3
This motif also occurs in Jacob Böhme, where three circles are shown intersecting at a common centre, with a fourth circle displaced downwards. Plate 14
I Ching or book of Changes, trans. Richard Wilhelm, page 269. Subsequent quotations are taken from this book.A good description of the eight trigrams is given in Richard Wilhelm's introduction to The Secret
of the Golden Flower : The Trigram Chen, 5 6 7 8
thunder, the Arousing, is life which breaks out of the depths of the earth; it is the beginning of all movement. The trigram Sun,
wind, wood, the Gentle, characterizes the streaming of the reality-energies into the form of the idea. Just as wind pervades all places, so the principle for which Sun stands is all-penetrating, and creates 'realization'. The trigram Li,
sun, fire, the lucid, the Clinging, plays a great a great role in this religion of light. It dwells in the eyes, forms the protecting circle, and brings about rebirth. The trigram K'un,
earth, the
Receptive, is one of the two primal principles, namely the yin principle which is embodied in the energies of the earth. It is the earth which, as a tilled field, takes up the seed of heaven and gives it form. The trigram Tui,
lake, mist, the Joyous is a final condition on the yin side, and therefore belongs to autumn. The trigram Ch'ien,
heaven, the Creative, the strong, is the embodiment of the yang principle which fertilizes K'un, the Receptive. The trigram K'an,
water, the Abysmal, is the opposite of Li, as is already shown in its outer structure. It represents the region of eros, while Li stands for logos. Li is the sun, K'an the moon. The marriage of K'an and Li is the secret magical process which produces the child, the new man. The trigram Ken,
mountain, Keeping Still, is the symbol of meditation, which, by keeping external things quiescent, gives life to the inner world. Therefore Ken is the place where death and life meet, where 'Stirb und Werde' is consummated. (Pages 17-18)
9 Alchemical Studies CW13; paras. 105, 118
Mysterium Coniunctionis CW14; para. 153
Psychology and Alchemy CW12; paras. 404