I ching

I Ching Hexagram 16
Yu (Enthusiasm)

Action: Excite

Hu Gua (hidden influence) 39 Obstruction: Innovate

Zong Gua (underlying cause) 9 Small Restraint: Surrender

If you make your home in the inevitable,
you will arrive exactly where you need to be.

Chance is always powerful. Let your hook always be cast;
In the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish. – Ovid

Reading at a Glance: Yu shows Thunder over Earth which can bring new energy and inspiration to your situation. In ancient times, people gathered around the fire at the end of winter, sharing stories meant to jar the clan from stagnation. In ancient China, Chen or Thunder was believed to ignite the seeds into rebirth. Yu was believed to be the energy that connects people to the Gods. It is associated with art and music and any inspirational work that ignites our imagination and lifts us out of this world for awhile. The trick is to work with this Enthusiastic and inspired energy in a way that you don’t become lost in it. Yu can be a warning to take off your rose colored glasses if you are still waiting for that answer when all signs have already told you all you need to know. Enthusiasm should not be confused with the law of attraction. If you place preconceptions against the ability to see what is, you may suffer disappointment. Yu is a child riding an elephant joyously. The child is the Taming of the Small or Small Restraint, like the weak force in the universe that holds much of life together. It was your joy or willingness to meet life face to face with innocent excitement that generated this opportunity. The child doesn’t know, so operates without preconceptions. This is the innovation suggested by the hidden influence of Obstruction. Trusting the wild and powerful elephant can be both good and bad. Enthusiasm needs to be grounded in moderation otherwise it can lead to escapism and pipe dreams. The elephant embodies the creative power of emotion, which when harnessed, tramples any barriers to forward progress. You are asked to connect with this innocent enthusiasm for inspiration and to inspire others. This is a hexagram which combines how walking the path, allowing life to guide you and meeting experience innocently will create the joy and enthusiasm that makes all things possible. Like a child, “those who don’t know what can’t be done accomplish great things.” Align your will with the way and believe that anything is possible. Something magical is on the horizon so stay grounded while you look for that magical elephant to ride upon.

The earth’s power

to thrive

and succeed

resides

in your core.

“One who possesses something great and is modest is sure to have enthusiasm.” Yu is the image of a child riding an elephant where spontaneous enthusiasm, combined with nature’s enormous transformative power will allow you to trample any barriers that would impede your forward progress.

Like the athlete who enters ‘the zone,’ by overcoming resistance, movement is effortless, and you feel as if you can accomplish anything. Yet, nothing in the environment has really changed, although somewhere within, the illusion of resistance dissipates. Enthusiasm is your devotion to moving forward when you tap life’s positive and free flowing energy.

The master said: “The power of becoming resides in a positively charged core.” The only similarity between Lu and the power of attraction is positive intention. Lu coaches modesty or a willingness to stay practical and grounded. You can fill intention with a concrete desire or preconceived outcome and wonder why it doesn’t arrive. Perhaps you are gaining something fulfilling by playing in fantasy. The texts warn that you need not wait a whole day..you’ve been given the answer. You’ve already seen the signs. Enthusiasm embraces what is. We must sometimes close the door to fantasy so that reality can show us it is even better than we dreamed.

You can approach life with a positive attitude of acceptance, or you can resist and fight against it with your will. The way is much easier when you follow the path of least resistance.

Banging endlessly against a closed door, you might discover that another door remains open. This is the sublimity you will discover when following the energy of life. The nuclear trigram of the Abysmal suggests a wellspring coming up against the Mountain of a closed door.

Water cannot flow up the hill of a hardened perspective, but a profound inner shifting can open the doors of inertia where your devotion to movement magnetizes opportunity. The door was always open; it is a shift in awareness that will allow you to find it. Let your will be the enthusiastic expression of celebrating what comes to pass. In other words, go with the flow because the flow knows where to go. And your boat ride is waiting.