David Given Schwarm

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Hexagram 33: TUN

RETREAT

This is a time for disengagement and retreat.
In stillness you are out of the reach of danger.

It is inherent in the design of life that forces of darkness and disruption come into prominence from time to time. This hexagram indicates that this is such a time and advises you to respond by quietly retreating. To struggle or resist in anger now is to add fuel to the fire of negativity which threatens to consume you.

The superior person accepts that there is a natural ebb and flow between the forces of light and dark in the world. Wisdom lies not in resisting these movements but in responding to them appropriately. Just as a plant which sprouts in the dead of winter is doomed, and one which sprouts in spring flourishes, so it is with us. Success and prosperity accrue to those who advance in times of light and retreat in times of darkness. To retreat now is to benefit, in the end, from the changing tides.

Retreat is not the same thing as surrender, capitulation, or abandonment, which are desperate and unsatisfying measures. Neither is it characterized by a hardening into angry or punitive emotions. It is instead an acceptance and a choice: we calmly accept that the energies of the moment are against us, and we wisely choose to withdraw into the safety of stillness. In this dignified and balanced manner we protect ourselves from negative influences and arrive rested in a more beneficial hour.

FIRST LINE

You linger in an involvement with a negative force. Do not allow your ego to draw you into misfortune. Disengage completely and enter into stillness.

SECOND LINE

One cries out for a just resolution. This can only come if we quietly observe proper principles. Avoid placing demands on the universe, and success will come.

THIRD LINE

The clamorings of the ego interfere with your retreat. This invites a humiliation. Devote yourself to quiet truth, not to emotional struggle.

FOURTH LINE

To compete and struggle only strengthens the determination of the opposing forces. If you disengage and balance yourself they have nothing to push against.

FIFTH LINE

Be friendly but firm when the time has come to retreat. Determination to behave correctly prevents you from being seduced into damaging intrigues.

SIXTH LINE

When one cheerfully accepts the necessity of retreat, the path becomes easy and