These sixty-four resulting hexagrams, then, are the images that symbolize all existing things, ideas, concepts, and, most important for this book, people—the “10,000 things” mentioned previously.
These sixty-four hexagrams form the core of the sixty-four chapters of the I Ching. When someone does divination or looks for advice from the I Ching, it is one of these sixty-four hexagrams that they end up with, as well as the ancient texts and comments that explain what each hexagram means.
Yet it is important to remember that every hexagram is rooted in the trigrams, the Yin/Yang, and the Tao. To really understand a hexagram, we can retrace these steps from pure Tao to manifest reality. For example, the hexagram above is #11, Prospering. Why? Let me show you.
This hexagram is formed of an equal balance of Yin and Yang lines, this is very good. The trigram in the “Heaven” place (i.e., the top) is Earth, the trigram in the “Earth” place (the bottom half) is Heaven. This is excellent because we have real balance. The Yin power is manifesting in the Yang arena and vice versa.
Interestingly enough, the opposite hexagram (with the two trigrams reversed) is negative. It is called Standstill.
Why Standstill? Because Yin pulls down and this is where the Yin trigram is, Yang pulls upward and this is where the Yang or Heaven trigram is. Thus, like goes to like and there is no union, no blending, no interaction; only a kind of separation and stasis. This is not good! Can you see in this how the I Ching is based on Taoism, with its emphasis on uniting opposites, on flowing, blending, moving, and changing? It is very different from most “fixed” Western ideas and philosophies.
Natal Hexagrams
If we see reality as an ever-shifting, ever-changing flow of forces, then it would follow that as each individual is born, he or she manifests a specific and unique blend of these forces and concepts. This is, in fact, true, and though our lives are what we make of them, it is the natal hexagram that indicates what specific attributes and forces were fixed “in flesh” the moment we came into the world. Thus a person’s natal hexagram can be seen much as a natal astrology chart is seen: a pattern set at the moment of birth that indicates the strengths, weaknesses, talents, and, most important, natural tendencies that a person is born with. This doesn’t mean anything, however, if that person does nothing with those tendencies or works hard at eliminating the negative ones. For example, if a person has the tendency to be a great artist but never does art, then it has no real meaning. Yet the natal hexagram is very useful in many ways. Let’s look first at the trigrams as they relate to natal hexagrams so that you can better understand how one is interpreted and understood.
As we mentioned, trigrams are the basic natural forces of our world, thus their names: Mountain, Wind, Rain, and so on. It is important to realize that these are but symbols for wider-reaching, more intensive forces that include personality traits and deep motivations. Here, then, is a list of the trigrams with some of the traditional attributes as well as some attributes that relate directly to understanding how these trigrams relate to people and how they can be seen in light of natal hexagrams.
When looking at the personal attributes that are connected with natal hexagrams, keep in mind that they are simply forces and indications, some basic feelings and ideas. Thus, a person with K’UN in his or her natal hexagram may not necessarily be weak or yielding; this is only one of many facets that go into an individual’s overall character, much as salt is only one ingredient in a complex soup!
With that in mind, here are some of the natal hexagram personality attributes assigned to the trigrams:
K'UN/Earth: Weak, yielding, nourishing, responsive, receptive, adaptive, frugal, supportive, farmer, village-oriented, loving rustic things
CHEN/Thunder: Arousing energy, active, exciting, growing, expanding, stimulating, traveling, quickness, communication, managerial, electric, shocking
TUI/Lake: Satisfied, kind, full, excessive, open, pleasure-loving, hedonistic, singer, erotic, adaptive, entertaining, art-loving, easygoing
CH'IEN/Heaven: Creative, strong, firm, light, ruler, cold, serious, organizing, powerful, intensely focused, centered, aggressive, assertive
SUN/Wind: Simple, gentle, penetrating, gradual, honest, lofty, loquacious, witty, advancing and receding, long-term, soft, ethereal
K'EN/ Mountain: Waiting, calm, immobile, still, stubborn, perverse, family-oriented, meditative, spiritual, questing
LI/Fire: Illuminating, intelligent, conscious, dependent, clarity, teacher, artistic, drawn to beauty, gourmet, dilettante, sharp
K'AN/Rain: Profound, difficult, danger-seeking, anxious, deep, mysterious, dreamer, thief, removes obstacles, intuitive
And what do these trigrams mean in relation to you and me? Well, as we saw, the eight trigrams are considered to be the basic building blocks of the universe, and at the moment of birth two particular trigrams come to the fore and combine to determine our key traits, our physical, mental, and spiritual selves lean toward a specific combination of trigrams. This, then, gives us our natal hexagram.
As mentioned, the Yin and Yang emerge from Tao and the eight trigrams are born from Yin/Yang. From the eight trigrams all the billions of things and people that go to make up reality are created, and these are symbolized by the sixty-four hexagrams.
Of course, we are all a completely unique manifestation of the Tao, of the cosmos. For example, two people, John and Sam, with the same natal hexagram (let’s say #11), would still be different people. They may have similar tendencies, they may have similar strengths, weaknesses, talents, and even similar interests. At the very least, if they were to meet, they’d have a lot to talk about, and they would either hit it off because they were so similar or dislike each other because they had similar drawbacks and could see in each other things they disliked about themselves. What each of us does with our natal hexagram tendencies is the key to how we live our lives.
On Reading Natal Hexagrams
In the next section of this book is the method for finding a person’s natal hexagram. After you have found your hexagram, and your friend’s hexagram, and your enemy’s hexagram, you will gain insight into what makes them tick as well as what their potential strengths and weaknesses are. Yet we have to be careful. Having given natal hexagram readings for about fifteen years, I must tell you that the readings in this book are limited. Let me explain why.
A person may be born with a terrible temper, yet the parents may work very hard at helping the child deal with this facet of his or her character to such an extent that it never becomes an issue in adult life. Another problem is that some of the inclinations or tendencies may influence each other, be contradictory, or even cancel each other out! This is why this book is best used with a bit of intuition.
“True will” is the optimal manifestation of the Tao through you in this life. It means strengthening one’s positive traits while minimizing or embracing the negative traits in such a way that they are transformed into growth and wisdom. In this sense everyone starts with a certain configuration, symbolized by the natal hexagram, but what each of us makes of our lives is very much up to us. Just because a person has lethargic tendencies does not mean that he or she can’t be a pro-baseball player or a ski champion. What I’m trying to say is that the True Will of a person is indicated by a natal hexagram, but it also supersedes the natal hexagram. Thus, the natal hexagram should be seen not as limiting but as a set of indications and a way of understanding.
Keeping these things in mind, the natal hexagram can be very useful for self-discovery as well as for understanding the behavior, viewpoint, and emotional makeup of others. When I know someone’s natal