觀 → 蠱
Hexagram 20: Contemplation → Hexagram 18: Work on the Decayed
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 2, 3, 5).
Line 2
六二 闚觀。利女貞。
Six in the second place means: Contemplation through the crack of the door. Furthering for the perseverance of a woman.
Line 3
六三 觀我生進退。
Six in the third place means: Contemplation of my life Decides the choice Between advance and retreat.
Line 5
九五 觀我生。君子无咎。
Nine in the fifth place means: Contemplation of my life. The superior man is without blame.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
長女三嫁，進退不羞；逐狐作妖，行者離憂。
The elder daughter married thrice, advancing and retreating without shame; chasing the fox that works its sorcery -- the traveler departs in grief.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Wind over earth observes a woman of dubious repute. The eldest daughter marries three times, advancing and retreating without shame. A fox is chased away as it works its sorcery, yet the traveler departs burdened with worry. The thrice-married eldest daughter and the fox-spirit share a common thread: boundaries transgressed without remorse. Mountain over wind forms Work on the Decayed, which confronts corruption inherited from the previous generation. From Contemplation to Work on the Decayed, the observer witnesses moral rot that demands renovation. The eldest daughter's shamelessness and the fox's mischief are symptoms of a household whose norms have eroded, requiring the courage to address what has been neglected too long.
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