9 The Small (Nurturing) - The I Ching
Chris Gabriel January 3, 2026
Judgment
Dark clouds, but no rain in the Western Lands.
Lines
1
Go your own way, what could go wrong?
2
Lead the way back.
3
A noisy ride where husband and wife can’t see eye to eye.
4
Have faith and the fear of blood goes.
5
With entwined faith we are rich in neighbors
6
The rain came down. Still virtue grew. A woman in danger, the Moon is almost full. The Sage’s journey will be unfortunate.
Qabalah
Chokmah, the Paternal. The 4 Twos. The 2 of Swords and the 2 of Disks.
In hexagram 9, we are given the image of accumulation: the process of making a mountain out of a molehill, of turning something little into something big. This can be the growth of a great storm cloud from a small bit of moisture, or the growth of a baby into an adult. This can be applied to social dynamics too, as written in the lines. It is also the phenomena of perspective and proportion, how something large and distant looks small. Thus the hexagram is a cloud far up in the heavens, looking very small from the ground.
We are shown dark clouds that bring no rain, for they are still growing.
1
One must follow their own path to grow. Each vine, flower, and tree fights for its own sunlight, and contorts itself to do so. They follow their own way to survive.
2
At times, growth requires retreat, though it may appear as regression. No matter how far one goes, we still need to sleep.
3
This is the social form of making a mountain out of a molehill. If a couple is driving and they get a flat tire, it can elicit an argument fantastically out of proportion to the minor inconvenience they’ve experienced. The little problem grows into a drama representing the problems of the whole relationship.
4
When we have faith in the ultimate goal of growth, our anxieties fade and the hard work necessary to achieve such a thing becomes light.
5
When we show a little kindness and goodwill to those around us, we will often find they are willing to support us in times of need. Bringing flowers or gifts to a new neighbor can invite a friendship and reciprocal kindness.
6
When things have grown, we see their fruits. When things reach their fullness, so too does the danger of spilling. A cloud which accumulates enough water soon bursts forth and pours out the rain it has accumulated.
Nietzsche expresses this dynamic well in Zarathustra:
“Indeed, who was not defeated in his victory!
Indeed, whose eye did not darken in this drunken twilight!
Indeed, whose foot did not stagger and forget how to stand in victory!
– That I may one day be ready and ripe in the great noon; ready and ripe
like glowing bronze, clouds pregnant with lightning and swelling udders of milk –”
As we grow, things become more treacherous and the stakes become higher. At the final moment, we can slip, and spill all that we’ve made. Consider children playing with blocks or sandcastles, or building a house of cards; we can keep these things steady as we build them up, but as we prepare to finish them, it can all come tumbling down. Nietzsche’s Zarathustra prays to his Will that he will be able to maintain this state of growth and height, that his accumulated energy can be directed properly at the right time, not lost in pride.
Pride comes before a Fall.
