Hexagram Fifty Three and relationships

On onlineclarity.co.uk, I was doing a series on relationships in hexagrams that have the second line yin and the fifth line yang. The principle of the I Ching is that the first third and fifth lines of the hexagram are more properly yang, and the second, fourth, and six lines of a hexagram are more properly yin. It is not necessary at this point to go into that any deeper.

I have just discussed, minimally, hexagram twenty five, and was asked if I could talk about hexagram fifty three. There are a few things I can about that. Hexagram fifty three is another hexagram that contains a yin line in the lower central point of the lower trigram, and a yang line in the central line of the upper trigram. Therefore, it tends to lend itself to instruction about relationships as well. (Of course, it's usefulness is infinite, not just about relationships).

One of the first things that jumps out at mean while reading the Wilhelm/Baynes commentary on the I Ching is as quoted, "The development must be allowed to take its proper course." Is it clear how the message here has an afinity with the message in hexagram 25? Hexagram twenty tells us that we are not to take "contrived" action. That we must simply do the work and allow things to follow naturally. Here we see a related message in the sense that "we cannot force the issue." We must simply do the work, and from that point wait for the proper time. We can plant a tree and cultivate it, but the fruit ripens at its own rate and we cannot force it.

In relationships, this principle is applicable for both men and women, but men in general have a harder time with it, as it is natural for them to be goal oriented. When a more immature man sees an attractive women he is immediately interested, and he will do thing to test the waters or try to create some action. This is natural for men because it seems they must do something or nothing happens. In a way this is true, but it is important that they be very careful about what they do do, and make sure it doesn't appear as an unnatural attempt at seduction. Even more mature men will do the same thing, just more subtley. Unfortunately women pick up on this mannerism much more quickly than men would. Men are activators and go getters. They must learn to allow things to mature at their own rate just as a fruit ripens on the tree. Men must be able to allow things to happen in their own course, and not to move too quickly in a relationship. At the same time, it would be wise for women not to interpret every friendly gesture as meaning something that would create sexual tension. (Sexual tension seems to be a term women understand but men have no clue what it is, they don't feel it. And since they don't, they often do not know how they are coming across.)

I think that is enough for the moment. I will try to get more on this subject in the next day or so.

Gene