Fifty-Three

渐 :: Steadfast / Gradual Development :: Wind or Wood/Mountain

Channelled Mandala for Hexagram 53 of the I-Ching

The elementals for this trigram are Wind atop Mountain. The imagery that comes to mind is the UFO clouds, as lenticular clouds are sometimes called. They look like giant marshmallows with many stacked layers, which gives them the saucer-like formation that earned them the nickname of UFO clouds. You would likely have seen some of these incredible sights in photos, usually over famous mountains like Mount Fuji.

These lens-shaped clouds form when the air is stable and winds blow across hills and mountains, as the air rises and cools. The cooler air is no longer able to hold the water vapour it formerly could when warm, and the extra water vapour condenses into water droplets and thus forms stratus or lenticular clouds. They are actually in constant motion, forming and dissipating as air flows over and around the mountains. To the naked eye, though, they seem stationary, sometimes lasting in the same position for extended periods of time, giving the impression of hovering over mountain tops.

This slow and gradual process forms the understanding around Trigram 53.

The ideogram 渐 consists of 3 parts - the flow of water, and the name of the river Jian in China, whose fountainhead lies in the mountains in DanYang, flowing through the vast plains in central China and eventually making its way Eastward to join the Ocean. The process of a river merging into the sea is always moving and flowing, and not necessarily slow, but it is absolutely never rushed or hurried, because it knows it will get there. Thus, the sequence for this trigram represents how things cannot be in continued states of stillness without moving, and after periods of stillness, gradual movement and progress are a natural progression.

The top element can be interpreted as Wind or sometimes Wood. If understood as Wood, the imagery is a Tree growing atop a Mountain. As water always flows downwards, trees on mountains will need to cultivate a strong and deep root system in order to access water, and so its growth goes both ways - upwards towards the sunlight but more importantly, downwards into the earth for firm foundations. This also ensures survival during storms, soil erosion, and landslides. Either way, lenticular clouds, river flows, and mountain trees all take their time to form.

"The structure of the gua is Wood above, Mountain below. It denotes a tree that is growing gradually to its fullest height on a mountain. When the trunk of a tree grows upward above the ground, its roots develop deep underneath the earth. The progress of upward and downward growth is in positive proportion. In this way, the tree remains strong, firm, and stable. This is the wisdom of nature."

- The Complete I Ching, Taoist Master Alfred Huang

In The Oracle, we are advised not to be fooled by overnight success and instant gratification, not to become distracted by the progress of others, but to stay true to our own pace, albeit seemingly slow, one small and honourable step at a time. Success will come when success does, and what is yours will not pass you by. Attempting to hasten one’s results might result in the shortening of the final success.

"Do not seek overnight success. Forgo instant gratification. A tree can grow at the peak of a mountain if it grows slowly and steadily, with deep roots. Building a strong foundation is more important than reaching for the high branches. Do not try to change your nature; instead, embrace your nature. Play to your own strengths. You are at the beginning of a long journey. You find yourself in the midst of unfamiliar circumstances, and you will have to adapt quickly. Before you know for sure what you are up against, retreat to a position of safety. Slow and steady to the summit."

- I Ching, the Oracle, Benebell Wen

Just as an additional point, there are 4 hexagrams in the I-Ching that relate to unions:

- Hexagrams 31: mutual attraction and sexual chemistry

- Hexagram 32: long-term commitment

- Hexagram 53: engagement and laying the groundwork for the relationship

- Hexagram 54: social conduct and proper decorum to keep the union long-lasting

The ancient sages taught that true love, mutual understanding, values, and behaviours that ensure harmony in a relationship all take time to cultivate. Rushing into union prematurely will not do the marriage justice.

The discussion in the Gene Keys bring the themes of Development to the individual. The shadow when repressed are frozen with fear, overcome with sadness and cling to the control of wanting to keep everything status quo; when reactive, the shadow is driven by greed and never sits still long enough to allow the individual to evolve, causing one to flirt from one thing to another without follow through.

The gift of the 53rd is the understanding that true growth pushes beyond its comfort zone, demanding that one transcends one’s personal opinions and views, to attempt to understand what is going on by shifting into the frequency of expansion in the heart, which allows for true expansion of one’s awareness. This requires that we let go of the definitions of who we are and where we think we are going, and align with the universal evolutionary impulse by surrendering to the process, which ultimately leads to the siddhi of SuperAbundance as we realise that we are always a becoming.

To the truly awakened, one discovers the pearl of the Buddha’s teachings - with Consciousness, there is no birth and no death, it simply IS.

A quick snapshot of the description of the hexagram from various sources:

The Oracle: Steadfast

The Rave I-Ching, Human Design: The Gate of Beginnings :: Development as a structured progression that is both steadfast and organic

Book of Lines: New Beginnings :: Development - Gradual advance takes place as an organic process that brings increasing self-knowledge and experience

Gene Keys: Immaturity | Expansion | SuperAbundance

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