Hexagram 8: Holding Together

Structure of the sign

Water upon the earth flows together wherever it can, as for example in the sea, where all rivers gather. This is a symbol pointing to holding together and to its laws. The same idea is suggested by the fact that all lines are yielding, except for the firm line in the fifth place, the station of the ruler. The yielding hold together by being influenced by the firm will in the guiding position, which forms their center of union. Yet this strong, guiding personality likewise holds together with the others, through whom he finds a complement to his own being.

The Judgment

Holding together brings good fortune. Inquire of the oracle once more whether you possess sublimity, constancy, and perseverance; then there is no blame. Those who are uncertain gradually draw near. Whoever comes too late meets with misfortune. It is a matter of joining with others in order to complement and foster one another through mutual union. For such holding together, there must be a center around which the others rally. To become the center for the holding together of men is a difficult task of great responsibility. It demands inner greatness, consistency, and strength. Therefore, let whoever wishes to unite others about him examine himself to see whether he is equal to the task; for he who seeks to gather others without the seal of one who is called creates more confusion than if no union had taken place. But where a true rallying point exists, those who are uncertain and initially hesitant gradually draw near of their own accord. Those who arrive too late suffer the loss themselves. For in holding together, the right time is also essential. Ties are formed and consolidated according to definite inner laws. Shared experiences cement them, and whoever comes too late and can no longer participate in these fundamental common experiences must suffer when, as a straggler, he finds the door shut. Yet he who has recognized the necessity of union, but does not feel within himself the power to act as a center of union, has the duty to ally himself with another organic community.

The Image

Upon the earth is water: the image of Holding Together. Thus the kings of antiquity granted the various states as fiefs and cultivated friendly relations with the feudal lords. Water upon the earth fills every hollow and clings firmly to it. The social organization of antiquity was founded upon this principle of holding together between dependents and ruler. Water flows together of its own accord, because in all its parts it is subject to the same laws. In like manner, human society must hold together through a community of interests that causes each individual to feel himself a member of a whole. The central power of a social organism must see to it that every member finds its true interest in holding together, as was the case in the paternal relationship between the sovereign and the feudatories in ancient China.

The lines