Fleeting Spark

It comes suddenly, flares up and dies out. This is an image of what can be abandoned. This anxiety comes suddenly, burns up and dies out. You can simply throw it away. You may feel trapped but do not fight the situation. The oppressive duties that confine you will slowly loosen. The people approaching you now are not outlaws. Attribute great wisdom and worth to them. Seek an alliance. These goings and comings release the energy bound up in the past. Step outside the norms and re-imagine the situation. Gather energy for a decisive new move.

九四, 突如其來如, 焚如, 死如, 棄如.

Its coming is sudden; It flames up, dies down, is thrown away. ##### Comments Clarity of mind has the same relation to life that fire has to wood. Fire clings to wood, but also consumes it. Clarity of mind is rooted in life but can also consume it. Everything depends upon how the clarity functions. Here the image used is that of a meteor or a straw fire. A man who is excitable and restless may rise quickly to prominence but produces no lasting effects. Thus matters end badly when a man spends himself too rapidly and consumes himself like a meteor.