Hexagram 63 – Water over Fire – 3/2-3/7

Chi Chi – After Completion

Doubt – Inquiry – Truth .:. Codon Ring of Divinity

Water over Fire brings the balance of two polar opposites into natural order. The upper trigram is open on the outside while strong in the core. The lower trigram of Fire is the opposite, with strength on the outside and a hollow space in its core. Together these create a balance of inner strength and inner emptiness. All of the yin and yang lines are in perfect placement, supporting their natural strength. When in harmony, there is an alchemical process that activates creativity, but when out of balance, these forces can become destructive. Each element must work in harmony for mutual benefit.

There is a great alchemical secret hidden in this hexagram where the rising warmth of fire heats the cooling, settling energy of water. This alludes to the inner cauldron of the lower Dan Tien and how the fire of the belly serves the water of the heart. It is an expression of how the masculine energy serves the feminine principle illuminated in the 37th hexagram, which precedes this hexagram in the calendar order. There must be harmony in these two elements or else the water may put out the fire, or the fire may evaporate all the water. In this balance there is perfection. Nothing else must be done. There is Truth After Completion. Focus on bringing all the small details into perfect order in this moment. See the cycle to a close, and know that life goes on.

While there is perfection in this completed moment, it is also a reminder that there will be the beginning of a new cycle and an inevitable decline. There is a perfect opportunity to continue the ever-shifting pursuit of balance, riding the rise and fall of the waves of life. Remain vigilant to bring order to the small details of life, and root out excess and corruption. This way, the natural phase of decline can be minimized and prosperity sustained. This moment of cosmic harmony was brought about by right action and behavior, so do not abandon attention to higher principles now. Keep an eye on the kettle so that it boils without boiling over.

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The 63rd Gene Key is rooted in the pineal gland and deals with the left brain approach of the logical mind. At the shadow frequency this expresses as Doubt, which is a collective energy that creates huge amounts of pressure to find mental certainty. Doubt pushes each individual to search for Truth in the world, and when followed to its conclusion, the logical mind’s pursuit for Truth leads to service to the whole. The dilemma is logic, which needs certainty, but life is a mystery that must be lived, not solved. This key represents the 6th sacred seal, and the Siddhi of Truth heals the sixth line wound of separation.

This hexagram partners perfectly with the 64th, the programming partner in elemental inverse, Fire over Water. This pair forms a conclusion at the end of 64 Keys, where the 1st and 2nd Gene Keys act as the introduction. The 1st hexagram is made up of all yang lines, and the 2nd hexagram is made up of all yin lines. These two introduce the primal yang and the primal yin. All of the other keys are progressive permutations of these fundamental aspects of yin and yang.

At the end of the progression is another pair of keys that sum up the whole transmission but in a higher order. These 63rd and 64th hexagrams are embodiments of yin and yang, but with alternating yin and yang lines. The 63rd governs the left brain logical mind, and the 64th governs the right brain intuitive mind, which sees things holistically as whole systems. The left and right brain often do not get along when nested in the shadows of Doubt on the left and Confusion on the right.

The shadow tends to create two polarities, Self Doubt and Suspicion. In Self Doubt, the mind doubts itself and then believes its own propaganda. This creates an unending cycle, which causes anxiety. The only way out is to let the Doubt to run all the way through where the logical mind doubts its own self doubt.

With Suspicion, the doubt is projected outside onto others, often those closest to us. It undermines all our relationships, partners, spouses, bosses, and even our children. This is also an endless loop that feeds on itself. Any reactions from others only enforce the cycle further.

In the middle way between these extremes lies the hidden gift of Inquiry. When the natural Doubts are harnessed without fixating on them, they can fuel the fires of Inquiry to penetrate the mystery of life. The logical left brain loves scouring the details of life and finding pattens. There is great opportunity for this Inquiry to embrace the unknown and the unknowable aspects of life and to make creative meaning out of the interconnected patterns that abound. The difference in this Gift of Inquiry is that the mind stays open and continues to penetrate the unknown without clamping down on relative truths. Nothing is settled; it always leads deeper into the mysterious nature of creation with the spirit of exploration.

Once the mind becomes certain, it has to defend that perspective. Only when the mind stays open does it become indefensible. In this Gift, the logical left brain serves the whole by uniting with the right brain, making a whole mind. All thought is eventually turned into inner Inquiry, where the ten thousand things of the manifest world are seen as aspects of our inner nature, and where we are finally able to find Truth.

In the end all paths lead back to the whole, and logic will run its course to destroy itself in the union of the whole mind. Doubt and Truth are two parts of one whole, and Doubt is the fuel for the mind to continue the search for Truth. In the end the Doubt will eventually doubt itself, and all that is left is Truth. Like the Buddha, we must walk the path, question everything, and seek higher levels of understanding, only to realize in the end that Truth was there every step of the way.

Keys of the iChing .:. Jesse Chesnutt