I Ching, Yijing or Zhou Yi
"Oracle of the moon": © 2000 LiSe
Yi Jing, Oracle of the Moon
Yù, hexagram 16
Weaving images
Inspiration needs big images. They don’t have to represent big things – even out of something small one can make a big idea.
An elephant surpasses human size, it carries people and heavy weights, it can move about immovable things. Only an image of more than human size can sweep along people.
Touch the elephant first: is it real? It might be a dream, or someone might try to cheat with a virtual elephant. But if it can really carry the things promised, then it is the means to surpass the borders of an idea or existence that is only-human.
It encompasses all those feelings which make an impression of coming from somewhere else, from the gods, from heaven - certainly not from logical human thinking. How can one explain the origins of a great inspiration, an insight, a foreknowledge of an event? But if one has access to these things, success is in his hands (see line 4).
Yù: an elephant (1) and a shuttle (2): weaving big images. The character 'elephant' also means image, like in "the great image says": the elephant says.
In later characters the shuttle looks more like two hands, passing on of handing over (3) - which one does with a shuttle: throwing it left-hand to right-hand and back through the weft.
Meanings of Yù: enthusiasm; in advance, beforehand, make or get ready; participate in; pleased, content, happy, comfort; travel, a trip; to cheat, lie, hesitate, indecision.
The trigrams: Thunder above Earth:
Thunder emerges from the Earth, flying over the fields: Yú.
The ancient kings composed music, honored virtue, with dancers worshipped the Lord on High. They associated with the deceased ancestors.
Thunder is the force which makes everything wake up and grow. On the earth plants grow with the help of Thunder's electricity, in humans ideas, joy and enthusiasm grow. This power is bigger than human consciousness, it is magical, it goes beyond the borders of reality. Who can catch motivation or find the source of creativity or foresight? They come and go inspired by greater forces.