19 story

The image of hexagram 19
Lín, approach

Hexagram 19 has trigram Lake below or inside, Earth above or outside. Lake or Marsh is about exchange and connections. About being part of a social environment. Earth is nurturing and caring. Together they create the overseeer or guardian.

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

When trigram Duì is below (popup)

When trigram Kūn is above (popup)

Lake below Earth: an inner connection and openness to people, and to the outside the responsibility and nurturing care of Earth.

The old diviners gave this combination of trigrams a name: Lín. It means oversee; be adjacent to, approach, face, overlook, arrive, be present, copy (calligraphy/ painting), on the point of, just before, be about to, facing, mourning.

Ideogram of the hexagram name: the right part is a standing person with a big eye. He bends over and looks down, so the eye is vertical. There are 'mouths' or 'things' beneath it: looking over your people and/or responsibilities. In some versions there are lines from the eye to each of the objects below.

The 'Great Image' says: Above marsh there is earth, overseeing. The noble one teaches and ponders inexhaustibly, he tolerates and protects the people without limits.

Hex.19 is the contrast of 33, which is about withdrawing.
Hex.19 is very much present in its surroundings, looking around if everything is right, helping where necessary or disciplining those who need it. An old meaning of Lin is coming down from the mountain. Looking down to your home in the valley, with tiny people and tiny cattle moving around, seeing the whole.

Story: On old pictures one can find the All-seeing Eye. It is the eye of God (or Allah, Manitou, Universe, whoever), looking down to the earth. In hexagram 20 it is the goddess, the female aspect of looking down, hearing prayers and sorrow and joy.
Here it is the person who cares, who sees, and provides what is needed. It is the head of the family, making sure everyone can follow his/her Dao and find his destiny. His ego is not involved, he is objective and severe and fair, and without limits.

The image of hexagram 19Lín, approach

The image of hexagram 19
Lín, approach