Yu :: Comfort

Favorable for appointing lords : advancing troops

豫

䷏

6 :: first

Sighs of pleasure bode disaster.

You are indulging in personal pleasure to distraction. Your selfishness causes you to lose the support of others. Disaster.

9 :: second

Etched in stone. Before the day is done. Auspicious.

You are unmoved (stone) by small personal temptations and do not indulge. Due to this recent self-discipline you are offered an opportunity to advance.

6 :: third

Blindness brings regret. Being late brings regret.

Distracted by petty amusements, you miss important opportunities. You will regret it. Distracted by flattery and unexpected pleasure, you slacken your pace.

9 :: fourth

Comfort and pleasure abound. Among friends distribute cowries.¹

You are in a position of fulfillment, and should share your wealth (cowry) with associates. To avoid slander and loss later on, you should actively cultivate relationships through generosity now. A generous reputation secures your alliances.

9 :: fifth

Critical or chronic illness. No death.

You are in a position to enjoy yourself, but your image and health are at stake. Use self-respect to limit your indulgence and you can maintain your health and power. If you are distracted by pleasure you cannot clearly interpret divination or read the warning signs of sickness and death.

6 :: top

Dark indulgences. Boundaries collapse. No misfortune.

Excessive pleasuring brings a physical breakdown but also a kind of spiritual breakthrough. Redirecting your energies you can avoid destruction. Disciplined self-pleasuring may be transformed into disciplined and generous good works.

Image

Yu points out both the inspiration and the risks that come from enjoying suc-cess. Appointing lords? and advancing troops refers to the redistricting of territory that has been newly acquired. In distributing wealth and position to feudal lords (helpers) the king expresses power by sharing it. The maintenance of power requires both self-discipline and generosity. This is the meaning of majesty.

Auspices

Pleasure, in its many forms, though powerful, is not long-lived. The auspice is good for enjoyment but self-indulgence can ruin it. Enjoy and share the results of the success, but do not make pleasure a goal in itself.

Good for marriage, planned travel, gatherings, emotional recovery, and new romance.

Bad for excessive partying, overextending your energy, and secrecy.

Comment

The Zhouyi does not suggest that comfort, pleasure or sensual indulgences are inherently immoral. The danger is that pleasure may contain the seed of disas-ter. Overindulgence in pleasure or gloating over success can distract us from the ordinary tasks that sustain success. The practical use of pleasure is to discover simple contentment and share it with others to strengthen alliances and maintain order.

It is certainly notable that even extreme excesses (top line statement) are not condemned. Instead the Zhouyi says, that if wisdom is not abandoned, overindulgence and a resulting catastrophic illness may contain learnable lessons, even moral inspiration or spiritual enlightenment. In other words, self-pleasuring and selfishness are not inherently evil and may, in some cases, prove to be a very long and risky path to transcendental wisdom.

Other Correspondences

Business: Office parties, auditing, hiring, enhancing security, and profit sharing.

Disharmonies: Addiction, gastrointestinal blockages, and liver qi stagnation.

Prognosis: Poor. The patient lacks the necessary self-discipline to recover com-pletely. Identifying with chronic illness and its inhibitions, however, may give the patient longevity.