29 Containing, Control In a context of containment we utilise control.

Trigrams : containment (bottom), control (top) : with/from containment comes control. [water over water]

The mud from which 29 has emerged is best described by analogy to the under-stated qualities of hexagram 61, yielding, hard exterior, soft core.

A situation of use of containment doubled to elicit control.

Commentary :

Cooperative format : In hexagram 29 we recognize that there is always the need to guide and protect; if not done properly we end up not complete. But what is security to some is danger to others and thus the concept of rote-learning is dangerous in that it is just filling the individual as a social requirement. The complement of this hexagram, 30, is also dangerous in that it can lead to the uncovering of 'facts' that may be socially unacceptable. Contextually we start with the concept of a soft center and a hard exterior (61) - the latter acting as a form of mask (04). From this emerges the concept of containment (e.g. 'social knowledge') as a form of control, and thus a continual awareness of the presence of danger.

Oppositional format : Hexagram 29 reflects water against water; danger doubled.

Template/Persona format : Contractive Bounding in its own context. Exaggerated security seeking with an emphasis on protection/conservation.

Five-Phase Relationship : The trigram of Water reflects Consumption. Consumption reflects enclosure, containment, and becomes 'mindless', 'instinctive', 'rote' and so controlling.

Goal of 29 - hexagram 03 (or 'how do I 03? - 29' How do I sprout? Through Control/Containment)

29 is the goal of 60 (or 'how do I 29? - 60' - How do I Control/Contain? Through establishing standards)

The I Ching tells us about hexagram 29:

Some PAIRINGS of hexagram 29 with other hexagrams:

• In the traditional sequence hexagram 29 pairs with hexagram 30.

This pairing reflects the common ground re enclosure, encapsulation, be it through integrating (29 - the boundary holds something 'in', it protects and so rejects the outside), or differentiating (30 - the boundary is designed to expand, as a fire does from a centre, thus the tie to concepts of direction setting and establishing an ideology etc). The overall focus in 29 is on protection rather than exploitation (more common to 30) but the relation to the emotion of rejection reflects an aspect of differentiation from a moral perspective, as compared to 30 where the expansive nature is generally differentiating and yet within that is the emotion of acceptance and so of integrating. This clearly bounded '50/50' mix of differentiate/integrate reflects the nature of these two hexagrams as 'boundary' setters (as compared to the more tightly-mixed hexagrams of 63 and 64)

SURROUND:

29 : enclosure (surround) - through water, contain/control (keep in, protect); 29 containment/control comes from a context described by hexagram 61 - sympathise, empathise, hard exterior-soft core

30 : enclosure (surround) - through fire, guide/direct (ideology); 30 guide/direct comes from a context described by hexagram 62 - exaggerate tradition, act

• In the binary sequence hexagram 29 pairs with hexagram 59.

The overall focus in this pair is on some form of perceived clarity, be it through social acts in the form of rote learning etc (29) or else the act of dispelling illusions (59). Overall, hexagram 29 has focus on integration (and so a comment in the original text on the dangers of rote learning etc) whereas hexagram 59 focuses on differentiations, on a particular 'fact' that emerges once the 'fog' has cleared.

• In the binary sequence hexagram 29 opposes hexagram 30.

This pairing is the 'classic' opposition of water (29) and fire (30). In the binary IC the overall focus is on containment where in 29 the emphasis is on socialisation issues (with containment comes control) and so a focus on holding something 'in'. In 30 the focus is more on an ideology (something to cling to) and so a focus on moving outwards (with guidance comes a sense of direction, an ideology). When we map-in the set of human emotions, water reflects issues of rejection, and fire reflects issues of acceptance.

At the LOCAL level we are dealing with an octet of hexagrams with the WATER trigram as base. In this sequence hexagram 29, the focus upon containment and control, opposes hexagram 64, remaining 'open', 'mis-containing'. The issue here is on the degree, where 29 has a 'wide' boundary of yin/yang differentiations, it is clearly 'water', whereas 64 is tighter, more mixed in yin/yang differentiations where we have the opposite of water, fire, present in the top trigram position. As such, the exaggerated sense of avoiding closure/making 'small' errors, is reflected in a more balanced format through the use of containment/control. (this also gets into the issue of 'pure water' - 29 - versus water coming-up against fire (64). As such one would assume that the ordering is 'wrong', surely the exaggeration is in water vs the balanced of 64? no. as we move into the realm of integration so the exaggeration of a quality is in fact an exaggeration of integration and so 29 is correctly mapped to the more 'balancing', if becoming a little over-balancing, agent in this relationship)

• In the traditional sequence hexagram 29 opposes hexagram 36.

This pairing reflects an air of 'containment', be it for social reasons (29) or personal reasons (36).

• The generic properties of hexagram 29 reflect the mixing of the generic properties of hexagram 59 mixed with the generic properties of hexagram 61.

A combination of 'hard exterior, soft interior' (61 - softening, yielding) with a focus on dispelling illusions (59) is reflected in the control focus of hexagram 29.

• In the variations on a theme sequence, hexagram 29 complements hexagram 60.

The common theme is in avoiding 'differences', be it through containment/control (29), or through the introduction of standards (60).

Copyright © 2003-2009 C. J. Lofting