16. Enthusiasm

The two trigrams

above

☳

Thunder

震 · zhèn

thunder

below

☷

Earth

坤 · kūn

the earth

The Judgement

This hexagram describes a time of harmony and contentment: thunder comes out of the earth, energy is released, and people willingly follow whoever leads them. The Judgment says that, in the state it implies, feudal princes may be set up and the hosts put in motion, with advantage. In plain terms: this is a moment when people are ready to follow you, when you can delegate, hand out responsibilities, launch collective initiatives, and you will find consent and support. The force that moves everything is the fourth line, the only whole one: the trusted minister, the person who holds the group together. If these days you feel carried along by a shared excitement, a team project, a family celebration, an initiative gathering supporters, that is no accident: it is the enthusiasm the hexagram speaks of. But the commentators warn, line by line, that enthusiasm has a slippery side: boasting, idleness, dependence on pleasure. It must be channelled, as the ancient kings channelled joy into music and ritual. Practical advice: use this momentum to organise, not only to celebrate; give everyone a clear role, set a date, and turn the fervour into a plan that holds even when the euphoria has passed.

The Image

The Image is thunder issuing from the earth with its crashing noise: like a storm that clears the air of oppression, joy bursting out after a long wait. The ancient kings, Legge says, in accordance with this, composed their music and did honour to virtue, presenting it most grandly to God, when they associated with Him at the service their highest ancestor and their father. Joy, to last, needs a form: music, a shared celebration, the memory of those who came before us. If you have a reason to be glad, do not keep it to yourself. Advice: organise a real moment of celebration, with the people you love, and remember those who made it possible for you to get there.

First line

First line: someone proclaims his pleasure and satisfaction out loud. There will be evil. You are low down, with strong backing above you, and joy makes you lose all measure: you boast, you show off, you let everyone know how well you are doing. The commentary says your wishes have been satisfied to overflowing. If you recognise yourself, it is no accident that some people around you are starting to bristle. Advice: enjoy your good fortune quietly, and do not turn contentment into a display.

Second line

Second line: one who is firm as a rock. He sees a thing without waiting till it has come to pass; with his firm correctness there will be good fortune. In the midst of the general excitement, you stay clear-headed: you are not swept along, and that is exactly why you see the signs before others do, the first symptom of a problem, the first crack in an agreement. The commentary says it is thanks to your central and correct position. Advice: trust your instinct and act in time, even if the others are still celebrating.

Third line

Third line: one who looks up for favours, while he indulges the feeling of pleasure and satisfaction. If he would understand! If he is late in doing so, there will indeed be occasion for repentance. You are just below the one holding the reins, and you have settled back: you wait for him to give you something, doing nothing yourself, thinking only of enjoying yourself. The commentary says the position is not the appropriate one. If you depend on someone, a boss, a partner, a parent, and have stopped making an effort, this line is calling you. Advice: change course now, before the regret arrives.

Fourth line

Fourth line: here is the one from whom the harmony and satisfaction come. Great is the success he obtains. Let him not allow suspicions to enter his mind, and thus friends will gather around him. You are the source of the enthusiasm: the strong person the group leans on, the trusted minister. The commentary says your aims take effect on a grand scale. The only danger is distrust: if you start doubting the others, you lose them. Advice: keep faith in yourself and in the people who follow you, and open the doors without suspicion.

Fifth line

Fifth line: one with a chronic complaint, who nevertheless lives on without dying. You hold the place of command, but you are weak, and beside you stands a powerful minister who in fact runs everything; on top of that, pleasure tempts you. It is a condition of malaise that drags on without ever becoming fatal, because you are at the centre and the memory of what has been sustains you. If you are living through something like this, a hollowed-out role, a low energy that lingers, do not despair: you can hold out. Advice: treat that chronic complaint one step at a time and do not let yourself be replaced entirely.

Sixth line

Sixth line: someone with darkened mind, wholly devoted to the pleasure and satisfaction of the moment; but if he changes his course, even when the thing may be considered as completed, there will be no error. This is enthusiasm carried to its extreme, when it turns blind: parties, spending, distractions, no longer seeing where one is heading. The commentary asks: how can one in such a condition continue long? But the door stays open: even at the very end, changing wipes out the blame. If you realise you have overdone it, it is not too late. Advice: stop today, put things back in order, and return to what matters.

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