More on Unity

When I wrote about hexagrams that have to do with unity or uniting yesterday, I mentioned a few that were specifically on unity. But in a sense they all are. Each hexagram teaches us something about unity with our significant other, unity among men and women, and unity with our subconscious, or our higher selves, in other words, with the I Ching.Hexagram eight speaks about unity through allowing those that belong together be together. Hexagram seven speaks about unity for a common cause that requires forceful collection of a group for a common cause, such as the army. Hexagram seventeen teaches us about having something to follow, something that inspires us, and choosing the right people to hang with. Hexagram sixteen teaches us that "religious force" is sometimes required to bring people together, but in that hexagram that religious force is defined mostly as music, which has an inspiring affect upon all, and draws people together through a common source of feeling and emotion.

But today I would talk about hexagram forty one, which isn't as obviously about unity but still has elements of that. Hexagram forty one, especially line three, have a commonality with hexagram fifty nine in that fifty nine tells us that in order to bring people together we must disperse that which does not serve our purpose. The commentary on line three in forty one says, "When there are three people together, jealousy arises. One of them will have to go. A very close bond is possible between only two people. But when one man is lonely, he is certain to find a companion who complements him." This is obviously true in relationships. While it is possible to have many friends, it is possible to have only one lifetime partner. If someone interferes, tries to break in, he or she will either succeed, and the original partner will leave, or will not succeed, and will disappear into the distance. The person who leaves, ultimately finds someone else. A close bond is only possible between two people.

In the same way, only the conscious and the subconscious can unite. In unification they become like the "marriage at Cana" spoken of in the gospel of John. When subconscious and conscious unite, the individual has a power that could not be accomplished alone. His or her life works as a result of this mysterious marriage. When the conscious and the subconscious work together for the benefit of the person, nothing can really stand in their way, and they will accomplish much in their lives. In the same way the whole person must be aligned with the Higher Self. The I Ching is a symbol, or is in a very real sense, the Higher Self itself. It is a great benefactor to the person who partakes of its wisdom (see hexagram forty eight). When we are aligned with the I Ching we find great wisdom guiding and controlling our lives. We develop an understanding that cannot be accomplished any other way.

The fourth line tells us something about how to achieve this union,whether on the physical level, or with the Higher Self. It says, "If a man decreases his faults, It makes the other hasten to come and rejoice." As long as we hang on to our hangups, as long as we hang on to our frustrations, anger, and resentment, even if it is not directed at the person in front of us, it tends, on a subconscious level, to drive the other person away. When we do not resonate with others, we tend to fall away, and eventually find someone who does resonate with us. Hexagram sixty one discusses this in depth. "A crane calling in the shade." And the commentary on line two says, "The crane need not show itself on a high hill. It may be quite hidden when it sounds its call; yet its young will hear its note, will recognize it and give answer." In hexagram sixty one, the concept is that like attracts like. On the physical level, we all know that opposites attract. Yet on the spiritual level the reality is that like attracts like. In hexagram sixty one, the two middle lines are both yang, yet they respond to each other because they are alike. When we are not like those we hang with, eventually the connection will be broken, as it should be, but the upside of this is that one connection is broken so that a proper connection may be found. "Birds of a feather flock together." We need to be very cognizant of who or what we hang with. Is it really in our best interest? Is it a connection that is right for me?

But our connection with the Higher Self is always in our best interest. It is our true soul mate. Our true partner. And we want to learn to hang with our Higher Self. We approach it in hexagram nineteen, we watch it and learn from it in hexagram twenty. We partake of its knowledge in hexagram forty eight. We get rid of our faults in hexagram forty one line four. We disperse the elements within us such as anger and resentment in hexagram forty by learning the lessons of hexagram fifty nine. And the nice thing of all of this is that the same way we make our relationships work, the same way we have "Fellowship with Men," the same way we attract others into our lives, is the same way we approach and come close to the Higher Self, the Sage, the I Ching.