Hexagram 18   The two trigrams are Mountain over Wind.   

Hexagram 18 image

Decay is not an overnight event, it stagnates and infects areas vulnerable to attack. This problem is not new and requires us to give it our full attention in order to first detect the problem, then to begin rooting it out.   We must also remain vigilant so that it doesn’t root up and take hold again.  Bad habits are not easy to give up since often they are unconscious habitual behavior patterns carried into this lifetime from a former incarnation.

Work on What has Been Spoiled (Decay):   A challenge to improvement: That which has been spoiled through neglect can be rejuvenated through effort.

Receiving this hexagram is a sign that there is a defect in the attitude of oneself, another or one’s society that should be corrected.  Your task now is to bring conscientious thought and action to an area where stagnation has set in.   Perhaps you engage in continual doubt about the wisdom of behaving according to proper principles.  Perhaps you indulge in greed, or vengeful thinking, or a harsh manner.   In any case, the time has come to root out the decay.

Next in the reading of the original Chinese, Brian Browning counsels us to work energetically at this task, but only after proper deliberation. We are advised to spend three full days in understanding the defect; another day in resolving sincerely to remove it; and then three more days watching carefully to insure that it does not return. This steady application of attention to the matter is the wind that carries away stagnation and brings new life in its place.

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