Li :: Oriole

Auspicious: supreme offering :: Herding cattle is favorable

離

䷝

6 :: first

Ceremoniously walking backwards.¹ Offering respect. No misfortune.

Modesty can bring success. Showing respect right from the start leads to promotion.

9 :: second

Bright yellow oriole. Auspicious.

You observe a good omen. The yellow oriole is a harbinger of good fortune.

6 :: third

Orioles fly towards the setting sun. No drumming or singing.
Sigh of the old man. Misfortune.

You experience loss. An oriole flying towards the sunset is an omen of death. It indicates the loss of a loved one far away (on a battlefield). You clearly intuit that it is not a time for merry-making but a time of grieving.

9 :: fourth

Sudden turn. There is fire, death, and abandonment.

A quick decision or a speculative action goes badly. Loss and abandonment follow such a brash move. The image is of an army fleeing a burning battlefield, unable to collect and bury their dead comrades.

9 :: fifth

There is weeping and sobbing first. Tears of relief come later. Good fortune.

When all is lost, a fresh start appears. The weeping and sobbing represent the climax of a tragedy or a low point in life (midnight). Be consoled that only brightness (dawn) can follow such a dark moment.

6 :: top

The prince attacks. Severed heads of chiefs. Reward. Good fortune.

You succeed but, in the same moment, see the dark side of your victory. Success for a warrior is overcoming his opponent. In this case, the victor cannot help but see his own future in the severed heads of his enemies.

Image

It means brightness, radiance, double fire and is related to the yellow oriole bird and the summer solstice. Yang at its height is at the brink of decline. The image is one of great brightness (victory), but this brightness and power contains the suggestion of eventual loss, grief, and sadness. The image of herding cattle is the ordinary consistent work that balances out the excess brightness of extraordinary incidents.

This hexagram traditionally concludes part one of the text.

Auspices

Though things seem bright, one cannot rely on the brightness to last for a long time. Seize the moment. No battle is won without sacrifices on both sides.

Good for romance, new opportunities and alliances, and moving quickly.

Bad for routine maintenance, marriage, and security.

Comment

Li tells us that what is truly very bright cannot last. In the great cycles of change there are moments of glory when everything shines brightly and reaches a fantastic peak. It is important to understand that the very pinnacle of success (oriole) is none other than the gate of decline.

The hexagram may be contrasting the life of the warrior with that of the cowherd. Why do warriors fight and die to protect the bucolic life of the peasant cowherd? How are these two ways of life entwined?

Other Correspondences

Business: Reimagining products, retirement, attracting new clients (orders), trade shows, and establishing new goals.

Disharmonies: Injuries, burns, toxic heat, dehydration, fevers, and inflammation.

Prognosis: Fair. The patient will recover if treated soon after the onset of illness or immediately after the injury.