1-Qian/ Initiating, changing lines 1,2,3 to 12 Pi/ Hindrance
Qian and Kun, Heaven and Earth, Initiating and Responding are the basis of life, the way of the Dao of Earth, or the Heavens or of Humans. According to Confucius, “Qian and Kun are the gate of I, which means that if one intends to understand the I Ching one should first understand Qian and Kun; the gate of I opens for understanding the rest of the gua.” (Huang 25). “I”, sometimes spelled “yi” can mean many things- focus, intent are two; but the name I Ching tells us something about what it means in a divination context. I Ching is “Book of Changes”; Yi jing means essentially the same thing- but the word jing is used also when referring to scriptures, or prayers, or incantations. So there is a connotation of this collection of verses being holy or divine in nature.
Qian is considered the hexagram that indicates the best fortune in the Book of Changes.
There are several ways to look at the bottom three lines in any gua, depending on your question- they could represent you, with the top three representing the rest of the world, or the situation you are facing (or the people, the other factors); they can represent in a work or other similar organization the underlings, with the top three meaning the leaders or bosses; or they could represent the masses (the people) in relation to political and/or social leaders. Finally, they could be the inner workings of a person’s mind (what is hidden) and the outer persona or manifestation (what is revealed). I’m sure there are numerous other ways to interpret, but that is beyond the purpose of the reading for this week.
All three lower lines are changing in this reading- big things happening in the lower ranks. So, it can be seen as advice on dealing with sweeping changes.
1, line 1: Hidden dragon. Do not act. [there are things going on that can’t be seen yet; not a good time to act-too much that cannot be determined]
1, line 2: Dragon appearing in the field. It furthers one to see the great man. [the thing(s) are starting to be revealed- best to get advice from an expert about how to deal with it; or “the great man”, might be a reference to seeing the best in yourself and imagining how you might deal with it; what would you do, if all things were virtually ideal]
1, line 3: All day long the superior man is creatively active. At nightfall his mind is still beset with cares. Danger. No Blame. [mulling it over- coming up with creative solutions or ideas, but still not solving- still some worry; this may feel like a waste of time, but it’s best to err on the side of caution than dive right in]
This hexagram is associated with the solar month of May.
