This hexagram is made up of broken lines only. The broken lines represents the dark, yielding, receptive primal power of yin. The attribute of the hexagram is devotion; its image is the earth. It is the perfect complement of THE CREATIVE--the complement, not the opposite, for the Receptive does not combat the Creative but completes it . It represents nature in contrast to spirit, earth in contrast to heaven, space as against time, the female-maternal as against the male-paternal. However, as applied to human affairs, the principle of this complementary relationship is found not only in the relation between man and woman, but also in that between prince and minister and between father and son. Indeed, even in the individual this duality appears in the coexistence of the spiritual world and the world of the senses. But strictly speaking there is no real dualism here, because there is a clearly defined hierarchic relationship between the two principles. In itself of course the Receptive is just as important as the Creative, but the attribute of devotion defines the place occupied by this primal power in relation to the Creative. For the Receptive must be activated and led by the Creative; then it is productive of good. Only when it abandons this position and tries to stand as an equal side by side with the Creative, does it become evil. The result then is opposition to and struggle against the Creative, which is productive of evil to both.
Movement in lines 3 and 6
Hidden lines.
One is able to remain persevering.
If by chance you are in the service of a king,
Seek not works, but bring to completion.
Dragons fight in the meadow.
Their blood is black and yellow.
Ken - Keeping Still, Mountain
The image of this hexagram is the mountain, the youngest son of heaven and earth. The male principle is at the top because it strives upward by nature; the female principle is below, since the direction of its movement has come to its normal end. In its application to man, the hexagram turns upon the problem of achieving a quiet heart. It is very difficult to bring quiet to the heart. While Buddhism strives for rest through an ebbing away of all movement in nirvana, the Book of Changes holds that rest is merely a state of polarity that always posits movement as its complement. Possibly the words of the text embody directions for the practice of yoga.
This was a fun exercise, but in a way it felt like reading a horoscope. I can force my situation to fit what is described, but if I had a different reading, I would've molded my opinion to fit that. Initially I misunderstood the lines with movement, and thought that my second hexagram was Chen. Trying to figure out what that had to do with me and then finding out that I wasn't even looking at the right thing lessened my interest.
Although I do see how both of these hexagrams could relate to me. I became pretty frustrated reading the description of K'un. For years I have been beating myself up about not putting enough effort into my own writing and creative output. I remember reading a section from Foucault's Pendulum (a book I never finished) where a character talked about how he could only edit books, never write them. It struck me then, and I was again reminded of it looking at the hexagrams. Am I truly incapable of occupying the position of The Creative, or am I just too lazy and nervous to try?
All my life I have been "yielding". Reading not writing, listening not speaking. Always waiting for someone else to put themselves out there so that I won't have to. It takes me too long to take one step forward. Do I really need to be advised to yield further?
And "Keeping Still"? Christ, I barely leave the house. When have I ever moved to quickly, or too much?
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