A More Elegant Trigram Theory
A More Elegant Trigram Theory
This updated version of the theory avoids unnecessary complications by replacing the concept of time with a tightly related model of cønsciousness.
This document describes the basics of a theory regarding the ancient Chinese trigram symbols and their prenatal and postnatal bagua arrangements. [Original Time-Based Theory here1]
The Prenatal (left) and Postnatal (right) bagua arrangements of the eight trigrams.
The origin of these symbols is obscure and dates back to the earliest days of Chinese civilization. Throughout their long history these symbols have been used by a variety of cultural traditions. They are associated with systems of diagnosis and treatment within Chinese medicine and represent fighting techniques within the martial arts. In feng shui the trigram arrangements are used to determine auspicious spatial orientations. Four of the eight trigrams appear on the South Korean flag.
The trigrams are referred to in various historical and philosophical texts and are the basic building blocks of the hexagrams of the Yijing (a mysterious book from ancient China often consulted as a divination device).
Although much has been written about these symbols a complete explanation is elusive. A coherent theory must explain why each combination of broken yin & solid yang lines are associated with these specific traditional concepts:
☰ Heaven “creative”
☷ Earth “receptive”
☳ Thunder “arousing, shake, shock, quake”
☴ Wind “gentle, penetrating”
☲ Fire “clinging, brightness”
☵ Water “abysmal, darkness”
☱ Lake (Valley, Marsh) “joyous”
☶ Mountain “stillness”
A complete theory must also explain the structure and significance of the prenatal and postnatal arrangements:
(Note that in the above diagram the bottom line of the trigram is on the inside for the Prenatal and on the outside for the Postnatal, for reasons that are discussed in the second part of this series).
PREREQUISITES
An understanding of this theory requires familiarity with the trigram symbols, the concepts traditionally associated with them, and their placement in the prenatal and postnatal arrangements. If you are new to the subject, a pdf file of necessary background information can be found here.
Note: Reference is made here to both “material” and “spiritual” domains. Few people have difficulty with the term “material” but some may balk at the term “spiritual”. It would be evasive and overly technical to use a term other than “spirit” because the concept is deeply embedded within the tradition being discussed.
Nevertheless, for the sake of any rationalists who might otherwise be willing to read this work — please try substituting “observer” for “spirit” and “observed” for “material”. The observer denotes the realm of the "experiencer" — the one having the experience. The observed denotes the realm of whatever is experienced — the phenomena. It’s the interaction of the observer with phenomena that is the basis for this system of thought.
Three Realms of Cønsciousness
This theory proposes that each trigram represents an elemental state of mind, with each of the three lines corresponding to one of three basic faculties of cønsciousness. The trigram’s structure and poetic tradition can be interpreted in a coherent and consistent manner when viewed through the lens of this model (prior model in parenthesis):
“Sense” refers to all signals received by cønsciousness including internal sensation, external perception, and intuition.2
“Memory” refers to the impressions caused by Sense which (while only partial and oftentimes inaccurate representations of sensory experience) allow for the retention of prior sensory information.
“Imagination” refers to the capacity of cønsciousness to generate its own meaningful signals or to modify Memory and Sense.
These are not arbitrary associations: the meaning of each line derives from a poetic interpretation of the traditional terms associated with each trigram. The main portion of this text makes the case for the meaning of the lines by interpreting the poetic terms associated with each trigram.
The solid yang line is traditionally translated as “firm” (suggesting “firm-mindedness”) and is therefore taken to indicate the attentive focus of the mind. The broken yin line is thus taken to indicate inattention or the realm of the unconscious (traditionally translated as “yielding”).
This conforms with a common association in yin/yang theory where yang = order and yin = chaos. Yin’s yielding inattentiveness tends to produce chaos (e.g. if you don’t attend to your affairs they become a chaotic mess). The attention of the mind is used in an effort to put things in some order (however a particular mind conceives of order, whether seen by others as well-ordered or not).3
The mind may focus its attention in any combination of its faculties:
☰ ☳ ☴ ☲ ☵ ☱ ☶
The mind may also suspend its attentive involvement with its own faculties as denoted by
☷
(a technique common within many meditation practices).
In the following section each trigram is listed with its traditionally associated poetic terms. Each example illustrates how the trigram can reasonably be interpreted as representing a mind focusing on the three faculties of cønsciousness (as per the above model).
WATER "abysmal, darkness"
Water is a state of mind with attention focused solely on present Sense.
Sense consists of messages about what’s currently happening — a never ending flow we call “now” and which we experience as sensation. The Water trigram suggests a mind focused solely on Sense with no attention paid to Memory or Imagination.
Why is this state of mind associated with the terms “water”, “darkness” and “abysmal”?
Consider what it would be like to experience Sensation without Memory to provide context or Imagination to provide an idea of where things are heading.
In this state of mind you’re completely absorbed in the current phenomena: a flood of sensation without form or orientation. - just like the endlessly transmogrifying flow of Water. Without Memory or Imagination it’s impossible to understand anything. It’s like falling into an abyss, a dark bottomless hole filled with nothing but Sense.4
MOUNTAIN "stillness"
The Mountain trigram has a single firm line on top. Why is this symbol associated with “stillness”? Consider what it's like to be in a state of mind with attention focused solely on Memory and no attention placed on Sense or Imagination.
Memory requires a fixed notion of what happened. If we cannot create a stable (still) mental image in memory, no reliable conception can be formed.
Ideas of the past may change — but actual events cannot be changed. “Stillness” is therefore an appropriate term to describe both. Memories seem like an immovable foundation.5
When memories change the mindstate is no longer ☶. Memories can be actively modified by both Sense and Imagination. Mountain ☶ represents a stable concept of what happened - even if it's a temporary conception.
Memory sets the stage for whatever’s going on now and for whatever is yet to come. The past is like an immovable (still) theatrical backdrop within which all present action is played out. Similarly, a mountain is a looming mass that defines the landscape around it — just as our histories (memories of the past) tend to define our preconceptions and beliefs.
Mountain ☶ is a set of preconditions we take as a given, forming an edifice and context we presently do not question.
THUNDER "arousing (shake, shock, quake)"
Thunder is a state of mind with attention focused only on the Imagination.
Thunder’s associated concepts are “Arousing”, sometimes translated as “shake, shock or quake” — evoking the potential for ground-breaking changes.
Imagination is the realm of all potential change. We may have ideas but what actually happens is anyone’s guess. Nothing arouses more hope or concern than Imagination.
When we hear distant thunder we become alert and vigilant as we Imagine something significant may happen. A loud crack of nearby thunder immediately causes all Memory and Sense to be suspended while our attention is focused on what we imagine may occur. We experience shock and may even quake in fear if we feel unprepared for what we Imagine is on its way. Our imagination often gets things wrong but without it we would have no sense of possibility.
LAKE (valley, marsh) "joyous"
The Joyous Lake ignores Memory in its attempt to unify Sense and Imagination.
This trigram is sometimes translated as “Valley” or “Marsh” — all terms that indicate a place where water collects and life congregates. Lakes, fertile valleys and marshlands are habitats for dynamic and diverse life because of the presence of pooled water (not the flowing water represented by the Water trigram ☵).
Lake is a large body of water, a reservoir that contains enough supply that we might feel secure and joyous about our prospects. When we sense that we have what we need and imagine this lasting into the future we feel joyous.
Most of us prefer joy to continue for as long as possible. When we’re enjoying ourselves we don’t want memories getting in the way (indicated by the broken yin line in the top position).
Joy can be real or forced. The Lake ☱ merely indicates attention placed on Sense and Imagination. Mania can reasonably be seen as having the same configuration.
Each of the mind states represented by the trigrams have numerous manifestations. It's most accurate to conceptualize each trigram as signifying the state of mind indicated by this model instead of any particular manifestation. The manifestations are useful only in getting a sense of the significance of each paticular trigram configuration.
WIND "gentle, penetrating"
A state of mind that seeks to unify Sense with Memory.
The Wind is called “gentle” and “penetrating” because its present Sense is patterned on things we’re already familiar with in Memory. We're reliving something that’s already been established — Imagination is ignored.
When memories are repeated they penetrate more deeply. It’s only through long repeated exposure to the wind that its effect is noticed. ☴ is not a strong wind like a hurricane — it’s a breeze, gentle because without attention placed on imagination there’s little to disturb the familiar routine. Nevertheless, over long periods of time even the mildest routines can incrementally cause significant changes.6
Every state of mind has unintended consequences. Outcomes rarely correspond completely with intentions. This symbolic system is about understanding the reality of cønsciousness with all its inherent limitations.
HEAVEN "creative"
A state of mind unifying Memory, Sense and Imagination.
Heaven is called “creative”, representing the birth of something new. When all the faculties of cønsciousness are united, Memory Sense and Imagination operate as one.
Utilizing the original trigram model (time as the frame of reference) makes clear all successful acts of creation require that the created thing:
is built upon the foundation of the past
actually exists in the present
is able to persist into the future
If any of these conditions are absent then nothing has been created.
Creativity is often experienced as a flash of insight or inspiration where all of a sudden everything comes together into perfect order and some new things arises from the moment (just as the entire universe is now commonly thought to have arisen out of some primordial bang).
Many of us experience our own microcosmic creative moments in social life, artistic endeavors or (if we’re lucky) occasionally at work. Heaven ☰ can sometimes result in the whole world changing as new concepts create new forms: the wheel, the firearm, the telephone, the helicopter, the computer; the network: all have changed the world because of three time-related factors:
they were built upon the foundation of what came before them
they were manufactured into a present reality and
they persisted, propagated and adapted into succession
Heaven ☰ is also the state of mind associated with The Creator of the Cosmos who experiences All Time as One.
EARTH "receptive"
A state of mind with no attention placed anywhere.
The Receptive Earth indicates a mind-state of absolute detachment, with no focus of attention in time whatsoever — free from all mental activity. When the mind is completely empty it becomes fully receptive.7 Many Taoist texts explicitly refer to Earth ☷ as the foundation for meditation practices. Emptying the mind is a practice that comports with the absolute truth that the cosmos is beyond human understanding and that we are (and always will be) humble creatures within it.
From a materialist point of view this state of mind is “empty-headed”: dull, aimless, without brilliance or merit. From a spiritual point of view, this state of mind is the submissive and responsive elemental substance within which Spirit resides — and from which Creation emanates.
FIRE "clinging, brightness"
Fire is a state of mind that seeks to unify Memory with Imagination. Fire’s associated concepts are “clinging” and “brightness”.
Nothing illuminates Memory more than Imagination. Indeed - we cling to our Memories and enshrine them with Imaginative brilliance.
When we want to illuminate a situation we withdraw from our Senses (middle line is yin) and retreat into contemplation. We consider Imaginative possibilities in light of Memory. In our effort to envision things we become absorbed in abstractions, clinging to them in the hopes they might illuminate our life’s path.
We speak of a “burning desire”. Desire is what happens when we take a Memory and polish it with our Imagination. Fire is traditionally associated with desire in practically all cultures. Our thoughts tend to cluster around our personal concerns: ambitions, desires, wants and fears.
This is why the Fire trigram takes the dominant position in the postnatal arrangement - a representation of the drama of the individual ego absorbed in its wants, desires and fears.
The Prenatal bagua arrangement features Clinging Fire in the focal position.
Fire ☲ is the mind state of all aspirations (which includes both positive hopes and negative fears). No ambition can be achieved without sacrifice and it is no coincidence that offerings are made to sacrificial fires. At the same time difficulties are more likely to transpire when we ignore our senses.
This example illustrates that the states of mind represented by the trigrams are not inherently positive or negative. We may see hopes and fears as opposite to each other but from the point of view of this model they are essentially the same ☲ state of mind.
It might be said that Water ☵ is fundamentally a subjective state of mind as it’s impossible to get distance on experience without memory or imagination. Conversely, Fire ☲ can be seen as an “object-oriented” state of mind.
We can think of bagua's symbolic system as a language consisting of two letters (solid line yang , broken line yin), eight words (the trigrams) and two sentences (the bagua arrangements). This is about as simple as a language can get. Nevertheless, what emerges from this limited language can be quite complex. To understand the implications of the language of the trigram requires fluency: a firmly embedded understanding of the meaning of both letters and words. Only then will the bagua sentences start to make sense.
In Part 2 the prenatal and postnatal arrangements are described in detail.
If you found this work worthwhile you may be interested in my YouTube channel which features videos mostly on this subject.
Footnotes:
The original theory utilized the concept of Time as the basis for the trigram model. However, time is more a byproduct of mind than a foundational building block for mind-states.
This new model came when I realized cønsciousness happens to break neatly into three parts - each of which can be reasonably correlated with time.
In short: Memory is what we’re really referring to when we speak of "The Past", Sense is the agency getting messages from "The Present" and Imagination is necessary to describe "The Future" but also serves other significant purposes.
This restructuring of the theory avoids a lot of unnecessary confusion (Time is an inherently confusing and slippery concept). The new model is particularly helpful in the second paper of this series on the prenatal and postnatal bagua arrangements.
Autonomic messages can be thought of as the sense of constituent cønscious entities (ie. the cells of the body). Cell experience is managed by the brain but is (obviously) not part of our cønsciousness.
Here we are only talking about the mind’s intention, not the resulting outcome. If attention results in chaos it’s merely ineffectual attention and/or misplaced attention. States of mind exist independently from results.
Aristotle: “to perceive is to suffer”.
Memories seem solid until some new information penetrates and changes our mind. This happens only if the state of mind changes to focus on Sense and/or Imagination (yang in position 1 and/or 2).
☴ doesn’t focus on Imagination but it can still have an influence on Imagination. A yin line doesn’t indicate inactivity - it only indicates a lack of attention.
“When the agitations of the mind are under control, the mind becomes like a transparent crystal and has the power of becoming whatever form is presented.” -Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (Giovanni)