Yi Jing, Oracle of the Moon

The image of hexagram 45
Cuì

What does it mean, 'inner' and 'outer trigram' (popup)

  Earth below Lake: this is a situation in which you have to adapt to your surroundings. The group or world you're a part of, your duty or job. It is different from the duty of 54, which is an individual one. In 45 there is little or no regard for your personal needs, but there can be an ideal you help to fulfill. A group can bring a valuable extension of your own life. It can also be a group of 'us' against 'them'. The brave fighters - or the criminal gang - or the sect. Or all those things which attack your own personal integrity: demands of others, of useless stuff, of unnecessary possessions. For people with PTSD the world can feel like a pack of 45s with guns.

  Ideogram of the hexagram name: below is a picture of a uniform, like soldiers or servants wear. This character also means sudden death or accident. At the top 'plants': uniforms like grass, many of them and all identical. Meanings: assemble, bundle, a heap or a lot, collection of similar items, a gathering of peers, dense vegetation.

  The 'Great Image' says: The noble one keeps weaponry in good repair and is alert for danger. (Or, 'elimimates war but guards against eventualities')

Hex.45 is the contrast of 26, the hexagram of higher values and culture. In 45 it is not about your individual values. There is a goal, not your goal but the goal of the leader, the country, the emperor, or it is the ideal of the group which overrules personal aims. It can be wonderful to be part of it, or it can damage your identity, so be careful. A burnout is a sign of fulfilling the aim of the group instead of your own happiness.