Hexagram 05 -- PATIENCE

It won't work if you yell at a flower and say BLOOM!

(quoted in Marion Woodman, The Pregnant Virgin)

(Photo: "Crocus Fire," by Toshio)

PATIENCE is also known as "Calculated Waiting." True patience waits with full breath and presence, like the earth awaits rain. The wisdom of this hexagram points to a sky brooding with clouds that are not yet full enough to release any moisture. Release will emerge at just the right moment...

I find it interesting that PATIENCE falls between INEXPERIENCE and CONFLICT. Any new life is unknowing, and bounds into experience, sometimes before the time is ripe for action. Too much action -- "pushing the river" -- can quell natural processes and morph into conflict.

There is a middle ground, and with PATIENCE we will step into it...