Welcome to Hexagram 12 of the I Ching,
Known as Stagnation.
The themes here are of standing still,
Of obstacles and patience.
There are times when the flow halts,
When obstacles block the way and progress seems distant.
This hexagram of stagnation calls us to recognize these pauses and to accept standing still with patience and wisdom.
When looking at the symbolism of this hexagram,
The image shows heaven completely in the upper trigram and earth completely in the lower trigram,
Indicating there is not intercommunication.
This positioning is an indication of a lack of good understanding,
Perhaps a time of struggle or disruption,
Confusion,
Where there may appear to be blockages.
The deeper message through the wisdom of the standstill hexagram teaches that stagnation is not defeat,
It is a necessary phase.
Through stillness we learn patience,
Prepare for change and have an opportunity to reflect deeply,
For true progress emerges after pausing.
Do you know where you are currently blocked or feeling stagnant?
How can you embrace this stillness without despair?
The times when one feels and moves through deep uncomfortable emotions is the time when much inner work can be done.
Can you cultivate calm amid frustration or other powerful emotions?
Being still physically,
Mentally,
While the emotions may be very busy,
And so through such times when we may be feeling this deep stagnation,
We are invited to go within,
Accept the invitation to stay still.
To be self-parent,
To parent from the place of the wise spiritual one,
Letting go of resistance and force of any kind and simply pausing,
Observing and waiting in trust.
Imagine a frozen river,
Waiting for spring's warmth to flow again,
Or a barren winter forest,
Quiet,
Dormant,
Holding life within.
Spiritually,
The wisdom from this hexagram reminds us to trust the cycles of nature,
Honouring rest as part of growth.
When you feel like there is this obstruction or a setback,
Often due to conflicting extremes,
As the imagery in these two trigrams indicate,
The one extreme young,
The other extreme young,
Struggling to find a middle ground of communication between the two,
At such times,
Ask of oneself,
How can I find peace in this situation?
And let me find the strength to endure this time standing still.
Verse 16 of the Dada Ching gives further guidance for times like these.
It says,
Bring yourself steadily to absolute emptiness.
Preserve your tranquility in a careful fashion,
Like a slow walking horse.
All creatures are brought into being one after another,
But with this,
I perceive their return.
Listen,
Creatures are of countless varieties,
But each returns to its root.
Returning to its root is called tranquility.
And this is called returning to its natural given cause.
Returning to its natural given cause is called the unchanging.
Understanding the unchanging is called the bright and clear.
If you do not understand the unchanging,
You will be doing things in the dark.
This is ill-omened.
If you know the unchanging,
You will have latitude.
Having latitude is being open to all.
Being open to all is being kingly.
Being kingly is being as broad as heaven.
Being as broad as heaven is the way.
And the way transcends time.
In this way,
You will be without danger until your body sinks beneath the sea of existence.
