I-Ching & Health & Wellbeing
Health encompasses body, mind, and spirit. These hexagrams address nourishment, rest, modesty, gentle perseverance, and the contemplative practices that sustain wellbeing.
Key Hexagrams (8)
頤Yí — Nourishment
Steady attention to what you feed yourself—body and mind—brings good fortune. Watch what a person takes in and what they put out. That tells you everything about their character. The mouth works both ways: what you consume and what you speak.
艮Gèn — Keeping Still
Keeping his back still so that he no longer feels his body. He goes into his courtyard and does not see his people. No blame. True quiet means keeping still when the time has come to keep still, and going forward when the time has come to go forward. Rest and movement in agreement with the demands of the time—thus there is light in life. When the movement of the spinal nerves is brought to a standstill, the ego with its restlessness disappears. When calm, you may turn to the outside world. You no longer see struggle and tumult but have that peace of mind needed for understanding the great laws of the universe.
謙Qiān — Modesty
Modesty creates success. The person of character carries things through to completion. Heaven empties fullness and fills modesty. Earth transforms fullness and flows toward the modest. Spirits harm the full and bless the humble. Human hearts hate excess and love restraint.
升Shēng — Pushing Upward
Supreme success. One must see the great man. Fear not. Departure toward the south brings good fortune. Pushing upward encounters no obstruction and is accompanied by great success. This is made possible not by violence but by modesty and adaptability. Borne along by favorable time, you advance. Go to see authoritative people without fear—success is assured. But you must set to work; activity brings good fortune.
巽Xùn — The Gentle
Success through what is small. It furthers one to have somewhere to go. It furthers one to see the great man. Penetration produces gradual and inconspicuous effects—not by an act of violation but by influence that never lapses. Results of this kind are less striking than those won by surprise attack, but more enduring and more complete. To produce such effects, you must have a clearly defined goal. Only when influence works always in the same direction can the object be attained. Small strength can achieve its purpose only by subordinating itself to an eminent person capable of creating order.
坤Kūn — The Receptive
You're not forcing—you're following. Success comes through the mare's responsive strength, not the stallion's charge. Find helpers in the work; stay objective when planning alone.
觀Guān — Contemplation
The ablution has been made, but not yet the offering. They look up with full trust. The ritual has begun—the sacred moment before the central act. Genuine inner preparation creates the reverence others feel.
中孚Zhōng Fú — Inner Truth
Pigs and fishes. Good fortune. It furthers one to cross the great water. Persistence furthers. Pigs and fishes are the least intelligent of all animals and therefore the most difficult to influence. The force of inner truth must grow great indeed before its influence can extend to such creatures. The whole secret of success depends on finding the right way of approach. First rid yourself of all prejudice and let the psyche of the other person act on you without restraint. Then you will establish contact, understand, and gain power. But this force is not identical with simple intimacy or a secret bond. Association on the basis of common interests holds only up to a certain point. Only when the bond is based on what is right, on steadfastness, will it remain so firm that it triumphs over everything.