Shih Ho (Biting Through) is the image of teeth crushing an obstacle. It stands for the need not to 'manage' problems but to eliminate them. It is the hexagram of justice and radical problem-solving. Softness won't help here; it takes assertiveness to remove the blockage in the system.

DeterminationJustice

Biting Through meets with success. Letting justice prevail is beneficial.

Debugging

Shih Ho teaches that harmony can sometimes only be restored through conflict.

Operative Resources

Justice. The ability to tell right from wrong, incorruptibly.

System Blocks

Addiction to Harmony – The refusal to engage in necessary conflicts.

System-Hacks

Assert yourself.

Tough Love: Give someone feedback today that they need but don't want to hear.
Out of the Dead End: End a discussion that keeps going in circles with a decision.

Image

Thunder and lightning: the image of Biting Through. So the kings of earlier times reinforced the laws through clearly specified punishments.

Shadow Challenge

Shadow: Harshness Without Fairness – Or the opposite: conflict avoidance ('chickening out') that lets problems smolder.

Strategy

Bite through! Analyze the facts (evidence). Pronounce the verdict. Enforce it. Restore order.

The Lines

Beginning: Warning Shot (Correction)Feet in the stocks, so that the toes vanish. No fault. A small punishment at the start prevents worse. Discipline.
Level 2: Harshness (Cracking Down)Biting into meat, injuring the nose. No fault. One acts forcefully and may strike too hard, but the problem gets solved.
Level 3: Resistance (Complication)Biting into old meat, coming upon poison. A little shame. No fault. The matter is tougher and more toxic than expected. Old sins.
Level 4: Endurance (Tenacity)Biting into dried meat, finding arrowheads. It is beneficial to keep the difficulties in mind and to persist. Good fortune! A very hard, deep-seated problem.
Level 5: Gold (Worthwhile Effort)Biting into dried meat, finding yellow gold. Remaining steadfastly true. No fault. Beneath the hard shell lies a valuable core. The effort pays off.
Conclusion: Deafness (Resistance to Advice)Neck in the stocks, ears covered. Misfortune. Those who will not listen must feel it. Being unteachable leads to a system crash.

Reflection Journal

Which problem have I been 'chewing' on forever instead of biting through it once and for all?