ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author explores the processes of change and balance as reflected in the hexagrams. In this hexagram, the progress of the light has passed the point of its greatest magnitude and, naturally, the dark will gain ascendancy until it reaches its extreme. Although the natural cycle of the seasons is recognized in the I Ching, in this particular hexagram the re-entry of the dark is seen as dangerous and something to be dealt with quickly, before it grows into a more serious threat. The return of the light is an event to be welcomed and celebrated, and the new growth is to be tended with care; the return of the dark is viewed as a dangerous time. Dealing with the dark has many ramifications, and the first encounter of the light and the dark, reflected in this hexagram. It represents the dark of the earth and the womb, the mysteries of sexuality and death.
