BACKGROUND
TAO - #YIN - #YANG
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Peter den Dekker
RICHARD WILHELM
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NAME and IMAGE #1
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NAME and IMAGE #2
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Peter den Dekker
CHART WITH 64 HEXAGRAMS
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Peter den Dekker
READING BY A MOUNTAIN STREAM
Above: Reading the Book of Changes by a Mountain Stream by Uragami Gyokudo (1745–1820), a Japanese musician, painter, poet, and calligrapher. It takes some searching to find the hut of the person studying the book in the painting...
Peter den Dekker
WARRING STATES
The I Ching dates back to the Zhou dynasty, which was the longest of all Chinese dynasties (1046-256 BC). In its first part, the Western Zhou, central authority lay with the Zhou kings. Their authority gradually weakened, and in the subsequent Eastern Zhou
Peter den Dekker
CHAPTER 1. INITIATING
CHAPTER 2. RESPONS
A TOUR THROUGH THE HOUSE - DAY 6
FLAT AND SQUARE AND ROUND
All praise for the sharp kitchen knife, but please, don’t forget the chopping board. A flat, rectangular piece of wood, an altar for the earth’s harvest.
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CHAPTER 1 + 2. INITIATING + RESPONSE #1
A MOVIE WITHOUT END
is being rewritten
CHAPTER 1 + 2. INITIATING + RESPONSE #2
THE NAVEL OF THE WORLD
is being rewritten
CHAPTER 1 + 2. INITIATING + RESPONSE #3
LINES AND ARROWS
is being rewritten …
CHAPTER 3. BEGINNING #1
CLOUD NUMBER NINE
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CHAPTER 3. BEGINNING #2
PRIMORDIAL SOUP
THE IMAGE of two trigrams: Water above, Thunder below. A thunderstorm, moisture, an electrical discharge, creation, a beginning.
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CHAPTER 4. PLAY #1
MEANDER
THE IMAGE of two trigrams: Mountain above, Water below. A wild mountain stream, untamed and unspoilt.
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CHAPTER 4. PLAY #2
PLAYING NOT ALLOWED
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CHAPTER 5. WAITING #1
PATIENCE
THE IMAGE of two trigrams: Water above, Heaven below. There is moisture in the air. Enough for a high, thin veil of clouds. Not nearly enough for a gentle rain shower. And that is ultimately what matters: what would we do without water? Water is the primary condition for all life, for every society. Therefore, there is nothing else to do but wait. To ex…
Peter den Dekker
CHAPTER 6. CONFLICT #1
CONTRAST
THE IMAGE of two trigrams: Heaven above, Water below. Water always seeks the lowest point. Raindrops fall to earth and sink into it. The water becomes part of a dark, invisible world. And it is in water that things hide. Invisible and unfathomable, what is concealed causes fear. Above is the Heaven, the sky, tfirmament. The epitome of power and clarity.…
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CHAPTER 6. CONFLICT #2
LAWSUIT
THE IMAGE: Heaven above, water below. Water always seeks the lowest point. Raindrops fall to earth and sink into it. The water becomes part of a dark, invisible world. And it is in water that things hide. Invisible and unfathomable, what is concealed causes fear. Above is the Heaven, the firmament. The epitome of power and clarity. Heaven above Water - power and fearful emotion, which do not go well together - a recipe for conflict.
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CHAPTER 7. MULTITUDE
CHAPTER 8. UNITY
CHAPTER 9. STARTING SMALL #1
AN 1:1 MAP
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CHAPTER 10. WALK #1
FOOTPRINTS
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CHAPTER 10. WALK #2
TAKING TURNS
This is a sequel to:
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CHAPTER 11. ADVANCE
A TOUR THROUGH THE HOUSE - DAY 4
PROSPER
A square tabletop above and empty space below.
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CHAPTER 12. STANDSTILL
CHAPTER 13. LIKE-MINDED #1
STACKING
Below is the end-to-end rewritten version of the article published last May. It has been translated from Dutch into English with DeepL. It will be manually edited and streamlined soon.
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CHAPTER 13. LIKE-MINDED #2
LIBRARY
This is a sequel to:
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CHAPTER 13. LIKE-MINDED #3
THE CLOUD
This is a sequel to:
CHAPTER 14. A GREAT HARVEST #1
AN OLD HARVEST
CHAPTER 14. A GREAT HARVEST #2
A NEW HARVEST
CHAPTER 14. GREAT HOLDINGS #3
GRABBING THE MOON
THE IMAGE of the whole hexagram: five continuous lines and one broken line. It is located at the fifth position of the hexagram, the centre of the upper trigram. This is the central position, that of authority, of leadership, and so is now occupied by a receptive line. The community sketched here can flourish because the leader is humble and can listen. He or she is receptive and sensitive to the wishes and needs of the community members. There is no tendency to draw all attention to oneself - what a relief - and under the motto that when everything is well organised, you don't notice anything about any organisation, everything seems to run like clockwork. Is that what Lao Zi was referring to, with the phrase 'if nothing is done, nothing is left undone'?
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CHAPTER 14. GREAT HOLDINGS #4
STORAGE
This is a sequel to:
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CHAPTER 14. A GREAT HARVEST #5
A VANISHED WORLD
THE PICTURE of two trigrams: below Heaven, above Fire. The sun is high in the sky. Dry warmth of late summer, the harvest can be brought in.
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CHAPTER 15. MODESTY #1
TO BE PRAISED TWICE
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CHAPTER 15. MODESTY #2
THE OVERVIEW EFFECT
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CHAPTER 15. MODESTY #3
A DISAPPEARING PENCIL
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CHAPTER 16. INTENSITY #1
A SLIDING SCALE
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CHAPTER 17. FOLLOWING #1
TIKTOK-QUEUING AND PLANT PROCESSIONS
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CHAPTER 18. DECAY #1
SAUERKRAUT MOUNTAIN
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CHAPTER 18. DECAY #2
RENEWAL
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CHAPTER 18. DECAY #3
MYCOPHOBIA AND MYCOPHAGE
Dit is the sequel to:
CHAPTER 18. DECAY #4
KIMCHI
Ten days of controlled decay. Chinese cabbage, pak choi, rutabaga, ginger, garlic, turmeric, a pear, rice flour, gochugaru - Korean red pepper, spring onion, bell pepper and salt. Kimchi.
CHAPTER 19. APPROACHING #1
MICRO-ADVENTURE
THE IMAGE of the two trigrams: above the Earth, below a Lake. A deepening in the Earth's surface. Water has gathered in this, as it always seeks the lowest place. Water conforms exactly to the receiving form of the earth. Like wine to the bottle, tea to the glass. Is a more perfect rapprochement possible?
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CHAPTER 20. OBSERVING #1
OVERVIEW
Below is the rewritten version of the article that appeared in August 2024.
CHAPTER 20. OBSERVING #2
LISTENING
THE IMAGE of the entire hexagram: an open gate. A gate that offers a view of reality. Open eyes. Listening ears. Can they perceive reality as it is? And not just the soundbites, but especially the voices that are not too loud? Listening to what is said, but also to what is left unsaid?
CHAPTER 20. OBSERVING #3
RELATIVE
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CHAPTER 21. BEAUTY
A TOUR THROUGH THE HOUSE - DAY 2
BEAUTY
A lamp like Aladdin's. Sturdy and heavy on the outside. And inside, a light burns.
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CHAPTER 23. SHATTERING
WASTE BINS
Dragged home. Bags and boxes full. Delivered to the door every day in cardboard and plastic. What follows is the Great Sorting: the valuable items in the larder, locked away. Packaging and peelings carelessly tossed into the bin. Imagine the opposite: the peelings in the pan and the potatoes in the bin.
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CHAPTER 24. RETURNING #1
DINO-FISHES
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CHAPTER 24. RETURNING #2
DAWN
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CHAPTER 24. RETURNING #3
SOLAR TERMS
This is a sequel to:
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CHAPTER 24. RETURNING #4
BREAKFAST-RITUAL
On this first day of January, I wish you a very happy and healthy New Year. Perhaps a return to a simpler life is in store for you. That may not sound very appealing, a simpler life, it sounds incredibly boring. But let's be honest, would you prefer a future full of complexity an…
Peter den Dekker
CHAPTER 25. UNITY
CHAPTER 26. ACCUMULATION
A TOUR THROUGH THE HOUSE - DAY 3
ACCUMULATION
Who can crack this tough nut? Such thick protection suggests delicate contents.
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CHAPTER 27. JAWS #1
SCALLOPS AND CORMORANTS
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CHAPTER 27. JAWS #2
WHEN WILL WE MEAT AGAIN?
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CHAPTER 28. GROTE OVERMAAT
CHAPTER 29. DARK #1
2 x SLEEP
THE IMAGE: twice the Water trigram. Water occupies a special place in Taoist thought. Nothing is as soft and yielding as water, wrote Lao Zi, yet it overcomes everything that is strong and solid. It always seeks out the lowest places, places that are despised and avoided by others. Without any preconceived plan, it un…
Peter den Dekker
CHAPTER 29. DARK #2
WAKE UP!
This is a follow-up to 2 x SLEEP.
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CHAPTER 29. DARK #3
RAIN AT NIGHT
This is a follow-up to WAKE UP!
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CHAPTER 29. DARK #4
FOUR FACES
This is a sequel to RAIN AT NIGHT.
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CHAPTER 30. LIGHT
CHAPTER 31. RESONANCE #1
MUTUAL ATTRACTION
THE IMAGE: above the Lake, below the Mountain. Could two things be more different than a lake and a mountain? One is the epitome of immobility and seriousness, the other cheerfully reflective. One towers above everything and everyone, the other lies hidden in the shade and shelter of the valley. A massive stone mass opposite transparent, rippling water.…
Peter den Dekker
CHAPTER 32. RESILIENT #1
WIND AND WEATHER
THE IMAGE of two trigrams: Thunder above and Wind below. Thunder represents the eldest of the three sons. Wind represents the eldest daughter. Whereas the previous chapter describes the attraction between two young people, the hexagram of this chapter depicts the mature relationship between two older people.
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CHAPTER 33. WITHDRAWAL #1
RETREAT
THE IMAGE of two trigrams: below a Mountain, above the Heaven. If you seek silence and solitude, leave the city. In the mountains, under a dark starry sky, you will find what you need. A small hut where you can retreat for a while from the noise and bustle.
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CHAPTER 34. GREAT STRENGTH
CHAPTER 35. STRAIGHT AHEAD #1
PROGRESS
Since the Enlightenment, we knew what we had to do. Straight ahead. No more medieval winding paths, the time of fools was over. Railway tracks made the world small and set the clocks everywhere to the same time. Electric light dispelled the night.
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CHAPTER 36. DARKENING OF THE LIGHT
A TOUR THROUGH THE HOUSE - DAY 5
DARKENING OF THE LIGHT
The view during a moonless night.
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CHAPTER 37. FAMILY #1
TEA WITH COOKIES AND FAR JOURNEYS
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CHAPTER 37. FAMILY #2
A GOOD-HUMOURED TEACHER
This is a sequel to:
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CHAPTER 37. FAMILY #3
AN INNER LANDSCAPE
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CHAPTER 38. ESTRANGEMENT #1
ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDS
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CHAPTER 39 OBSTACLES #1
BACK AND FORTH
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CHAPTER 40. LIBERATION #1
FISH LADDERS
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CHAPTER 41. DECREASE
CHAPTER 42. INCREASE
CHAPTER 43. BREAK-THROUGH
CHAPTER 44. ENCOUNTER
CHAPTER 45. GATHERING TOGETHER
CHAPTER 46. GROWING UPWARD
CHAPTER 47. EXHAUSTION
CHAPTER 48. REGENERATION #1
GARDENS OF THE FUTURE
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CHAPTER 49. LEAVING THE OLD BEHIND #1
REVERSE BICYCLE
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CHAPTER 49. LEAVING THE OLD BEHIND #2
NOWHERE AND EVERYWERE
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CHAPTER 50. EMBRACING THE NEW
CHAPTER 51. SHOCK
CHAPTER 52. KEEPING STILL
A TOUR THROUGH THE HOUSE - DAY 1
KEEPING STILL
A cupboard you can live in. A cupboard that was originally made to store all your belongings. A storage easily turns into a heap or mountain. Probably. I’ll spare you the trouble of peeping inside the cupboard by keeping the doors and drawers closed, but assume that it can hold an enormous amount of junk. It was already in the house when we rented it. T…
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CHAPTER 53. GRADUALLY
CHAPTER 53. SUBORDINATE
CHAPTER 55. ABUNDANCE
CHAPTER 56. GUEST
CHAPTER 57. GENTLE AND PENETRATING #1
WIND OF CHANGE
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CHAPTER 58. MIRROR #1
SELF-AWARENESS
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CHAPTER 58. MIRROR #2
FACE
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CHAPTER 58. MIRROR #3
CATOPTRICS
THE IMAGE of two identical trigrams: Lake below, Lake above. Water reflects water. A mirror within a mirro
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CHAPTER 59. DISPERSION #1
FLUSHING CHEMICALS
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CHAPTER 59. DISPERSION #2
WILD SNAKE PLANTS
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CHAPTER 60. CONCENTRATION #1
BOILING DOWN
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CHAPTER 61. INNER TRUTH
CHAPTER 62. KLEINE OVERMAAT
CHAPTER 63. PERFECT
CHAPTER 61. BACK TO SQUARE ONE
