Trigram Li, catching , discerning. Attribute: Fire
Li is catching things in a net, making them discernable and putting them in connection with each other, in a grid or web. That way you can trace all connections, and it also shows you where they are separated. It is the trigram of overview and order. Fire is the light which shows all things. It shows similarities and differences, combines or separates. Discernment gives you the insight to decide what is true and what isn't, what is good and what is bad. It shows you possibilities, order and patterns. It shows what you can depend on and what has value and will be nurturing. In return you can give back warmth and light. Your enthusiasm can be contagious. Fire is the most important quality of beauty, its structure, its universal pattern and also its expression of energy.
Fire is 'NOW', the tiny illuminated moment between past and future.
When Fire is above or outside, things are organized, with everything in its place, or else you try to make it that way. Order can make things beautiful or give them a structure which is a home to everything genuine. You can trust your ability to show truth and patterns, both your own and those of the world, and to evaluate opinions and facts and to organize before action.
When Fire outside is out of balance, light and order become too strong. It is the stuff which turns people into dictators, often while thinking they do the right thing. It can turn a group into a clique of snobs, separate from the 'worthless' rest of humanity, or turn people with a good cause into a bunch of fanatics who own the truth. Or it can make you or people around you too dependent on what feeds, unable to function without support or admiration.