I Ching Reading for Fall Equinox 2024
兑 Dui / Lake (58)
The hexagram associated with the Autumnal Equinox is #58 Lake. It is one of the eight hexagrams that are doubled trigrams, in this case Lake over Lake. The hexagram itself shows two strong lines within, expressing themselves through the medium of the gentle.
The attribute of this hexagram is Joyousness. The Chinese character 兑 / duì has at its center a mouth, a mouth with upturned smile lines that is talking and smiling, expressing joy. The yielding line at the top indicates an expression of joy and peace supported by a strong and firm center within.
The Image
Two Lakes resting on one another. Calm and serene. Reflecting everything without opinion, aversion, or greed. A cloud passes across the sky, ducks swim near the shore, the image of the trees on a distant shore shimmer on the wind-borne ripple of the surface. Your heart warms, the breath relaxes, you say to yourself, “How wonderful!”
The Judgment
Inner equanimity leads to joyousness. Moment to moment, persevering in joy results in steadfast and upright emotions and behavior, and this, in turn creates a smooth and prosperous life and Community. In the human realm, joy is communicated outwardly with a smile. The expression of joyousness is contagious, overcoming negativity and despair. A kind smile affects all people and spreads quickly throughout the world. Letting go of the past destroys regret and a refusal to imagine a positive or negative, anticipated future creates an inner harmony that begets an equanimity that invites good fortune in all things. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no trouble, noise, or strife; it means to be amidst those things and still be calm in your heart. This is the source of great joy.
Commentary
The Autumnal Equinox heralds the beginning of the fall season, which is the favorite time of year for the largest plurality of people. Why is this the case?
Fall is the most significant temporal landmark of the year. The cooler temperatures following the heat, humidity, and mosquitoes of summer, along with spectacular foliage in many areas of the country, are associated with improvements in our happiness, well-being, relationships, and sense of having a life purpose. There is an increase in socializing with friends and family since more birthdays occur in September than any other month and most people look forward to widespread Fall Festivals along with Rosh Hashanah, Halloween, and Thanksgiving, and, of course, Christmas is right around the corner!
It is harvesting time for many important foods, especially rice, corn, beans, apples, winter squash and pumpkins, and much more. What can make a person happier than a full larder and belly? Traveling for vacations is over and people return to their steady, everyday routines. Since everyone has been accustomed to a starting a new school year in the fall, it’s a time of new beginnings, including America’s favorite sport, football! Children get to reconnect with their friends and to meet new people. Back to school is also associated with new clothes and gear including books, school supplies, sweaters, scarves, hats, and jackets. The ability to wear more cozy, comfortable, and new and fashionable clothing tends to make people less focused on dieting and maintaining a perfect beach body.
This is all well and good, but the advent of fall means that ‘Winter is coming!’ The days are getting shorter. Autumn is the time of decay, is it not? Doesn’t fall also mean that old age and death are pending? Humankind has defined a celestial sense of time, based on the movements of the planet, moon, sun, and stars. It is cyclical, seemingly endless. Yet, we only understand three aspects of Time: past, present, and future. Because we think we remember events that have passed, we “know’ the ‘past’. We can regret, grieve, or fondly remember the past, but we cannot change it. On the contrary, the future is quite unknowable, and this can create anxiety and fear. We believe or hope that we can change the future, but have you noticed that nearly all the outcomes that we imagine and work to create do not turn out the way we expected? Reality is often kinder than our catastrophizing or overly optimistic imagination. Thus, we are left with the present. The Equinox provides an opportunity to investigate this moment in Time.
Why is Lake / duì associated with the Equinox?
The Autumnal Equinox is a curious phenomenon. The earth is tilted 23 ½° to its orbit around the sun. During this orbit, there are only two moments each year when neither pole points toward the Sun, and the Sun lies directly above Earth’s imaginary equator. This year, in the Northern Hemisphere, this is going to occur on Sunday, September 22, 2024, at 12:43 UTC (5:43 am PDT). On the date of the equinox, at any location, the lengths of day and night are roughly equal. You can imagine that ‘equal’ moment is happening where you are, right now.
The I Ching contemplates the interactions of Yin and Yang, which are observable in all phenomena. This interplay is demonstrated during the yearly calendar by the changing of the seasons. Yang reaches its height of influence with the summer solstice; Yin reaches its height of influence with the winter solstice. At the autumnal equinox, there is a moment when Yang will cease its preponderance, and Yin has not yet begun its ascension. In this moment, Yin and Yang find their harmony at equipoise. Light and Dark are equal. The past is over, but the future has not yet appeared. It is just Now. No memory, no anticipation. No decay, no becoming, only Being. In this moment, there is no ‘thing’, only the equanimous felicity and elation of being alive.
In this moment, imagine the perfect stillness of a lake. Its mirror-like surface reflects the images and colors of everything: the sky, mountains, trees, clouds, birds. Without naming or judging, whatever appears is revealed, just as it is. In this state of natural harmony, let your mind imitate the surface of a lake: the sky appears, blue. Clouds emerge, white and fluffy. Ducks swim by, quacking. Trees can be seen on the distant shore, shimmering on the wind-blown surface. Frost occurs, cold. Everything in its place, ‘just like this’. The equanimity and peace that comes from accepting things just as they are, staying present with whatever arises, and developing an evenness of mind. Taking in this image evokes joy, the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally satisfying and keenly pleasurable. One cannot help but smile, although sometimes tears of joy occur.
Did you let this moment slip away? Perhaps, you are reading this on a day that is not the Equinox. Fortunately, there is another moment you can grasp, right now. Perhaps, not as astronomically significant, but equally accessible. Haven’t you noticed that there is an infinite succession of moments? Seize the next one, breathe in the essence of life, and let the joy seize your heart.
Resources
- Blofeld, John, I Ching The Book of Change, Penguin Putnam Inc., NY, NY (1965).
- Cleary, Thomas (trans.), The Taoist I Ching, Shambala Press, Boston, MA (2012)
- Huang, Alfred (trans.), The Complete I Ching, Inner Traditions International, Rochester, VT (1998).
- Jones, G., "What is the Equinox?", Time and Date, https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/equinox-solstice.html
- Legge, James (trans.), I Ching Book of Changes, University Books, New Hyde Park, NY (1964).
- Ou-i, Chih-hsu (Thomas Cleary, trans.), The Buddhist I Ching, Shambala Press, Boston, MA (1987)
- Siu, R.G.H., The Portable Dragon, The Western Man’s Guide to the I Ching, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA (1968).
- Wilhelm, Richard (trans.), The I Ching or Book of Changes, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ (1950).
About the Author
Skye Sturgeon, DAOM is the Quality Assurance Manager and Special Consultant for Mayway, USA. Skye was the former Chair of Acupuncture & East Asian Medicine and core faculty member at Bastyr University, core faculty member and Faculty Council Chair at the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and President and Senior Professor of the Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine College, Berkeley. Before making Chinese medicine his career choice, Skye held various positions in the Natural Foods Industry for 12 years and prior to that was a clinical biochemist and toxicologist.
