Archetype 22: Elegance
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.”...When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
—Matthew 2:1–11
The Reading
This reading describes the birth of Jesus using a number of rich metaphors. There are wise ones coming from far-off lands to meet a newly born king. There is a star rising, as it seems, from the secret depths of the earth and illuminating and beautifying the earth. And there are three gifts (gold, frankincense, and myrrh) associated with divinity (e.g., 1 Kings 6:22), lovers (e.g., Song of Solomon 5:13), and priests (e.g., Leviticus 2:15). These gifts are made in homage to the baby who will eventually reunite the human race with God.
The Hexagram
The lower trigram is Christ, whose image is Fire. The upper trigram is Stillness, whose image is Mountain. Thus we have Fire lighting up the Mountain with its shining presence.
The Archetype
There is a time...
- To appreciate the graceful beauty that ornaments something of importance.
- To recognize the limitations of ornamentation.
- To remember that the ornamentation is ultimately not what is important.
- To realize that ornamentation used indiscriminately loses its value.
- To recognize that while the ornamentation adds beauty, it cannot resolve important questions.
- To gain Wisdom by observing the forms existing in nature.
- To not be distracted by ornaments when deciding important matters.
Now is that time.
Moving Lines
Other interpretations of Archetype 22:
- Tom Christensen's interpretation [click here]
- Cafe Au Soul's interpretation [click here]
- LiSe's interpretation [click here]
- Richard Wilhelm's interpretation [click here]
Internal Links:
- Return to the Hexagram Index Table [click here].
- Return to Consulting the Christian I Ching [click here].
- Purchase a printed copy of Wisdom's Way; The Christian I Ching [click here].
- Learn about our Online Christian I Ching Workshop [click here].
- Find out about personal consultations [click here].
Reproduced with permission from Wisdom's Way; The Christian I Ching copyright (c) 2015 Roger Sessions.