Beauty and Adornment
bì · Mountain over FireLet form serve substance, and know which is which.
亨。小利有攸往。
Adornment smooths the way, like firelight on the foot of a mountain. Yet polish can carry only small matters. Beauty helps a little; do not ask it to carry the whole task.
The six lines
初九：賁其趾，舍車而徒。
You decorate your own feet and leave the carriage behind. You would rather walk honestly than ride on what is not yours.
六二：賁其須。
You groom your beard. Decoration like this moves only with the face beneath it, so attend to what it depends on.
九三：賁如濡如，永貞吉。
You shine, soft and glistening as if wet. Enjoy it, but stay steady for the long term. That is what goes well.
六四：賁如皤如，白馬翰如，匪寇婚媾。
All in plain white, a white horse flying. The one rushing toward you is no raider but a suitor seeking union.
六五：賁于丘園，束帛戔戔，吝，終吉。
You dress a hillside garden with a thin bundle of silk. The gift looks embarrassingly slight, but plainness ends well.
上九：白賁，无咎。
Plain white is the final adornment. When everything extra falls away, simplicity itself is beautiful, and there is no fault.
The I Ching is a tool for reflection. Do not use it as the basis for medical, legal or money decisions.