52 story

The image of hexagram 52, Mountain
Gèn, warding off

Hexagram 52 has trigram Gèn below or inside, Gèn above or outside. Double Gèn is like a mountain range. It can be a succession of concrete accomplishments or a long time of big problems or simply a solidifying or coming to rest of everything as it is.

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

When trigram Gèn is below (popup)

When trigram Mountain is above (popup)

Gěn or Mountain is high but does not boast, is strong but does not force anyone. Gěn may be a recluse or grumpy but has a good heart and cares. Gěn is about individuality, staying true to yourself even when it is difficult and giving in would solve problems. Gěn stands high above the valley below and seems aloof, but the mountain protects and feeds the valley, makes the clouds release their water and sends it down to the vegetation and all creatures at its foot.

The old diviners gave this combination of trigrams a name: Gèn. Without Gèn, water cannot form a drop, nature cannot form an apple or a diamond. Gèn is what you call "I". Every substance needs Gèn to be a 'thing'.

  Ideogram of the hexagram name: a person with a big eye, which looks backwards. It means warding off, glaring at unwanted influences, staying inside one's boundaries, being oneself and nothing else, to stop, call off, suspend, limit, boundaries, difficult, tough, refers to the teeth as hard objects. Indicates the North-East and Gèn hour: two to four in the morning.
  Without Gèn, water cannot form a drop, nature cannot form an apple. Every substance needs Gèn to be a 'thing'. Gèn is what you call "I".
  Without Gèn everything would dissolve.

The 'Great Image' says: Joined mountains: stability. The noble one does not permit his thoughts to go beyond his situation.

Hex.52 is the contrast of 58, which is about opening or being open, exchanging, connecting.
Hex.52 is about warding off influences, maintaining one's own integrity, standstill and solid matter.

  Story:
  Find yourself back, your essential being.
  One can only find one's base, one’s own territory, by turning away from the world. This does not mean to leave it, but as long as the world has any influence on actions, thoughts or feelings, one is not truly oneself. There will always be an inner distance.
  Without this distance one will move in accord with the deepest self, every movement will be in harmony with the time. When the time asks for action, nothing will stand in its way. If it is time for stillness, no effort is needed to obtain it. Life is now, is here.
  Everything that goes beyond the situation of now and here is impairing. When the self is strong and pure, contact with the world stays clean. Words will be true and essential, deeds will not exceed what is right, and one has a natural selection of what one accepts from others. The self is hard as stone but does not hurt anyone who does not deserve to be hurt.

The image of hexagram 52, Mountain Gèn, warding off

The image of hexagram 52, Mountain
Gèn, warding off