Archetype 51: Thunder
On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, as well as a thick cloud on the mountain, and a blast of a trumpet so loud that all the people who were in the camp trembled. Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God. They took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, because the Lord had descended upon it in fire; the smoke went up like the smoke of a kiln, while the whole mountain shook violently. As the blast of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses would speak and God would answer him in thunder.
When the Lord descended upon Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain, the Lord summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up...When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance, and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die.”
—Exodus 19:16–20; 20:18–19
The Reading
It is now the first day of the seventh week since the Israelites fled Egypt. Seven is one of the mystical numbers of the Hebrew scripture. It is the number of divine fulfillment. On this day, the Israelites are to meet God. They hear the voice of God in the fearsome thunder, lightning, and smoking mountain. The people are terrified. Perhaps God takes pity on the Israelites. God does not meet them physically. God meets them in God’s words, yhe Ten Commandments.
The Hexagram
This hexagram consists of a doubled Word trigram. The image of the Word is Thunder. Thunder is shown as the strong lower line breaking through the two upper weak lines. In this hexagram, Thunder is doubled, giving it that much more power. When the strong breaks through the weak, the weak can never be the same. Shock, fear, and even nervous laughter are the immediate results, but long-term changes will also set in as the weak readjusts itself to the awesome presence of the strong.
The Archetype
There is a time...
- To expect a great manifestation of God.
- To understand that this manifestation will cause shock and fear.
- To be reassured that the shock will be followed by rejoicing.
- To look within for the Wisdom to guide one in addressing the terror of the Thunder.
- To recognize the thunder for what it is, a visible manifestation of a great change.
- To welcome the Thunder with calmness and acceptance.
- To continue honoring the religious traditions.
Now is that time.
Moving Lines
Other interpretations of Archetype 51:
- 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.