ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author explores the processes of change and balance as reflected in the hexagrams for the contemporary reader. The family is the most powerful institution in society in terms of the formation of the individual. Functional or dysfunctional, the family is our first experience and one that we will carry within ourselves and that will shape our own relationships throughout life. The nature of relationships within the family was firmly prescribed in China, with an intensely masculine and hierarchical prejudice. The same will be true for the word 'Mother', as well as for 'Family'. The eight 'foundation' trigrams reflect the essential nature of the family and constitute a sort of family themselves. The roles of father and mother, sister and brother are archetypally determined; that is, the deep structures and patterns of millions of years of fathering and mothering have created a readiness within for parents and siblings to behave in a particular way.
