27 Hungering In a context of enlightenment, a new beginning, we utilise discernment.

Trigrams : enlightenment (bottom), discernment (top) : with/from enlightenment comes discernment. [mountain over thunder]

The mud from which 27 has emerged is best described by analogy to the under-stated qualities of hexagram 02, devoting.

Commentary :

In hexagram 27 we recognize that nourishment is a vital part of generation, without it we die. But it does not need to have meaning, it just needs to be filling; be warned. Contextually, a degree of devotion and openness develops into a difficult beginning and one hungers for information.

Five-Phase Relationships : The trigram of Thunder reflects raw Production. The trigram of Mountain reflects Filtration-by-discernment. Production through Filtration-by-discernment is expresses as hungering for 'food' with a warning on what comes into one's mouth ('take in') as well as what comes out of one's mouth ('furnish what is necessary').

Goal of 27 - hexagram 43 (or 'how do I 43? - 27')

27 is the goal of 04 (or 'how do I 27? - 04' How do I hunger? Fill the 'inside'? Through education, masking )

The I Ching tells us about hexagram 27:

In the EIC we focus on meaning generation and the hexagrams serving as 'memes', the memory version of genes, and as such a form of language, coding for basic meanings derived at the neurological level of our species. As such, a hexagram in its own context has no differences between genotype, or memotype, and phenotype, the form of expression of that gene/meme.

Thus hexagram 27 in its own context covers issues of quality control and the level of developing an infrastructure, a skeletal form, and filling-in that form, adding meat and muscle and so satisfying a 'need' to be filled.
The trigrams reflect a bottom trigram of thunder, with its focus on surprise, shock, an original distinction, and a top trigram of mountain, with its focus on self-restraint doubled to give us a focus on discernment, quality control.

If a context is described by some other hexagram, we can identify the expression of the qualities of hexagram 27 through that context by XORing hexagram 27 with the hexagram describing the context. For example, if the context is described by hexagram 01 then XORing 01 with 27 gives us hexagram 28. The generic characteristics of hexagram 28 cover excess and as such here indicates 'too much yang' as the description of the skeletal form or 'mud/clay' to which we add content and so shape what hexagram 01 represents.

Another example is to hexagram 37. If we XOR hexagram 27 with 37 we get hexagram 39. Thus the infrastructure of hexagram 37 and its 'rigid structuring to reduce tension' (aka the family/clan) is the initial establishment of an obstruction, an obstacle that goes against the flow, that sticks out forcing the need to go around or combat. This is then developed into covering the two sides of 39, dealing with an obstacle by going around it, as well as being an obstacle against the 'mindless flow'.
The trigrams read "with self-restraint comes control".

Thus the infrastructure or 'mud/clay' from which 37 has developed is described by this analogy to the generic properties of hexagram 39 where the analogy is made through XORing hexagram 27 with hexagram 37. Below is the table covering the full spectrum of hexagram 27:

Some PAIRINGS of hexagram 27 with other hexagrams:

• In the binary sequence hexagram 27 pairs with hexagram 24.

This pairing reflects an overall sense of 'emptyness' 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.

• In the binary sequence hexagram 27 opposes hexagram 28.

This pairing reflects the differences of being 'empty' and so developing a hungering (27) vs being too full (28). This overall focus is on excess, as in excess of emptyness vs excess of fullness. 28 can be extended to include the concept of doing more than is required to aid in someway, to go the extra distance etc.

At the LOCAL level we are dealing with an octet of hexagrams with the THUNDER trigram as base. In this sequence hexagram 27, the focus upon hungering, 'opposes' hexagram 17, establishing a belief, someone/something to follow. More so, the exaggerated sense of finding a particular belief system (17) is reflected in a more balanced format through a focus on using discernment in ingesting 'brain food' (27).

• In the traditional sequence hexagram 27 pairs with hexagram 28.

In this pair the focus is on consequences of excess, be it an excess of being empty (27) or an excess of being full (28).

EXCESS:

27 : excess - through too little, too empty, needs filling, hungering; 27 hungering comes from a context described by hexagram 02 - devoting, trusting others, dualmindedness

28 : excess - through too much, to full, needs emptying; 28 exceeding comes from a context described by hexagram 01 - singlemindedness, trust in self

• In the traditional sequence hexagram 27 opposes hexagram 38.

• The generic properties of hexagram 27 reflect the mixing of the generic properties of hexagram 24 mixed with the generic properties of hexagram 02.

A combination of a sense of 'returning' (24) with a focus on devotion (02) is reflected in the 'hungering' of hexagram 27.

• In the variations on a theme sequence, hexagram 27 complements hexagram 23.

This paring reflects issues of devotion through (a) the hungering for 'brain food' in 27 and (b) the pruning of an existing perspective. Both reflect a focus on basics.

Copyright © 2003-2009 C. J. Lofting