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24 Returning (Cycling)
In a context of enlightenment, a new beginning, we utilise trust.

Trigrams : enlightenment (bottom), dual-mindedness (top) : with/from enlightenment comes dual-mindedness. [earth over thunder]

The mud from which 24 has emerged is best described by analogy to the under-stated qualities of hexagram 23 - cutting back to the 'true' faith.

A situation of a beginning or re-beginning, the latter reflecting the completion of some cycle and so the commencing of the next.

Commentary:

Cooperative Format : In hexagram 24 we are at a point of crossing, symbolically from the dark(uncomfortable) to the light. This is a 'knowing' lateral movement in that there is no sense of innocence here; we have been somewhere, tempted away, and are coming back to 'the path'. Contextually we separate chaff from wheat leading to augmentation by a return to the 'correct' path.

Oppositional Format : Hexagram 24 manifests a ray of light suddenly appearing in the dark.

Structural Format (Being): 24 is the opposite of hexagram 44 in that 24 reflects returning to a path as compared to being persuaded/seduced away from a path or onto another path.

Temporal Format (Doing): The goal of 24 is hexagram 02 (or 'how do I 02? - 24' - How do I express total devotion? Return to the one 'true' path)

Five-Phase Relationships : The trigram of Thunder reflects raw Production. The trigram of Earth reflects Filtration (through faith). The focus is on coming back to the 'true' faith, on repeating the cycle of development.

24 is the goal of 07 (or 'how do I 24? - 07' - How do I stick to the one path? establish uniformity, rigid order)

 

The I Ching tells us about hexagram 24:

Genotype

Description

Phenotype

(01)

 How does this hexagram express singlemindedness, competitiveness?

44

(02)

 What is this hexagram's potential form?

24

(03)

 How does this hexagram 'sprout'?

8

(04)

 How does this hexagram learn social skills?

41

(05)

 How does this hexagram wait for opportunity to come?

48

(06)

 How does this hexagram compromise, meet half way?

10

(07)

 How does this hexagram express uniformity, establishment of?

19

(08)

 How does this hexagram passively attract?

3

(09)

 How does this hexagram express making small gains to be noticed?

57

(10)

 How does this hexagram traverse a path carefully?

6

(11)

 How does this hexagram balance/harmonise, mediate?

46

(12)

 How does this hexagram neutralise attacks on its core beliefs?

25

(13)

 How does this hexagram express association with the likeminded?

33

(14)

 How does this hexagram manage from the centre? Direct operations? Push ideology?

50

(15)

 How does this hexagram level things out, keep words close to facts?

36

(16)

 How does this hexagram express foresight/planning?

51

(17)

 How does this hexagram find a faith? What is its faith?

45

(18)

 How does this hexagram correct corruption, express that correction?

26

(19)

 How does this hexagram express approaching the 'high'; defer to the 'low'?

7

(20)

 How does this hexagram elicit admiration and so invigorate others passively?

42

(21)

 How does this hexagram resolve problems?

35

(22)

 What does this hexagram look like, how does it present itself to the outside?

52

(23)

 How does this hexagram 'housekeep', clear chaff to bring out the wheat?

27

(24)

 How does this hexagram 'start', express 'beginning'?

2

(25)

 How does this hexagram stand up to say its piece, ignoring consequences, disentangle?

12

(26)

 How does this hexagram express 'holding firm' to traditions?

18

(27)

 What is the basic, skeletal form of this hexagram, The mud from which it has emerged?

23

(28)

 How does this hexagram express excess, go beyond what is required?

43

(29)

 How does this hexagram assert containment/control?

60

(30)

 How does this hexagram express guidance/direction setting?

56

(31)

 How does this hexagram 'woo', express restrained enticement?

49

(32)

 How does this hexagram express commitment?

34

(33)

 How does this hexagram draw-in its enemies, competitively entice?

13

(34)

 How does this hexagram actively invigorate others?

32

(35)

 How does this hexagram bring something into the 'light'?

21

(36)

 How does this hexagram protect its 'light' when not its time?

15

(37)

 How does this hexagram reflect rigid structure as a form of tension release?

53

(38)

 How does this hexagram 'mirror', deal with opposition?

64

(39)

 How does this hexagram obstruct, go against, stand up to, the flow?

63

(40)

 How does this hexagram express tension release through relaxing structure?

54

(41)

 How does this hexagram achieve clarity, concentration, distillation?

4

(42)

 How does this hexagram reflect augmentation?

20

(43)

 How does this hexagram 'seed', spread the word?

28

(44)

 How does this hexagram persuade/seduce?

1

(45)

 How does this hexagram celebrate its 'faith'?

17

(46)

 How does this hexagram become more entangled with something/someone?

11

(47)

 How does this hexagram integrate with the context, be it by choice or otherwise?

58

(48)

 Where does this hexagram get its nutrition, what sustains it, keeps it going?

5

(49)

 How does this hexagram reveal, unmask?

31

(50)

 How does this hexagram express conversion of the raw to the cooked, transformation?

14

(51)

 How does this hexagram express surprise, enlightenment, shock?

16

(52)

 How does this hexagram express blocking, discernment?

22

(53)

 How does this hexagram express gradual development, maturity?

37

(54)

 How does this hexagram expend early energy, immaturity?

40

(55)

 How does this hexagram deal with abundance/overflowing?

62

(56)

 How does this hexagram demonstrate conditional loyalty; loyalty at a distance?

30

(57)

 How does this hexagram cultivate and become influential?

9

(58)

 How does this hexagram express itself intensely, self-reflect?

47

(59)

 How does this hexagram make things clear, dispel illusions? lift the fog?

61

(60)

 How does this hexagram standardise?

29

(61)

 How does this hexagram express empathy? yielding, soft core, hard exterior?

59

(62)

 How does this hexagram express overacting to establish unconditional loyalty?

55

(63)

 How does this hexagram complete, 'get it right'?

39

(64)

 How does this hexagram remain 'open', mis-sequence?

38

 

Some PAIRINGS of hexagram 24 and other hexagrams:

With this pair, just as 23 prunes, and does so from within the belief, so 24 returns to the belief. Both reflect 'coming back to'.

RETURN TO FAITH:

23 : return to the faith - through refurbishing, pruning; 23 refurbish, prune, comes out of a context described by hexagram 24 - returning

24 : return to the faith - through come back to; 24 returning comes out of a context described by hexagram 23 - pruning

This pairing reflects an overall sense of 'emptiness' which is resolved by (a) hexagram 24 and a return to the 'true' belief (integrating, re-integrating) and (b) by hungering to be filled and so grasping whatever is at hand (differentiating). This pairing also reflects filtration issues (the EARTH phase in five-phase theory) - such that 24 returns to the 'true' path (and so 'with enlightenment comes devotion') and 27 reflects the hungering that can come with this return as it can also reflect the hungering that leads to the return.
This pair reflects issues of being drawn back to a path (24) vs being seduced away from a path (44).

At the LOCAL level we are dealing with an octet of hexagrams with the THUNDER trigram as base. In this sequence hexagram 24, the focus upon returning to the 'true' path, opposes hexagram 25, disentangling. More so, the exaggerated sense of asserting one's opinion without fear of, consideration of, consequence is reflected in a more balanced format through a 'soft' return to a 'true' belief.

In this pairing there is focus on issues of purity where 24 comes back to it and 41 focuses on manufacturing it.
A combination of a need to be 'filled', together with a focus on pruning, on removing the chaff, is reflected in the 'return' focus of hexagram 24.
The pairing of hexagram 02 and 24 reflects the subtle differences in expression focused on the base line of a trigram. Here the 'receptivity' of yangness, as expressed in hexagram 02, is 'hardened' at a general level to be reflected in the focus of hexagram 24 in returning to the 'one true faith'. In pure yinness there is no such need for any particular where the natural devotion skills reflected in 02 elicit immediate, unconditional intimacy.
 
Copyright © 2003-2009 C. J. Lofting