45 萃 Gathering Together
Judgement
A community gathers around a center: the king goes to his ancestral temple. Success is possible for whoever joins the right person, always with firmness and integrity, and offering the best you have is a good sign. Gathering gives strength. But what draws people is shared meaning, not just numbers. Ask yourself what your people gather around, and whether that center is clear enough.
Image
The lake rises above the earth, about to overflow. When many people gather, there is danger of overflow. The wise person keeps their weapons in good order, to be ready for the unforeseen. Gathering takes foresight. Ask yourself what could go wrong in your group and what simple preparation you can make today, without alarm, to be ready if it does.
Lines
Line 1
You have a sincere wish for union, but cannot carry it out, and disorder follows. If you cry out for help, tears suddenly turn to a smile. Do not worry about the passing difficulty: going forward, you are unlikely to go wrong. Ask yourself whom you can call without shame.
Line 2
Someone guides you forward, it tends to go well and you are unlikely to go wrong. There is complete sincerity, and then even the most modest offerings of the spring sacrifice are welcome. No luxury is needed: it is enough that it is true. Ask yourself whether you give others who you are or what you think is expected.
Line 3
You seek to join and you sigh, finding no advantage anywhere. If you go on, you are unlikely to go wrong, though there may be a small cause for lament. This is someone knocking at doors that do not open. Persisting on the right course is better than standing still. Ask yourself which door you want to open.
Line 4
If things go very well for you, you receive no reproach. It is a comfortable position and a fragile one: the good that happens to you depends partly on what others contribute. Be grateful and do not take it for granted. Ask yourself how much of your good luck is due to the help of others.
Line 5
Everyone gathers under the one in the seat of dignity. You are unlikely to go wrong. If someone does not trust you, work to make your virtue great, steady and firm, and reasons for regret fade. Your authority is earned over time. Ask yourself whether your daily acts give people reasons to trust you.
Line 6
You sigh and weep, and you are unlikely to go wrong. This is someone who tried to join, was left at the margin and suffers for it. Weeping is not weakness: it is an honest way of saying you miss something. Ask yourself what you miss about the company of others and whom you could tell today.
Reflection
- What does your group gather around, and is that center clear?
- What could go wrong in your group, and how can you prepare without alarm?
- What do you miss about the company of others, and whom could you tell?