Jie :: Juncture

Offering : bitter restraints :: Auspices unknown

節

䷻

6 :: first

Not stepping out the door into the courtyard. No misfortune.

Your self-restraint at the very beginning of a project avoids mistakes. In this early juncture of time, action (stepping out) is not required. Wait.

9 :: second

Not going out the courtyard gate. Misfortune.

Conditions are now auspicious for some forward progress. Do not wait any longer. It is a good time for modest progress and relaxing your restraint. Inaction invites misfortune.

6 :: third

Not divining the juncture.¹ Sighing. No misfortune.

You have acted on impulse. You missed a window of opportunity. There will be some losses and regrets but no major problems.

9 :: fourth

Content with restraint. A sacrificial offering is made.

Your self-discipline pays off. Standard regulations and familiar disciplines lead to success. Being acclimated to the alternation of action and restraint is like having mastered the protocols of ritual. Everything is set in place for success.

9 :: fifth

Satisfactory restraint. Going forward brings sweet reward. Auspicious.

You experience complete success. Fully adapted to the situation, your actions are in perfect harmony with the place and synchronized with the moment. You receive respect and honor. Success is sweet.

6 :: top

Bitter restraints. Disaster. Regrets disappear.

Excessive use of restraint blinds you to potential success. Pessimism invites disaster. Luckily, excessive paranoia is impossible to maintain; and total disaster is avoided.

Image

Jie, the joints of a bamboo or yarrow plant,² are symbolic of natural restraint or limitation. In the progress of time, events and circumstances naturally conclude or complete without ending-like the closing of a chapter in a novel. Small cycles close within larger cycles. Observing the astrogeomantic³ ebb and flow of qi lets us know the difference between junctures and endings.

Auspices

Favorable for the practice of circumspection and restraint. Being observant and conservative with resources is auspicious. Knowing how to see and when to use limits brings success.

Good for self-cultivation, relationships, marriage, and conserving finances.

Bad for travel, changing jobs, lawsuits, self-indulgence, and taking things for granted.

Comment

lie is about the step-by-step progress of human life-represented by the segments of a bamboo plant. Progress that is secured in increments will hold and make a base for future progress. Saved resources provide future prosperity. Thoughtful words change hearts.

Knowing when to apply restraint is a very important element in any suc-cess. The auspices and patterns of Heaven are found in the mantic study of time (astrology [ming]) and place/space (geomancy [fengshui]). Divining the right juncture of time and place brings natural success. Jie advises us to calculate and interpret the natural rhythm in the ebb and flow of celestial qi as a guide to action.

Jie also warns against excessive divining (anxiety about omen) or self-pun-ishing restraint (extreme conservatism--pessimism).

Other Correspondences

Business: Receiving dividends, reinvesting profits, and economy in spending.

Disharmonies: Constipation, indigestion, allergies, limb injuries, and nervous disorders.

Prognosis: Fair. The patient fears change. An astrogeomantic consultation helps the patient recover.