Dun :: Pig

Offering :: Small is auspicious

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6 :: first

Tail of the pig. Danger. Do not go forward.

Watch your back. Be cautious. You may be unable to escape a dangerous situation because of your lowly rank (pig's tail). Make no assumptions and do not overreact to circumstances.

9 :: second

Tethered with yellow ox hide. You cannot escape.

Though you are securely held captive, you are not abused. You can use this restricted time to grow strong. Nourish yourself and rest.

6 :: third

The pig is bound. Affliction and danger. It is auspicious to own slaves.

You are ill, betrayed, and/or trapped and cannot move. However, loyal subordinates (slaves) can provide a cure and/or much needed comfort.

9 :: fourth

A fine pig. Auspicious for a prince, but not for the small.

You have what you need and are well prepared. If you are discrete and dignified (prince) you will succeed. If you are rude, proud, and boastful (small) you will not succeed.

9 :: fifth

Celebration pig. Auspicious.

You are praised, promoted, and rewarded with honors. You have grown strong despite restrictions like a pig grown fat in a pen. You have made the best of bad circumstances and are invited to lead.

6 :: top

Fatted pig. Auspicious.

You started out in a confined and restricted situation but are now liberated. You grow prosperous but remain modest. This shows you possess great integrity.

Image

Dun has the double meaning of piglet (modest sacrifice) and seclusion. It is about a situation where one is isolated, ill, withdrawn or restricted but able to grow strong despite circumstances.

A penned pig is being fatted for an important, yet modest, sacrificial ritual that thanks and enlists the blessings of the ancestors. Due to the seriousness of the ritual, the clan leader withdraws into seclusion to become ritually pure. Both the ritual purification of the leader and the fattening of the sacrificial pig take about ten days. The ritual then goes so well that the pig is not sacrificed, but released.

Auspices

There will be modest gains. Do not be overly concerned about limits and restrictions. Stay put and you will grow strong. Success is acquired gradually but reward is inevitable.

Good for postponements, education, saving deposits, light entertainment, and small projects.

Bad for marriage, divorce, foreign travel, and pushing forward.

Comment

Dun tells us that limitations and seclusion are not necessarily bad. It shows how restrictions can be made into opportunities. Dun is the story of a successful "come-back." Through modesty (not protesting) and simply nourishing yourself even imprisonment can be made the basis of success. It also reminds us that limited circumstances (small) can often be a fertile ground for success.

Dun is also about the immeasurable clarity that comes from a meditation retreat called the "fasting of the heart."

Other Correspondences

Business: Collecting accounts receivable, spa, resort and hotel business, and junior management.

Disharmonies: Spleen deficiency, minor injury, fatigue, and depression.

Prognosis: Good. The patient will respond well to spa-style treatments.