31 咸 Influence
Judgement
Something touches you, and you respond. Mutual influence is the beginning of every relationship: it happens when two move toward each other without forcing. The way is open and success is possible, as in a marriage: what counts is integrity. It helps to respond with firmness and sincerity: it looks promising. Ask yourself what is touching you now and whether you are letting it in with the right attitude.
Image
A lake over a mountain: the mountain receives what comes down in the water. The wise person keeps the mind free of worry and open to the influence of others. That openness is the image of influence. Someone who arrives with a full head does not hear. Ask yourself what prejudice you could set aside today so something can enter, and what takes up your attention without leaving room.
Lines
Line 1
You move the big toes of your feet: a small impulse, barely visible. It is the beginning of something not yet noticeable. Do not rush to call it a decision. Some movements start small and come to nothing if not tended. Ask yourself what tiny gesture is being born in you, and whether you are afraid to follow that impulse.
Line 2
You move your calves: you get ahead of what is due. That is a bad sign. If you stay still in your place, it tends to go well. It is the impulse to advance before the time. Wait. Some movements only become right when they ripen. Ask yourself what step you are hurrying out of anxiety.
Line 3
You move your thighs and cling to the one you follow. Moving ahead like this tends to bring regret. This is someone dragged along without thinking, stuck to another. Following for the sake of following costs you autonomy. Ask yourself whom you follow without asking where they are going. Your own judgment is what gives your company value.
Line 4
If you stay firm and upright, that is a good sign and you have little to regret. But if your movements are restless, back and forth, only those who are already your friends follow your purpose. Here influence demands a centered heart. Ask yourself whether your inner agitation keeps you from reaching the people around you.
Line 5
You move the flesh of the spine, above the heart. You have little reason for regret. It is an influence deeper than a gesture: it reaches what holds you up. Ask yourself what moves you inside without your thinking about it, and whether you let yourself be influenced by something you do not fully control.
Line 6
You move your jaws and your tongue. Influence that stays in speech goes no further. Talking a lot is not the same as touching the other person. Ask yourself whether what you say reaches beyond the conversation, or whether you use words so as not to move truly toward anyone.
Reflection
- What is touching you now, and how are you receiving it?
- Whom do you follow without asking where they are going?
- Do your words reach further than your gestures?