HEXAGRAM 6 OF 64 HEAVEN OVER WATER

CONFLICT

訟 Sòng

conflict, a dispute, a lawsuit, knowing when to stop, seeking a mediator

ROASTIE

Conflict. Heaven pulling one way, Water the other. The book says stop halfway and see the great man, meaning get a mediator. You don't want a mediator. You want a witness. You have been in this argument so long the other person moved, remarried and forgot your name, and you're still drafting the reply. Ya roasted!

THE JUDGMENT

Sincere but obstructed. Caution halfway brings good fortune; pushing to the end brings misfortune. See the great man; do not cross the great river.

THE LINES, BOTTOM TO TOP

Line 1 Does not drag the quarrel out; some small talk against him, but good fortune in the end.
Line 2 Cannot win the contest; withdraws to his small town of three hundred households and escapes calamity.
Line 3 Lives on old merit and stays firm; there is danger, but good fortune in the end; serving a king, claims no success.
Line 4 Cannot win the quarrel; turns back, accepts fate, changes his mind; rests in firmness, and there is good fortune.
Line 5 Bringing the dispute before the right judge; great good fortune.
Line 6 Perhaps he is awarded a leather belt of honor; by the end of the morning it is taken from him three times.

THROW YOUR OWN ALL SIXTY-FOUR

Text: the I Ching, after James Legge's 1882 translation, public domain, trimmed into plain English. The take: a coffee bean, licensed in nothing.