ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author explores the processes of change and balance as reflected in the hexagrams for the contemporary reader. Sun is one of the eight foundation trigrams, or forces, in the I Ching, and represents the way of the Gentle, the way of wind and wood. Notwithstanding its association with gentleness, Sun reflects complex – even paradoxical – energies. Wind and Wood share some characteristics and have others that are particular to each of them, but they come together in the image of the tree. Wood acts on wind to deflect it; wind acts on wood to weed out weak growth, thus contributing to the health of what remains. The line that defines Sun is the yielding line in the first position, and this leads to an association with a quality that is difficult to describe in positive terms; it is a willingness not to stand out, not to draw attention to it.
