning of 2020 the whole our planet has been pushed into something which is called covid-19 pandemic. In the beginning I did think it was a health emergency however after a couple of months it became more and more obvious that something more serious and more sinister was going on. Today, a year and a half later is it more than obvious that some evil agenda is being unfolding mostly in the western world. Where is this all going? How is the western world going to look in the next 5 to 10 years given the current trajectory of madness happening all around us?


Before you read the content of this web page we suggest that you visit our main web site www.zhouoracle.com where you can find the background essay along with the short explanation of received hexagrams for this question.


All content on www.zhouoracle.com is translated from English into several other languages (at this time that is the case - in the future texts may be only in English since translations take too much time).


As you can see the question was asked and basic commentary of the answers was completed in September of 2021, over one year ago. This text is written in November of 2022. Why the delay?


The reason for the delay was the fact that I had to flee Canada (where I lived for almost 25 years) because of Justin Trudeau's medical tyranny. In other words, some other tasks took priority over writing articles on this web site. Now that things have settled down I've decided to finish what was started a year ago.


Today, a year later, it seems the peak of COVID-19 madness has passed but as Yi Jing confirmed things will never go back where they used to be before 2020. This may be a good thing if we are lucky and what is yet to come turns out to be a peaceful and just world based on the values of truth, freedom, compassion and other Christian values. 


If however the Satan-worshipers have it their way then we are in a big trouble.


As you can see the question posed to Yi Jing was a very straight-forward one: what is in store for us in the next 5-10 years?


The answer received was also very clear: Yi Jing is telling us our western civilization is being intentionally destroyed and something new, something very idiotic, is being built. 


Interestingly enough, Yi Jing also said that all of it is good and in the end it will bring good fortune. Now sure it does not look like it but hey, if you haven't been "vaccinated" chances are you will see how accurate Yi Jing prediction was.


But let's get into details of the matter because that's why you came to this page I assume.

 

BIAS TEST (偏见测试)


Yi Jing is a book, an inanimate object, without a person to work with it Yi Jing is totally useless. There are many who praise and admire Yi Jing, even swear by its perfection however there are very few who would deny imperfections of an average human.


It is humans who interpret answers provided by Yi Jing. Such interpretations are rooted in the text and imagery provided by Yi Jing however the interpreter builds up and profiles his or her own narrative within his own cognitive universe, based on his own knowledge and beliefs.


For that reason I would like to outline my own attitudes which may be relevant for my interpretation of the received hexagrams:


Covid-19 Pandemic - this was a fake pandemic; there is no proof c-19 virus exists therefore: PCR tests are fake, case counts are meaningless, social distancing, masks, lock-downs, all criminal scams, "vaccines" are poison administered to the masses as a depopulation method and a first step in the so called Great Reset agenda, politicians and media lied, scientists lied, doctors and medical officials lied, regulatory bodies lied, big tech and big pharma conspired against the citizens of this planet...


Man-made climate change - total scam, carbon taxes, another scam, electric cars, total scam, overpopulated planet - another scam, food shortages and supply chain problems - deliberately created crisis, yet another scam...


All governments around the world are in on it, all of them, especially those major ones such as Australia, NZ, Canada, US, EU, UK, China and Russia. Countries like Belarus did not agree to the lock-downs however I did not hear them voicing their concern regarding fake vaccines, PCR tests, etc...


Hexagrams received (卦畫 Guà Huà) were:

1) 50. Ting / The Caldron (鼎 dǐng) with changing lines 3 and 4, and

2) 4. Mêng / Youthful Folly (蒙 méng)



The original hexagram (本卦 Běn guà)

First or the Original hexagram is called Dǐng 鼎 , The Caldron.




Analysis of the hexagram image (卦畫 Guà Huà)


The hexagram figure Ding consists of 巽 Xùn, Wind/breeze under 離 Lí, Fire/light which conveys the image of fire above the trees and brightness, also the image of a Sacrificial Vessel (The Cauldron).


"The sages cooked their sacrifices to God and nourished their able ministers with feasts. We have the trigrams of Flexible Obedience and Quick Intelligence..."


It is widely accepted that this hexagram is graphic representation of a caldron - first broken line being the legs of the caldron etc...


Nuclear Hexagram (互卦 Hù Guà)


The interlocking trigrams are ☰ (乾 qián) below ☱ (兌 duì) , joined they constitute hexagram 43. GUAI (夬 (guài)) - Resoluteness, Determination, break-through... Exposing the truth is dangerous.


Hexagram name (卦名 Guà Míng)

The name of the hexagram is a picture of a sacrificial vessel called 鼎 dǐng.

Hexagram statement (卦詞 Guà Cí) also known as The Deciding Remarks (彖辞 Tuàn cí)

THE CALDRON. Supreme good fortune.
Success.

Moving lines (动爻 dòng yáo): 3 and 4

Line statements (爻辭 Yáo cí):

Nine in the third place means:
The handle of the ting is altered.
One is impeded in his way of life.
The fat of the pheasant is not eaten.
Once rain falls, remorse is spent.
Good fortune comes in the end.
Nine in the fourth place means:
The legs of the ting are broken.
The prince’s meal is spilled
And his person is soiled.
Misfortune.

Discussing the meaning of the original hexagram and its moving lines

Original hexagram sheds light on the current situation (in regards to the question asked) in this case it outlines the situation as of September of 2021 when the question was posed to Yi Jing.

It is very easy to connect the meaning of this hexagram (Ding) and the question:

Ding is a symbol of dynastic strength and solidarity, it symbolizes the health and potency of a dynasty and its ruling establishment (and a society as a whole as it would be hard to imagine a well functioning ruling class and their subjects in total disarray/moral corruption).

The moving lines are the third and the fourth line.

Counting from the bottom up, the first three lines are called lower trigram (下卦 xià guà) or inner trigram (內卦 nèi guà); the second three lines are called upper trigram (上卦 shàng guà) or outer trigram (外卦 wài guà).  

Inner trigram in our situation represents ordinary people, people like you and me, "the subjects".

Outer trigram, in our situation, represents the rulers, those who are given the power by us (by our voluntary or involuntary consent) to make life and death decisions involving us (the "subjects") but not them (the rulers).

Lines in a hexagram indicate the phases of change - the bottom line represents the initial phase of change while the top line indicates the final stage in the process of change.

Transition from the third line to the fourth line (which is the transition from the lower trigram to the upper trigram) almost always marks the perilous phase of change.

Hexagram Ding in our situation provides a picture of our "dynasty", often called the Western Civilization, and tells us we are in the midst of a huge change. Such profound change affects both ordinary people (the third line) and the ruling class (the fourth line).

Ordinary people are losing conveniences and luxuries the modern life provided to most of its citizens in the western world:

The handle of the ting is altered.
One is impeded in his way of life.
The fat of the pheasant is not eaten.

however when Covid-19 madness subsides majority of people will again enjoy the benefits of the Western civilization:

Once rain falls, remorse is spent.
Good fortune comes in the end.

The third line tells us the handle of the Ding is damaged however Ding is still somewhat useful, however things got much worse with the fourth line:

The legs of the ting are broken.
The prince’s meal is spilled
And his person is soiled.
Misfortune.

Now situation is pretty bad for the subject of the fourth line: the legs of the Ding are broken, rendering Ding useless, prince's meal is spilled (he is not getting nourishment) and his person is soiled (situation is embarrassing for him, to say the least). The whole situation is assessed as misfortune.

This line is of key importance for our situation, so let's take a look at James Legge's translation of the fourth line text:

鼎:
九四：鼎折足，覆公餗，其形渥，凶。
Ding:
The fourth NINE, undivided, shows the caldron with its feet broken; and its contents, designed for the ruler's use, overturned and spilt. Its Subject will be made to blush for shame. There will be evil.

Normally the fourth line is the line of the ministers, the fifth line is reserved for the emperor or king, however in our situation the subject of the fourth line are the leaders of the countries who, all in a lockstep, marched according to the Covid "pandemic" tune played by the real power-holders hidden behind the curtain.  

It is those leaders who will experience evil mentioned in the line text because of what they have done to their own people.

There is an idiom in Chinese language: 鼎折足 (Dǐng zhé zú) which means "Minister who ruins the country"


Line positions (爻位 Yáo wèi) 

Ideally in a hexagram the third line would be firm (undivided, Gāng 剛), which is the case here, and the fourth line would be yielding (divided, (Róu 柔)), which is not the case in Ding hexagram. 

For that reason the third line predicts good fortune (auspicious 吉 Jí) in the end and the fourth line predicts misfortune (不利 Bùlì or 凶 Xiōng). The fourth line is too strong for its position in the hexagram.

If first, third and fifth position in a hexagram are firm they are considered to be “upright” (正 Zhèng). 

If second, fourth and sixth position in a hexagram are yielding lines they are also considered to be upright.  

Being upright means to be able to stick to a principle which gives subjects of those lines auspicious prognostication (in most cases).

Being "central" (中 zhōng) and "upright" are the key qualities of hexagram lines (along with "resonance" (应 Yīng) between the lines).

Ding ruling lines (主爻 Zhǔ yáo) are lines 5 and 6 so we will ignore them for now.

Bǐ Yáo 比爻  - Associated or neighbouring lines: In technical terms we can say that our 4th line is riding (乘 chéng) the third line (or that third line is carrying (承 Chéng) the fourth line). Generally speaking riding a firm line (乘刚 Chéng gāng) is not a good idea since the firm line below is pushing forward and trying to (negatively) affect the firm line above (for example the subject of the third line is trying to overthrow the subject of the fourth line).

Since both the third and the fourth lines are changing lines they will change their nature and the third line will become yielding (not upright) and the fourth line will change into a yielding line therefore it will become upright. If only one of the two has to be upright it is better for the fourth line is upright since the fourth line is closer to the ruler (the fifth line) therefore it carries more power. Therefore this type of change gives a reason for optimism.

Clearly what we see here is an image of a Ding which is first seriously damaged (third line) and after that broken/useless (fourth line). Translated into our situation we recognize a civilization which is seriously impaired and soon it will be completely destroyed. 

Its destruction is deliberate, systematic and comprehensive, planned and executed most likely based on the blueprint provided by some very advanced AI algorithm. 

The destruction of the western society has its primary focus on:

1) Destruction of language (without firm grasp on the meaning of words/language resolution of any social conflicts is impossible which further facilitates the destruction of the society). Presently we are at the stage where US supreme court nominee is not able to say what is the meaning of the word woman. That tells you all you need to know about the first point.

2) Destruction of family - western societies have had family as its basic organizing unit, its foundation, however nowadays words like mother and father have become taboo words in the western countries; pre-pubescent children are chemically castrated and surgically mutilated based on the notion that they can choose their gender (it was universally accepted truism that those same kids did not have mental capacity to make other basic decisions such as decision to vote, to drive, to play arcade games, to purchase things online, to apply for a credit card, to open a gmail account etc. yet if those same children decide that as boys they want to become girls this was accepted as reasonable). Animosity and often open hatred between men and women was instigated through psy-ops like #metoo; masculinity has been demonized, femininity frowned upon, homosexuality glorified, pornography widely available, women bombarded with messages implying their infinite victimhood in an evil patriarchal society, motherhood labeled as something shameful, respect for the elderly by younger generation suppressed; men who present themselves as being women are winning women's competitions in spots, beauty pageants... 

3) Destruction of moral standards in the society - public displays of depravity, turpitude  and degeneracy have become common occurrences in the western countries, becoming de facto national holidays, its status elevated to the status of state dogmas, celebrated as expression of freedom. Nothing is off limits for them including child abuse.

4) Destruction of aesthetic standards - God's creations are beautiful. Western standards of beauty are intimately linked with Christian teachings and Christianity inspired works of art. Satan-worshipers are making unceasing effort to destroy everything that is beautiful and promote all sorts of ugliness, disfigurement, monstrousness, hideousness, repulsiveness... 

5) Destruction of trust in leaders, institutions, science, religious leaders, financial system....
If you ever wondered how is it that someone like Joe Biden can become the president of the most powerful country in the world the answer is his presidency is meant to undermine the trust in the political leaders; stolen elections undermine trust in the democratic process; doctors killing their patients in hospitals using "covid protocols" undermines trust in the medical profession; catholic clergy abusing children undermines trust in religion; proclaiming covid "vaccines" safe and effective before they kill tens of millions and injure billions undermines trust in science and regulatory bodies; listening to Bias, Bullshit and Lies spewed by the mainstream media 24/7 undermines trust in the media; out of control money printing undermines the trust in the money as a medium of exchange and store of value... presently you can not trust pretty much anyone or anything that has to do with governments, mainstream media, big tech, big pharma, science, big agriculture/food companies, mainstream medicine.

6) Destruction of the financial system - financial markets, price of precious metals and commodities, real-estate markets have been rigged and manipulated for long time however with the recent blatant attempt to debase practically all major world currencies through endless "printing" of fresh money the destruction of the western financial system entered its terminal phase. Clearly the intention is to replace current monetary system with a new one called CBDC (central bank digital currency) which would give Satan-worshipers total control over the world population using CBDC. They will be able to exclude anyone from the society with a stroke on the keyboard, at their whim.


7) Destruction of independent food production and food supply chain - all western countries, especially Canada, US, NZ have been encouraging rural population to relocate to large urban areas, using abundance of jobs available and good infrastructure as incentives. Food production is almost impossible in urban setting. Recently the Dutch government shamelessly attempted land-grab from the Dutch farmers, other European farmers are bribed into retirement and The Guardian is proclaiming the end of farming. It is vitally important for Satan-worshipers to have full control over the food you eat. For obvious reasons.


8) Destruction of code of life (DNA) - what started out as a profit driven research into modifications of plant DNA molecules by companies like Monsanto in present time extended to the DNA modifications of human beings using mRNA technology in so called "covid vaccines". A new study published by Swedish Lund University in MDPI found that the Pfizer vaccine goes into liver cells and converts to DNA (in vitro). It appears it is not only corn and soybeans that have permanently altered DNA code it is also humans whose DNA makeup has been permanently altered. For Satan-worshipers corrupting human code of life (DNA) would be their crown-achievement since no other creation on Earth is made on God's own image.


9) Destruction of man's relationship with God. This is done by alienating man from Nature (work, food, drinks, medications, entertainment are all disconnected from its primary source - nature), Truth (e.g. JFK, WMD in Iraq, 9/11, Covid-19 pandemic, men can give birth to children...) and Reality (Metaverse anyone?). Nature is important part of God's "portfolio", Truth and Reality are just different names for God.


The fourth line is telling us those who were in charge during the Covid-19 plandemic will get in trouble very soon - it is a matter of days before the hunting season begins.


How can we reconcile what is written above with the hexagram statement which is extremely optimistic:


THE CALDRON. Supreme good fortune.
Success.


The reason for that is simple: Yi Jing does not see destruction of a civilization as a bad thing; societies follow a path of development similar to that of plants: germination, seedling, young plant, mature plant, withered plant, plant composted and turned into food for new plants.


Western Society is past its pinnacle and in the long run its destruction will serve its citizens the best. What makes the whole situation uncomfortable is the fact that no one can say for sure what will replace what we currently have. Satan-worshipers are pushing in the direction of a dystopian society where people have less freedom than old-time slaves.


However we are many and they (the Satan-worshipers) are few so they will not be able to achieve their goals unless most of us comply with their satanic plans.


I strongly believe in the end people will choose freedom, truth, justice, beauty and morality instead of their world with supreme values of slavery, lies and deception, ugliness, immorality and injustice.


That is why, in my opinion, prognostication of the Ding hexagram is very optimistic and positive: a rotten society is falling apart, that's a reason for celebration. Ordinary people will suffer but order-followers in the positions of power and trust will pay a heavy price for what they have done. A better new world will come out of this.


Resulting hexagram (之卦 Zhī Guà)


Resulting hexagram is formed when Original hexagram is transformed due to changing (moving) lines. When moving lines change from a firm line to a yielding line and/or yielding line changes into a firm line. In our case two firm lines (3rd and 4th line) changed into two yielding lines.


Resulting hexagram is telling us what is likely to happen in the future given the current pattern of circumstances. In our situation resulting hexagram is telling us what will happen in the next 5-10 years in relation to the Covid-19 "pandemic".


In our situation the resulting hexagram is hexagram #4,  named 蒙 (méng), which is translated into English as "Youthful folly". Other translations include "Covering", "The young shoot", "Discovering", "Immaturity", "Uncultivated Growth", "Youth", "Acquiring Experience", "Youthful Ignorance", "Enveloping", "Folly", "Darkness", "Obtuseness of the youth". 


Analysis of the hexagram image (卦畫 Guà Huà)


Its inner (lower) trigram is ☵ (坎 kǎn) gorge = (水) water, and its outer (upper) trigram is ☶ (艮 gèn) bound = (山) mountain.


This conveys the images of a spring coming out at the foot of the mountain.


Another way to interpret those two trigrams is this: keeping still (as in meditation) is an attribute of the upper trigram whereas abyss is one way to see the lower trigram - hence "Stopping in perplexity on the brink of a dangerous abyss is a symbol of the folly of youth". 


Order of Hexagrams (序卦 Xù guà)


The first half of Yi Jing (30 hexagrams) is called Upper Classic (上經 Shàng jīng)  and it is aimed at "explaining the natural law of yin and yang harmony and the unity of all things" - they talk about "the way of heaven" while 34 hexagrams of the Lower classic (下經 Xià jīng) talk about "the way of human beings" about social relations in a society. 


The hexagram sequence (all 64 hexagrams) is arranged according to the law of "非覆即變 Fēi fù jí biàn". This means all hexagrams are paired up and the second hexagram in a pair is the first hexagram flipped upside-down except when that would not make sense, as in case of the first and the second hexagram, 乾 (qián) and 坤 (kūn) - rotating 乾 (qián) along horizontal axis would produce another 乾 (qián) therefore a different method is used - all six solid 乾 (qián) lines are transformed into six yielding lines. For that reason 坤 (kūn) is paired up with 乾 (qián).


So now we have an interesting situation: our question has to do with a societal problem (Covid-19 plandemic) however hexagram number 4 Méng (蒙) belongs to Upper Classic (上經 Shàng jīng), the first half of the hexagram sequence which is not primarily concerned with the societal issues.


This should not be a problem since hexagram image (卦畫 Guà Huà) always comes first and has primacy over all other appended material such as hexagram names, hexagram statements, line statements, sequence of hexagrams etc.


Main lines (主爻, or 卦主) in 蒙 Méng hexagram are the second and the fifth line - the second line is solid, central and resonant with the ruler, the yielding fifth line, (which makes up for the fact that neither of those two lines is “upright” (正 Zhèng).


Nuclear Hexagram (互卦 Hù Guà)


The interlocking trigrams are ☳ (震 zhèn) shake = (雷) thunder, and its outer (upper) trigram is ☷ (坤 kūn) field = (地) earth , joined they constitute  Hexagram #24 - named 復 (Fù), "Returning". Other translations of the hexagram name include The Turning Point, The Symbol of Returning, Revival, Recovery, To Repeat, Renewal, Restore, Return to the Way, Cyclic Repetition.

Clearly a theme of a new beginning is hidden in the hearth of the Méng (蒙) hexagram.


Opposite hexagram (对卦 Duì guà) also known as 错卦 Cuò guà or "wrong gua"


Opposite hexagram has all its lines reversed - solid lines turned into yielding lines and yielding lines changed into solid lines.


Meng's opposite hexagram is hexagram #49 革 (Gé) translated as Revolution and Abolishing the old.



Hexagram Meng would suggest slow, deliberate and gradual process of change whereas Ge would convey a meaning of a more radical and faster change.


Hexagram name (卦名 Guà Míng)


The name of the 蒙 méng hexagram is a picture of a parasitic vine called Dodder (Cuscuta Chinensis).

https://www.flickr.com/photos/31196650@N04/3845302954/
(https://www.flickr.com/photos/31196650@N04/3845302954/)

Chinese character 蒙 Méng depicts a house/family below and some grass/vegetation on top of the house:


For that reason the primary meaning of this character is "to cover" (as vegetation or fur etc) something like in this picture:


Therefore these are the layers of meaning for the 蒙 méng character: 

"dodder (plant); to cover hence hide something underneath, make it vague or hazy, consequently to delude, deceive someone; simple, uneducated, young inexperienced and ignorant; to suffer, to meet with, confront, withstand, brave, face (adversity)".

So for our discussion we can ignore the basic meaning (dodder plant) as it is abundantly clear that this plant is used just to convey the message of covering/hiding something in at least two different scenarios:

1) Covering/hiding with innocent intentions (like in ignorant youth who have all their skills and and abilities covered and in the process of education they will be uncovered or discovered), and

2) Covering/hiding with evil intentions (to deceive or trick someone into doing something bad, harmful for the deceived).

The consequence of the second scenario (covering with evil intentions) would be the third level of meaning of this character: to suffer, confront, withstand, brave (adversity).

Chinese word 启蒙 Qǐméng means to educate very small kids (to enlighten, to free from prejudice, awake somebody from ignorance) - character 启 (trad. 啟) means to open, unfold, unroll, unfasten, disclose. Therefore the Chines of antiquity saw education as the process of removing the veil of ignorance.

Last but not the least the 蒙 méng character is the component character for words "blind" and "darkening of the sky".

Hexagram statement (卦詞 Guà Cí)

Here is the hexagram (蒙 méng) statement in Wilhelm-Baynes translation:

YOUTHFUL FOLLY has success.
It is not I who seek the young fool;
The young fool seeks me.
At the first oracle I inform him.
If he asks two or three times, it is importunity.
If he importunes, I give him no information.
Perseverance furthers.

and here is James Legge's translation:

蒙:
蒙：亨。匪我求童蒙，童蒙求我。初筮告，再三瀆，瀆則不告。利貞。

Meng:
Meng (indicates that in the case which it presupposes) there will be progress and success. 
I do not (go and) seek the youthful and inexperienced, but he comes and seeks me.
When he shows (the sincerity that marks) the first recourse to divination, I instruct him. 
If he apply a second and third time, that is troublesome; and I do not instruct the troublesome. 
There will be advantage in being firm and correct.

In the hexagram statement we learn several very important facts:

1) There are two key persons in the statement: one is young and foolish/inexperienced and the second one is (presumably) neither young nor ignorant/foolish/inexperienced;

2) The one who is older and wiser is not seeking out the young and foolish, on the contrary, it is up to the young fool to seek the teacher/tutor (education),

3) However if the young fool does the right thing and pursues education with the wise teacher he will have to show respect and trust for the teacher, otherwise instructions will not be provided to the young fool,

4) The statement is narrated by the wise man who may or may not provide instructions and guidance to the young and inexperienced therefore he is likely to be the subject of the  fifth line of this hexagram (which is a yielding line),

5) Being firm and correct (persistent in correct attitude and conduct) will take the young and inexperienced on the right path.

Very important question: which trigram represents the narrator, (the wise educator)? Is it the lower (inner) trigram Gorge ☵ (坎 kǎn)  or the upper (outer) trigram Bound ☶ (艮 gèn) ?

Bin Song in his paper Confucian Philosophy of Education in Hexagram " Meng " (Shrouded) of Yijing claims that the teacher is the subject of the inner trigram (second line) and the inexperienced student is the subject of the outer trigram (the yielding fifth line - humble ruler in pursuit of knowledge from a lowly but wise commoner. Something like Confucius providing instructions to the emperor of China). In Wilhelm-Baynes version of Yi Jing one can find similar explanation.

I respectfully disagree with that interpretation - while this may be the case in certain situations (for example when the emperor is a child so a wise teacher can provide good education to him), I do not think this is the case here. More about that in the text below.


Discussing the meaning of the resulting hexagram

Interpreting the Ding hexagram was fairly straight-forward. Hexagrams deals with a civilization facing dissolution. It is simple to link that idea with our question.


Interpreting Meng hexagram in the context of our question is not nearly as simple (to me).


Even now while writing these words I do not feel I have a full understanding of how to completely meaningfully and clearly connect Meng with the question asked.


I will provide my best guess however if you have your own suggestions please feel free to leave them in the comment section below.


Very often this hexagram (meng) is received when:


a) The inquirer has doubts regarding Yi Jing's ability to provide meaningful answers, or


b) When question being asked is a trivial one - Yi Jing is "bothered" by those kind of question.


One time I got Meng hexagram as the original hexagram when I asked a question which in retrospect amounted to soliciting an investment advice. 


First let's figure out how the hexagram statement relates to the hexagram image.


Let's take a look at this short comment on the trigram ☶ (艮 gèn) - Mountain:


"The trigram Keeping Still, whose symbol is the mountain, is of mysterious significance. Here, in the seed, in the deep-hidden stillness, the end of every thing is joined to a new beginning. Death and life, dying and resurrection—these are the thoughts awakened by the transition from the old year to the new. Thus the cycle is closed."
(From Wilhelm-Baynes translation of Yi Jing)


Can we say that life in its basic form/force symbolized by the trigam ☵ (坎 kǎn) - Water is up against the death and resurrection symbolized by the trigram ☶ (艮 gèn) - Mountain?


Isn't ☶ (艮 gèn) - Mountain a seed of hidden potential, of the world yet to come, of the new beginning?


Generally speaking in a trigram the initial, bottom line represents something not yet in the observable world, the second line represents someone immersed in the world and the third line represents someone removed from the world (yet affecting the world in one way or another).


In a hexagram, similarly, the initial, bottom line represents the stage of change when things are happening but they are not yet manifesting to the observers. Only some people are able to recognize signs or symptoms of the change in that incipient stage. The top (sixth) line similarly represent the stage of change when the described process is, again, in the realm of not so obvious, often heading in the opposite direction relative to the situation described by the fifth line. The difference between the fifth line and the sixth line would be similar to the difference between an emperor ruling a country and that very same emperor retiring to the mountain and becoming a Daoist monk, dedicating the rest of his life to meditation and study of Daoist texts.


In the commentary section of the Yi Jing book it is clearly indicated that the solid second line of the lower trigram is representing the teacher and the yielding sixth line is the ignorant student. This does not make sense to me. Here is why:


Trigram ☵ (坎 kǎn) has never been used as a symbolic representation of wisdom, as far as I know (required to undertake the teacher's role in this hexagram) - Kan symbolizes danger, water:


"The Abysmal is water, ditches, ambush, bending and straightening out, bow and wheel. 

Among men it means the melancholy, those with sick hearts, those with earache."

"It means thieves."


All above mentioned attributes would be easier to assign to a troublesome uneducated child than to a sage-teacher.


On the other hang when we have ☶ (艮 gèn) - Mountain as the upper/outer trigram it is very easy to imagine the top line being a wise adviser (or the teacher) to the ruler represented by the fifth line.


Taking all of that into consideration it is hard for me to see how the firm second line is interpreted as the teacher to the yielding fifth line especially when the hexagram statement clearly tells us that the teacher is not taking any initiative to look for students (lack of initiative is the definition of the yielding line) but uneducated have to take initiative and approach the teacher in order to obtain education (which would fit the second line very well).


It takes quite a bit of arrogance to go against the hexagram interpretation already recorded in the Yi Jing commentary but there you have it. Make of it whatever you please.


In the third hexagram, Sprouting (屯 zhūn), which is paired with the 4th hexagram Meng, the subject of the hexagram is the firm bottom line - the process of change has been initiated in the lower/inner trigram Shake ☳ (震 zhèn) however the outside world (represented by the upper/outer trigram Gorge ☵ (坎 kǎn) is very hostile and dangerous. This makes the process of change in this hexagram perilous - danger lurking outside.


Next hexagram (Meng) is following the same plot - after being born, despite the odds, the subject is not facing direct danger like in hexagram 3 - his situation is a bit better however the environment is still very cold and inhospitable and what is in front of him (or her) is likened to the mountain. Symbolic message here is that something huge and not removable must be acknowledged and one must assume an attitude of reverence - underestimating it will have devastating results therefore "being firm and correct" is the way to deal with that situation. In the end thing will be good but it will take time and patience to get to the other end.


Divination is explicitly mentioned in the hexagram statement because during the time those statements were created (over 2000 years ago) using Yi Jing (primarily for divination purposes) was a pursuit of knowledge in its most genuine form. Divination was then and to some degree is today a way to get answers to the questions that could not be obtained in any other way. It is process of education par excellence.


James Legge recons that the second (solid) line represents parents and the sixth (solid) line represent the ruler therefore this hexagram gives instructions to those two how to deal with ignorant youth.


Unofficial interpretation of the Meng hexagram


This version of interpretation is what I sincerely believe is the real interpretation of the Meng hexagram however I understand that some if not many among you are not Christian so what I am about to say may not resonate with you.


In hexagram Méng 蒙  human being is existing on more or less biological level only, without knowledge or physical strength - it is yet to acquire knowledge (3rd line of the lower trigram) and build its body and make changes in the world surrounding him or her (first line of the lower hexagram). 


However the subject of the lower trigram is born, he is out in the open and he needs to function in the world yet the world that surrounds him is pretty cold. In the previous hexagrm the world was a dangerous place, this time the world is a cold and unforgiving place. Knowledge and experience can be acquired however all depends on the initiative and good faith of the subject of the lower trigram (second, firm line).


I believe that Meng hexagram very precisely describes human position in the world in relation to God.


Lower trigram with its firm second line is symbolic representation of man - the subject of the upper (outer) hexagram is the holy trinity of God the Creator (solid top line), Lord Jesus Christ (yielding fifth line) and Holy Spirit (Yielding fourth line).


The lower trigram is showing us that realistically all we have is our life (firm second line): our intellectual capacity (measured against that of God the Creator) is practically zero; our physical abilities (relative to those of God the Creator) are practically zero.


However if we are sincere and respectful and with attitude of faith and trust ask God the Creator for the guidance the veil of ignorance will be removed from our eyes. 


We do that through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (the yielding fifth line) however we have to do it of our own volition - God has given men and women free will and he is not forcing anyone to do anything.


I believe that Meng hexagram is telling us that the next 5-10 years will be very dark and challenging however if we turn to God the Creator for guidance ("education"), through his Son Jesus Christ, our mind will be open to the Truth (through the workings of the Holy Spirit - the fourth line) and we will pass through this dark period of time unharmed.


Official interpretation of the Meng hexagram


This hexagram is concerned with education of small children, those who just entered the world. What they need the most (even more than the nourishment since that is the next hexagram, the 5th hexagram) is removing the veil of ignorance from their young minds.


In the commentary on hexagrams (in Yi Jing) it is said:


"YOUTHFUL FOLLY means confusion and subsequent enlightenment."


This is the key sentence for interpreting Meng hexagram in the context of our question: next 5-10 years will be years of confusion however with proper "education" (removing the veil of ignorance from our eyes) and persevering in "being firm and correct" the fog of confusion will clear and people will get truthful understanding of what is happening. 


However it is up to each one of us to seek "the teacher" in order to be properly "educated" - we must actively seek information. Those "teachers" who approach us (or shove information down our throats) are not the real teachers, they only want us to remain in the state of confusion.


In the end everything will be good.


"THE IMAGE
A spring wells up at the foot of the mountain:
The image Of YOUTH.
Thus the superior man fosters his character
By thoroughness in all that he does."