Archetype 60: Limitations
But now more than ever the word about Jesus spread abroad; many crowds would gather to hear him and to be cured of their diseases. But he would withdraw to deserted places and pray.
—Luke 5:15–16
The Reading
The demands on Jesus are enormous. Everywhere he goes, people need healing, feeding, comforting, loving, caring, and forgiving. But Jesus understands that he must put limitations on what he can do. He frequently goes off alone to meditate, pray, and renew his relationship with God. These are the times when Jesus turns away from ministering to others and toward ministering to his own soul. Without these times of renewal, Jesus would quickly burn out. Ultimately, it is the limitations Jesus places on his public ministry that make his public ministry possible.
The Hexagram
This hexagram consists of the lower trigram Wonder, whose image is Lake, and the upper trigram Chaos, whose image is Water. Water is above the lake. If the lake cannot contain the water, the water overflows and causes destruction. If the lake can set boundaries around the water, then the water is contained and supports life. The difference between destruction and supporting life is determined by the ability of the lake to provide limitations to the water.
The Archetype
There is a time...
- To recognize that sometimes limitations must be placed on things.
- To be thriftier in the use of resources.
- To understand that limitations are necessary to preserve resources for the future.
- To know that even limitations need limitations to prevent limitations from becoming unnecessary burdens.
- To recognize the limitations one places on oneself by the choices one makes.
- To appreciate the sometimes paradoxical relationship between limitations and freedom.
Now is that time.
Moving Lines
Other interpretations of Archetype 60:
- 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.