Heaven above – Thunder below
The Chinese name of this hexagram is Wu Wang which has been translated as “not untruthful” and to “not thwart” (the rules of nature). Other names for Wu Wang are: Disentangling, Without Pretense, The Unexpected, Without Falsehood. When Thunder rolls below Heaven it references moving within a natural state (without entanglement) in accordance with nature and the will of Heaven’s laws and timing. In this state one is free of social preoccupations, granting a clearer and more sustained access to the natural flow and ultimately to one’s authentic being.
Breaking down the symbolism of the 3-line trigrams helps with understanding the ancient teachings:
When trigram Thunder is below (the bottom 3 lines in image below right), it references the inner realm of the person or situation. Thunder symbolizes intense motion and the wise ancients recognized it as the “sound or voice of Heaven”. Thunder’s power is the ability to initiate and motivate change and growth, providing useable energy to support the initiative.
Trigram Heaven is on top of trigram Thunder, shown as the 3 upper solid lines below right. In Wu Wang, the power of Thunder (which starts growth and wakes up seedlings) is guided by Heaven’s structural laws and direction to carry this information for each creature or creation to develop into its own particular potential. Nature and her creatures follow Heaven’s instruction, as by instinct they must, but people have been given choice to follow their natural potential or not.
The ancient ideograph is on the left portion of the image below. The top portion pictures a person who is burdened by a load ((represented by the 3 lines) to the point of not being able to speak. This is a way to represent “no”. The lowest portion is further divided into 2 parts. The upper means to “walk away” and below is an image of a woman. Together they show a woman walking away from the symbol for “false”, saying “no” to falsehood.
In summary: The many hexagram titles of Wu Wang illustrate the multi-faceted nature of this hexagram. Without entanglement mainly refers to disengaging from societal or personal situations which are false or useless. To be disentangled, innocent or without pretense does not mean to be ignorant, disassociated, “above it all” or uncaring. Neither does it mean one is exempt from life’s natural ups and downs. Rather it shows that, through the good and the bad, one participates fully with natural, timely involvement, enjoying pleasurable occasions or pitching in to help during difficulties. The impetus from Thunder, shaped by the will of Heaven shows the ideal of being able to move cleanly within the unfolding of life, guided and in accordance with universal truth.
Following are a few ideas for interpretations of each line:
Line 1 – At this favorable beginning the person or situation is seen as worthy and able to move forward. Guidance suggests keeping an open mind and follow one’s heart, even if things are still somewhat entangled. An open mind which is not mired in ego has good potential.
Line 2 – The course of action and attitude suggested is to remain free of ulterior motives and goal attainment. Do what is front of you: without thinking into the future, calmly but with awareness and trusting in the universal laws. This illustrates the essence of Wu Wang.
Line 3 – Circumstances not of your making may come your way. If you rely too heavily on man-imposed regulations and do not take unexpected twists of fate into account, this can make these happenings worse. Guidance suggests keeping an open mind and a sharp awareness of potential difficulties. Maintaining this attitude may even set some good fortune in motion.
Line 4 – Even with an ability to intuitively know what is right and wrong, you may still be sidelined by intrusive pretentious thoughts. When this occurs, check the impulse immediately because, if you have the courage to maintain innocence and proceed correctly, success will follow.
Line 5 – Although this guidance may cover many situational iterations, the main point suggests to avoid interfering with natural processes (such as applying extraneous medications, diversions or substances). Sometimes there are unfortunate situations or events that are not one’s fault or in other cases, one may inadvertently take on the illness or illusions of others. These types of entanglements usually disperse naturally.
Line 6 – One has come to the ending of Wu Wang and if resistance is met at this point, it is suggested not to use force because this will only entrench difficulties. The wisdom of the ancient diviners indicate this is not the time for action; better to allow things to unfold themselves.