The Gate of Self-Regulation
Other Names: The Treasurer, Biting Through
Biology: thymus
Archetypal Insight from the I Ching, by Ma Deva Padma; when this description resonates, a shift from novice expression to wisdom is likely imminent:
The hexagram of Biting Through points to a time when it is imperative to take swift and decisive action to redefine and reform your approach. When the harmonious unfolding of your life becomes blocked, the responsibility is yours to correct the imbalance. Once it becomes obvious that something isn’t right, getting to the crux of the matter promptly should be your top priority.
Whether it is an inner attitude or an outer circumstance that needs your attention, put aside all anxiety and hesitation about doing what needs to be done. Summon all the clarity of vision you can muster to look into the root causes of the problem, and resolve to confront it with honesty and emotional detachment. Emotional investments can cloud our ability to see clearly and can interfere with the awareness that is needed to act in accordance with the Tao (universal/divine Flow). It is only by facing the truth and being willing to take responsibility for the consequences that you can move forward.
Although both are painful, there is a huge difference between the deft slice of a surgeon’s scalpel and the hesitant cut made by a layman with a pocketknife. Biting Through requires a surgeon’s focus and skill. Totality of commitment, clarity of intention, and an appreciation of the consequences if the job is left incomplete are essential. Unless the “biting through” is decisive and total, the root cause of distress will not be fully exposed. And if the root cause is not exposed and corrected, the trauma will resurface later on, when it will be far more difficult to deal with.
If you find yourself in the midst of inner turbulence or anxiety brought on by the need for decisive action, it is important to remember to stick with the facts. Beware of any tendency to leap to conclusions, or to indulge in fantasies of doom and gloom. Devote your full attention to the task in front of you, step by step, as it presents itself each moment. Maintaining your awareness will help you to gather your intent and will support the single-pointed focus needed. Self-assurance and determination are key to implement changes as thoroughly and painlessly as possible.
Radical reforms can mean that relationships must change, people must move on, penalties must be imposed. All changes should be made fearlessly, with sensitivity, and without giving any energy to emotions like anger, revenge, or pity. Simple and unsentimental justice administered fairly and directly can be tremendously healing. Loving farewells, even if they are painful, can help a person to go on his or her way with greater understanding. Your job is to act in a way that is beyond reproach, honorable, accurate, and appropriate. This is as important in bringing balance to your own inner attitudes as it is in dealing with the attitudes and actions of others.
The Changes (additional insight for applying the Line of an activated Gate)
Line 1 – Investigator/Information
Everyday alertness is its own reward, because it makes it possible to see when you’ve gone off course in good time to trim your sails and head in the right direction without getting lost altogether. Keep your head up and your nose to the wind, and you’ll be fine.
Line 2 – Responder/Hermit
Justice is not really justice if it arises out of partiality or discrimination. Expecting preferential treatment, or imparting it to others, is fundamentally immature and irresponsible. Every child thinks he’s the center of the universe and claims the right to arrange it according to his own will. It’s an attitude that is cute in babies, but not at all appropriate in adults. Real maturity goes together with accountability.
Line 3 – Explorer
Sometimes we can see very clearly what needs to be done, but either we don’t have the authority to make it happen or can’t get the support we need from others to follow through. But there is an inner dimension to every situation, and there is a value in making an attempt to do what’s needed, even against all odds. Don’t hesitate to go it alone if your own awareness and clarity are telling you something must be done. The inner strength you will gain from this is just as important as changing the outer circumstances.
Line 4 – Stabilizer
Sometimes taking responsibility for putting things right, especially in very difficult circumstances, can feel so overwhelming that all we want to do is pull the covers up and pray the whole thing will go away. But when we succumb to fear or panic we can lose sight of what’s real and what is imaginary. Turn your attention instead to understanding the nature of any obstacles or antagonism to what you propose to do, remain clear about where you’re going, and be determined to get there.
Line 5 – Visionary Leader
It is likely that what will be exposed is a funky inner attitude that, like a rotten apple, is affecting every other apple in the barrel. Your ability to act with clarity has been impeded by postponing what you already know needs to be done. Correcting this inner attitude restores balance and harmony.
Line 6 – Adept/Role Model
People don’t always wander off the path by mistake. Sometimes they do it on purpose, convinced that east is west, confusion is clarity, and down is up. Locked in their own reality, they perceive anybody who tries to show them a map and point them in the right direction as an enemy. No need to go there – when it’s truly impossible to “bite through” on either an inner or outer level, all you’ll gain by persevering is a chipped tooth.
Other aspects
Astrological Sign: Aries
Dynamics: Arousing (thunder) + Clinging (fire)
Color: red + yellow
Attributes: provoking movement, shock, impulsive, disturbing + enlightening, clarifying, communicative, intelligent
Action(s): to share and radiate
Developmental: birth + conception