What this change means
Thunder within the earth: five lines move, and only the first remains, a single strong line at the very bottom. The reading gathers in that one unmoving line of the resulting hexagram, 24 Coming Back. It says success comes from acting at exactly the right moment, reading the signs and responding to them. After a stretch of difficulty, a return is under way. People may come to help, and your projects can be favored again. But the strength is small and new, like the first light after the solstice. Don't rush it. Remember what led you into the dark, so you don't repeat it. Let the turn gather force quietly, and when the moment clearly comes, move. Timing, more than effort, is what this reading asks of you now.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 1 of 24 Coming Back, which stays still
Success lies in doing things at the perfect time: watch the signs and act on them.
Returning from not far, without coming to regret. Great good fortune.
- The judgment of 1 Activity
The creative principle. Activity. New beginnings, flourishing, and the qualities you need to carry any undertaking or project through to success.
Great success. Constancy is favorable.
- Line 2 of 1 Activity
It's time to talk with the people who can help you.
The dragon shows itself in the field. It is favorable to see the great person.
- Line 3 of 1 Activity
Things are working, yet you worry for no apparent reason.
The noble person strives and strives all day long, and at nightfall is still watchful. Danger. No fault.
- Line 4 of 1 Activity
It's time to decide whether you want to keep moving forward or stop.
Perhaps it leaps in the abyss. No fault.
- Line 5 of 1 Activity
What you undertake brings good results, and help is there if you ask for it.
The dragon flies in the sky. It is favorable to see the great person.
- Line 6 of 1 Activity
Pride may be your worst enemy right now.
A dragon that climbs too high. There is regret.
- The judgment of 24 Coming Back
After a period of adversity and darkness, the return comes. Still, be aware of the mistakes that led you into the dark, because if you repeat them you could fall again. People will come to help you, and your undertakings and projects will be favored.
Success. Going out and coming in without harm; friends arrive, no fault. Back and forth along its way: in seven days comes the return. It is favorable to have somewhere to go.
The trigrams
The way back
24 Coming Back → 1 Activitylines 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6
Other transformations of Activity
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.