Hexagram Twenty Four

Hexagram twenty four corresponds to the same time period as is traditionally prescribed to the birth of Christ. There is a reason for this, it is at the beginning of the Sun’s transiting into the sign of Capricorn that the Sun (Son) begins to rise again. The days get longer. The sign rises in the sky, in the sense of coming higher in the Northern Hemisphere. The significance of this is that in hexagram twenty four things start to change for the better, and with the birth of Christ, light is given to the nations. The Wilhelm/Baynes commentary says “The movement is natural, arising spontaneously.” In other words, it is not forced, it is a condition due to the times. As the sun rises up over the northern hemisphere, the earth is devoted and receptive to the movement.

As a rule, it is at the beginning of the new year that we make resolutions, resolving to do better and make amends in the new year. The judgment text says, “going out and coming in without error.” The old is over, it is time to start again, to start again on a higher level, This time comes after a time of decay as described in hexagram twenty three.

The time of return applies on both a physical and a spiritual level. For, in fact, the physical level is just a mirror image of the spiritual. Thus the saying, “as above, so below.” Supposedly, the birth of the Christ Child predawns a time of spiritual awakening. He brings us light, in a time of spiritual darkness. The world is immersed deeply into the belief in materialism, that consciousness is merely a phenomenon of material interaction. The Christ child, and the time of Return brings back the light and gives men new hope.

The text of hexagram twenty four says, “Friends come without blame.” When we return to the spiritual way, to the way that brings us light, we allow the entering of “meaningful guests,” in other words, spiritual and cosmic helpers that open our eyes to greater spiritual depths. These guests may be friends we are consciously aware of, or not consciously aware of. When we follow the spiritual path, there is a collapsing of the quantum wave that ultimately is for our good, though for a time it may not seem so. This does not necessarily happen quickly or exactly when we want, but sooner or later it will happen. (Confer with hexagram fifty line four, “But if he will only see to it that he is possessed of something truly spiritual, the time is bound to come, sooner or later, when the difficulties will be resolved, and all will be well.”) “For we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.:” St Paul. There is a big emphasis these days on books that teach that we can follow the heart and all will be provided for us. In a way this is true, but often people try to do this and end up broke and penniless, and totally discouraged. There is one factor that is often left out. We have to be doing the will of God, otherwise it doesn’t work, except in the sense that one may be doing jobs that we love. The universe will normally take care of us, providing we are doing what we are supposed to be doing. One cannot follow their every whim and expect to get rich, normally at least. One must be doing everything possible to know and understand the will of God.

We will get back to this later.