I Ching, Yijing or Zhou Yi
"Oracle of the moon": © 2000 LiSe
Yi Jing, Oracle of the Moon
The image of hexagram 22
Bì, adornment or beauty
What does it mean, 'inner' and 'outer trigram' (popup)
Fire below Mountain: when something has order and energy inside, this will show on the outside. Mountain is the form, the coherent matter. A healthy and balanced tree is a beautiful and strong tree. This beauty is more than adornment, it is the outward sign of health and strength, and this is what we experience as real beauty which can move our soul.
Ideogram of the hexagram name: a plant in a container. Bì means decoration, glorious appearance, brilliant, ornate, to honor. Pronounced 'ben' it is ardent, brave, energetic.It is sometimes drawn with flowers. The ideogram shows not only the beauty of the plant, but also how we cherish it. We care for it, give it a place of honor, adorn our life with it. It speaks to our own inherent health and sense of harmony.
The 'Great Image' says: Fire at the foot of the Mountain: decoration. The noble one has insight in many people's affairs without daring to judge in legal cases
Hex.22, lush and moist nature, is the contrast of 47, which is about a lack of water, of the freedom to flow. And literally: 22 a well-watered plant versus 47 a dried-out one.
Hex.22 has structure and order inside. The outward appearance of this order is what we experience as beauty. The hexagram is not about the appearances themselves, but rather an advice how to use them, how to recognize them, how to be led by the inner value and not to stumble over beauty which is only adornment of the surface.
Beauty is Qi and order showing. When life-energy is present, colors become living and warm, proportions become like the golden section, balance is created and restored time after time. All coming from out the inner life. A beautiful face or a rich fur, lustrous leaves and flowers, a splendid stream or forest or landscape, they all talk about their inherent health and good structure. Energy, order and beauty belong together.