I ching

I Ching Hexagram 53
Ji’an (Development)

Action: Flower

Hu Gua (hidden influence) 64 Before Completion: Prepare

Zong Gua (underlying cause) 54 Propriety: Subordinate

Success comes
when you pull your nature forward
without pushing yourself into the world.

A man will be imprisoned in a room with a door that is unlocked
and opens inwards, as long as it does not
occur to him to pull rather than push. – Ludwig Wittgenstein

Reading at a Glance: Ji’an shows the gradual development of how a woman followed a man to become his wife in ancient China. This would have been an auspicious outcome because she followed the proper steps.

Her subdued and demure approach, embodying Yin, represents the idea of how success comes from a gentle approach.

You may be feeling like you want things to move more quickly, but the situation will require time to unfold, and will require necessary steps to make it happen.

The lines of this hexagram refer to a series of steps that are needed to rise to where you want to be. The geese, in their grace and dignity, symbolize this rising and a connection between our organic and spiritual nature.

They walk on land, float in water and soar through the sky. This reveals how following instinct and relying on surrounding elements can lead us to arrive exactly where we need to be. There is no need to force your will on events.

The tree on the Mountain is nourished by the sun and rain. We may look to the outer world for elements that nourish us, but we do not look to others for answers about who we are. A pine tree will never grow into an oak tree, regardless of how many oak trees surround it.

The tree grows slowly from a seed or blueprint that is unaltered. We too are endowed with Te, or the internal promptings that guide our dreams and hold the design of who we are growing to become.

The hidden influence of Before Completion reveals how all Developments must be allowed the time and patience necessary for the course to complete itself in a natural way. Slow down and cultivate patience.

The underlying cause of Propriety was a time of subordinating the will or being placed too quickly in an unnatural situation. Gradual Development shows the opposite, as a time of moving forward step by step, carefully waiting for something to unfold.

This hexagram has an emphasis on living from the inside-out in a dignified way, rather than the outside-in, and seeking validation. Your blossoming is guided by your Te or internal blueprint.

Don’t push yourself into the world. Pull from the core of your inspired center and Permeate your beingness into the world.

There is a need for a gentle, adaptable and penetrating approach just as a tree spreads its arms displaying its rich foliage, as if to say: “this is who I am.” By honoring who you are, life celebrates your arrival, much like a wedding or celebration.

A commitment to endurance is required. and if this is something important to you, patience is key. This hexagram can show a relationship with a need to allow time for the other to catch up with what you are feeling.

For the benefit of the roses

we water the thorns too.

“Things cannot stop forever; therefore follows the idea of development.” The Gentle Wind moves on the Mountain in the image of a tree developing according to the laws of its being. The tree on a mountain benefits all, but must grow slowly in accordance with the seasons.

The seed holds within, all that it will one day become, although it must remain steadfast through the changing climate. The tree becomes a lesson of perseverance in your unfolding as you move forward from the foundation of Te, or your inner blueprint.

Because its growth is slow and steady, it demonstrates the principle: “a little then benefited; a lot then perplexed.” Should it shoot up too quickly, or at the wrong time, its roots will never keep it upright when the first storms set in. What you are attempting must be cultivated slowly and patiently.

Bo Ju ji wrote about trees: “they are useful friends to me and they fulfill my wish for conversations with the wise.” Steadfast and benefiting those seeking comfort, they are the wisest of the earth’s teachers.

“When difficulties come, do not lose sight of the power of life. It is only in the depth of winter when there is frost and snow that we have means of knowing how luxuriant the pines and cypresses are. To be in unbroken contact with the stem of life, the germinating power of nature, and to make Te the door to all wisdom; that is what is meant by being a sage.”

You may push yourself forward into the world to achieve success, although if you pulled yourself forward from the roots within, you will find authentic and lasting success.

No two trees are alike and they do not grow well in each other’s shadow.

The Master said: “Only one that is entirely real in each experience will have the power to give full development to one’s nature. Realness is self-completing and the Way is self-directing. Realness is the end as well as the beginning of things, for without realness there would be no things at all; which is why the sage prizes above everything coming-to-be-real.”

Development coaches you to observe the gradual way that you cultivate the roots of who you are, rather than searching outwardly for validation. If you merely strive to be real, success will come naturally.

Like a tree, you must remain steadfast in your unbroken contact with the germinating power of life. You need not run around in search of meaning, but merely open to what is in front of you.

In relationships there can be time needed for two very different people to move forward in tandem. In work, the message is that there are great possibilities for growth but it will take time to develop.