ABSTRACT
Retreat is seen as cowardly or lazy; periods of retreat are permissible only in a religious context. Then the retreat down the mountain is simply part of the wholeness of the experience, coming back to earth, becoming grounded again. In the west we seldom recognize the wisdom of an appropriate and timely retreat. Calendar hexagram reminds us of the importance of recognizing when the time has come to retreat, when the times themselves are not congruent with persistent movement in one direction. The lines reflect the change in energy, in that the yin lines, the lines of darkness, are beginning to rise up into the hexagram, displacing the yang or light lines. The theme of the hexagram is suggested by the image of the mountain below and the heavens above: we may climb a mountain because we find the challenge and achievement exciting and life-affirming, or simply because we enjoy the experience and appreciate the view at end of it.
