Hexagrams: The Combination of Lines

Lines in the I Ching represent details about the general situation represented by the hexagram. They represent the lines of conduct and attitudes of the person undergoing consultation or of the people involved in the situation presented for consultation.The study of the relationships between lines shows important data used for interpreting a response from the I Ching. Ignorance of these relationships leads to incorrect interpretations that are often projected from the interpreter's internal world.

1- Character
The Character of the lines shows whether the consultant's Yin or Yang attitude is appropriate or not for the moment.The even positions 2, 4 and 6 require more of a Yin attitude; the lines should be Yin. The odd positions 1, 3 and 5 require more of a Yang attitude; the hexagram lines in these positions should be Yang.

The text for judging the lines comments on these attitudes using the words "correct or incorrect position". This means that if the consultant's attitude towards the situation were very Yin (passive) at a moment in which the recommended attitude were Yang (active), the line will say that the attitude is incorrect.

How to analyze:
a- Observe the randomly selected changeable lines.
b- See which of the consultant's internal or external attitudes are represented.
c- Identify what people or attitudes are acting this way within the situation (inquiry) represented by the lines.

Within the 64 hexagrams, only one contains all the lines with the correct position and character, hexagram 63 -- "After the conclusion". This is due to the principle that holds that all things in nature seek equilibrium, and it is the unbalance between the complementary opposites Yin and Yang that moves life and the energy that always seeks this equilibrium.

2- Relationships among the lines
The lines maintain relationships among themselves, representing any and all relationships among the the complementary opposites Yin and Yang, in nature and in the universe. These relationships tell us about how the Yin and Yang forces are behaving in a given I Ching consultation.

There are two relationships among the lines:

How to analyze:

a- Study the changeable lines.
b- Check to see if the text of the judgment in book III of the Richard Wilhelm I Ching translation makes mention of one of these relationships, in the judgment of the lines.
c- During the inquiry, identify what or who is connected in the way commented by the line when judging the hexagram.

3- Hierarchy of authority
The lines can also represent hierarchies of authority, people who have the power to decide our destiny like parents, leaders, authorities, etc.

This hierarchy depends on the position of the manifest changing line and can be categorized as so: A line in the first position represents: Employee, oldest son, oldest daughter
A line in the second position represents: Mother, assistant manager, mayor, manager, mother taking care of her children A line in the third position represents: The middle son, the middle daughter, middleman, delegate.
A line in the fourth position represents: Wife - related to her husband, right arm, partner.
A line in the fifth position represents: Prince, governor, father in his role as provider and husband, majority shareholder.
A line in the sixth position: King, president, spiritual leader, wise man, father as counselor.How to analyze:
a- Study the changeable lines.
b- Identify the people represented by the lines
c- Identify whose actions and attitudes by judging the lines.

4- Relationship to Time
Lines appearing in a hexagram represent the factor of time associated with maturation. This means that not only is chronological time represented but also much more: the maturation time for this situation represented by the hexagram.

Taking into account the six lines, the first represents the entrance into a situation and the last represents the exit. The other lines represent the unraveling of this situation, from the beginning when things are starting to take shape until the end when they are finishing.

How to analyze:
a- Study the position of the changeable lines in a hexagram.
b- Discern whether they are entering or exiting, more above or more below.
c- Find the stages of development within the subject or situation asked of the I Ching.

5 - Lines and body parts

The lines can also represent body parts that are involved in the question posed to the I Ching. This way of interpreting is very good for determining an energetic and medical diagnosis when asking questions about health.

Many times the body parts symbolically represent functions such as thought, feeling and movement. For example, the head can represent an intellectual, the heart represents a person who acts as guided by emotions and the feet represent someone who wants to go ahead too quickly.

How to analyze:
a- The question should be asked very specificially when meant to diagnose illness or ailment.
b- Study the changeable lines.
c- Identify the body parts by the position of the changeable lines.
d- Read the text and find the suggested diagnosis in the judgment of the line.

6- Governing lines and constituent lines

A hexagram's governing lines are marked with a circle drawn in front of the line's text. These lines represent the correct attitude for engaging this hexagram's time.A hexagram's constituent lines are marked with a square drawn in front of the line's text. This line represents the human attitude that generated the hexagram.

You can read these lines even when they do not come up in a consultation in order to have a better notion of how to act or of what led to the verdict in a judgment formed by a specific hexagram.