Sheng :: Ascending

Supreme offering: meet with an adept :: Do not be afraid: auspicious to march south

升

䷭

Supreme offering: meet with an adept :: Do not be afraid: auspicious to march south

6 ::

first

1^st

Certain ascending. Very auspicious.

When you are in the lowest position, the only way to go is up. You easily ascend remembering that humility is the ground on which success is built.

9 ::

second

2^nd

Auspicious to perform the summer rites¹--blessings.

All goes well if you follow conventional protocols. Modesty, discipline, and following the rules set you up for promotion. Standard procedures work well.

6 ::

third

3^rd

Ascending to a hill town in ruins.

You work hard, but gain little or nothing from your effort. Your timing is off so there are no rewards (ruins). The hill town, in this case, is a place of loss.

9 ::

fourth

4^th

The ruler makes offerings at Mount Qi.² It is most auspicious.

Power flows through a chain of command. The ruler bows to his predecessors (ancestral altar), the officers bow to the ruler and the regiment bows to the officers. These standards and regulations maintain the flow of success.

9 ::

fifth

5^th

Auspicious. Ascending steps.

You make confident but careful progress. You take the last few steps (of ritual protocol) and all goes well. The graceful ascension is complete.

6 ::

top

Ascending in darkness. Do not pause or falter. No misfortune.

When the path gets dark and uncertain, maintain your focus. When you find yourself in new or unknown territory and wish to ascend, use good manners and established customs. These customs are the roadmap to success.

Image

Sheng means ascension in the sense of receiving spiritual support from Heaven (ancestors, Da). When Sheng is divined it is about mounting the winds of fate to rise into the transcendental sky. It is also the image of the natural growth of trees.

Auspices

Since Sheng is about ascending naturally, the auspices stay favorable if you are receptive and subordinate. Your talents are recognized and they suit the times. Steady, gradual progress is indicated.

Good for conventionality, accepting promotion, distant travel, and pregnancy.

Bad for ambition, aggression, and vanity.

Comment

Sheng is a gentle wind that catches us and lifts us toward Heaven. Sheng is about how the transcendent or unseen world penetrates the ordinary material world. The way to stay on the back of this gentle wind is to relax and observe the way things happen of themselves. Observe and acknowledge the wisdom inherent in the nature of things. Once we are accustomed to this gentle, floating feeling it can take us to a deeper sense of life, beyond the usual dualistic assessments-even beyond the limits of Fate.

Other Correspondences

Business: Developing established business, offering salary increases, and promotions.

Disharmonies: Headaches, lower jiao imbalance, and stroke.

Prognosis: Good. The patient finds a good physician, follows advice and responds well to treatment. Recovery is slow and steady.