I ching

I Ching Hexagram 63
Chi Chi (After Completion)

Action: Renew

Hu Gua (hidden influence) 64 Before Completion: Prepare

Zong Gua (underlying cause) 64 Before Completion: Prepare

Equilibrium is the great foundation of life, and harmony its universal path.

Voyager, there are no bridges;
one builds them as one walks. – Gloria Anzaldua

Reading at a Glance: Many people find it odd that After Completion is a principle that precedes Before Completion in the Book of Changes. Perhaps the hexagrams were arranged in this way to remind us that nothing ever comes to an end. The message of Chi Chi is that while the situation appears to be stable and in order, you need to plan for inevitable changes that will continue to occur. When anything in nature achieves its highest expression or stability it moves towards disorder and regeneration. It may be that what you are inquiring about has reached a state of finality or completion as the hexagram is also called Already Across. You might not want to hear it ~ but there may have been a completion or a closure that you missed. The hidden influence of Before Completion suggests that you examine where you are, but plan for the future. This same hexagram shows up as the underlying cause which is another message to prepare. You may think that the situation is never going to change but it will. You may think that you can rest on your laurels and enjoy complacency but you can’t. It is important that you understand that in nature everything is in a state of renewal. While everything is in order and you can feel a sense of success or arrival, you are urged to remain cautious. Anything that reaches a climax will begin to move in the opposite direction. While the situation appears to be complete, a new goal or a need for further growth and expansion opportunities will ensure that it doesn’t become stagnant. Water over Fire means that you must tend to it so the water doesn’t burn out or evaporate. All things require care and attention to continue in a constant state of wellness. The individual lines in this hexagram address the different stages one will encounter when going from completion to renewal. Something has crystallized and it may be time to embark in a new direction.

Order, chaos

then order again.

Such is the way

of the great

untangling.

“One who stands above things, brings them to completion. Water over fire: the condition after completion.” There is an obvious threat that the Water can extinguish the Fire, or that the flame can cause the water to evaporate. Water always moves downward; fire always burns upward. As an image of necessary balance, Chi Chi offers a message about becoming either overly confident, or too complacent.

While the current situation suggests a high degree of order, life's pursuit of change means that in time, disorder will emerge. After Completion is like a kettle of water over a fire. Too much heat and it boils over, extinguishes the fire or the water evaporates. The sage understands the small relationships existing between elements and guards against misfortune by not growing complacent. Sometimes it is better 'to just stop in time.'

Like the adaptive variations that remain dormant until we need them, knowing the condition that might arise after, life prepares us for the condition before it comes. The master said: “Thus the sage takes thought of misfortune to arm against it in advance.” You will be armed against misfortune by your willingness "to see the eternity in the end.” This is the perpetual thread that reveals how nothing in nature comes to completion; it moves toward renewal. Nothing in nature comes to a standstill; it always transforms. While something may be over or at its final stages, know that a new way is also emerging.

Approaching the conclusion to the Book of Changes, one immediately notices how the last two principles appear to be backwards. It would seem that After Completion should follow Before Completion. However, this principle describes both the certainty and uncertainty that arises after each ending.

Perhaps the principles were organized in this way to remind us that life is not linear, but is moving back and forth in an endless cycle of renewal. “First good order prevails and in the end disorder.” This is simply the how life moves toward harmony or dissolution, but the power of nature is always productive. Chi Chi takes shape as the only principle where all the lines are in their proper places, although it is also the image where Peace or oblivion might lead to Standstill.

It is inevitable that when order reaches its peak, it will dissolve into disorder. The master said: “Do not make plans. Do not be absorbed by activities. Do not think that you know. Be aware of all that is, and dwell in the infinite. Wander where there is no path. Be empty, that is all.”

“If one stands still at the end, disorder arises, because the Way comes to an end.” The old way may come to an end, but life moves ever onward. Keeping the fire burning without allowing the water to evaporate takes great skill and perseverance.

Transcending a sense of opposites suggests the creative power inherent in each paradox. Don't be too quick to judge the situation hastily. Perhaps what you thought was complete is just a new beginning.