





41. Sǔn 損
DECREASE, REDUCTION






41. Sǔn 損
DECREASE, REDUCTION
Identify what is necessary for a fulfilling life and what hinders you. Confidently let go of the excess.
Identify what is necessary for a fulfilling life and what hinders you. Confidently let go of the excess.
Above is the trigram Gen (Mountain), below is the trigram Dui (Lake). The metaphorical image of this hexagram is a bottomless cave. The I Ching indicates that human desires are like it, and, if indulged and not restrained – harm is inevitable. Need becomes greed, greed becomes stinginess, stinginess becomes avarice. To break this vicious circle, one must have an inner core and clearly understand their desires and needs, without losing oneself in the whirl of passions.
On the other hand, sometimes we need to shed excess baggage, renounce what consumes our energy and gives nothing in return. Spreading ourselves too thin, we lose; by renouncing the excess, we can focus on what’s important and succeed.
Sometimes this hexagram can be interpreted as the expression “the hand that gives does not become poor”. By giving, sharing acquired knowledge, energy, material accumulations, we allow energy to flow freely and without obstacles, only increasing our volume and potential. Conversely, being exclusively focused on oneself and one’s needs, accumulating for the sake of accumulation will not lead us to a harmonious and fulfilled state but will only cause unnecessary tension.
In this situation, contacts with other people may be weakened or may even cease altogether, communication will be difficult or weakened. Don’t worry about this, as you have the opportunity to focus on yourself and your inner world, clearly see your goals and intentions, develop the necessary strategy for further movement.
It would be truly wise to figure out what is necessary for you to live fully and progress on your path, and what only hinders and confuses you. Without hesitation, let go of the excess. A good metaphor is to sort out current affairs or do a general cleaning.
I Ching Talking
Having sorted out the matter, decrease what needs to be decreased
Hexagram Line Descriptions





