10/19/19

Tuan: the gua poem or judgment or "to expel evil spirits"

Old character (sealscript)

Tuan, the judgment of the hexagrams, is a picture of a pig. Or that is what we are told. It is also part of the name of hex.33, withdrawing. In 33 the pig has to do with sacrificing. When one withdraws, one sacrifices all those nice things of the world 'out there'. But one also gets rid of everything which keeps one from being oneself.

The traditional character, still used in Taiwan.


The old oracle bone character does look like a pig - with some imagination. But for those who have experience with pigs, it does show one. Screaming, wriggling, big ears, and the one at right with a big belly or maybe many nipples.

The judgment is not just a description of the workings of a hexagram, it is the incantation which belongs to the moment of a hexagram. When you want to solve a situation like hex.47, you need a different invocation than in a situation like hex.11. A different 'hex'...

Judgment of 11: Mount Tai: small proceeds, great comes up. Auspicious. Expansion. 
And judgment of 47: Confined, expansion - determination. Great people auspicious. No fault. Words are not believed.

In hex.11 an expectation of better times coming along. No further specific advice.
In hex.47 advice to divine and to act on what the spirits tell you, and to look for great people, and also a warning that words will not be believed.

See Harmen's text about tuan.

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