Hexagram Xian ䷞咸 part 2
Living in the Moment
ShanShangYouZe Xian JunZiYiXuShouRen
山上有澤，咸，君子以虛受人
There is the pond on a mountain, which is the image of the hexagram Xian. Learn from this - empty yourself and sense what you have.
— DaXiang 大象
After publishing my article on hexagram Xian, I had been thinking about what to write. While randomly walking in a new neighborhood, I saw this quote “Bread cannot be criticized because every mistake is a new creation” in the window of a local bakery and I immediately felt inspired to expand my writing on hexagram Xian. The sign reminded me that there is no “wrong method” in your Qigong practices or in Yijing predictions/consultations if we truly follow the DaXiang guidance of hexagram Xian.
You might notice that my interpretation of the Xian hexagram DaXiang interpretation in the this article is slightly different from my previous interpretation. Specifically regarding the second action - ShouRen 受人, which I translated as “accept others” in my previous article.
In the oracle bone style of writing, the Chinese character Shou looks like two hands holding an object from diagonal corners. Traditionally, for about two thousand years, scholars have interpreted the object as a boat. To me, it does not matter what this object is. More important to me is to see that the two hands are from two different people working together to carry or move the object. From my personal life experience, when I carry a heavy object with another person, in order to well work together I must give up my own natural pace in order to feel the other person’s pace and tune into the orientation and momentum of the object we are carrying. Hence, the second action of Xian hexagram is not only about simply accepting others, but also about how to synchronize with another in order to maneuver the situation in the safest and most productive way.
As I discussed in my previous article, the Xian 咸 hexagram (䷞) also means Gan 感 – sense, respond, induce, or telepathy, the kind of deep inner knowing which is the central method for both Yijing prediction and spiritual cultivation. Combined Gan and Shou, in modern daily life, GanShou is a common Chinese word for feeling, sense, or understand.
I have seen my students get perfect answers during their Yijing predictions, even if they have made “mistakes” in their methods. The reason for this is that during their practice, their answers resonated through their heart. As in life, instead of constantly worrying about making a mistake, try to listen to your heart, and trust that staying true to your inner knowing will create opportunities for creating something new, fresh, and potentially fulfilling.
In fact, the wisdom of the hexagram Xian is exactly the same as XiCi of Yijing states: Do no thinking, do no action, be silent, be still, and resonate your heart with the universe to clearly perceive the result of everything.
New Year, New Resolutions, New Solutions! I wish you will find solutions in coming new year through the support of my new interpretation of the guidance we can receive from the Xian hexagram — live in the moment and feel the magic of what is here, now.