Transformation · lines 5 and 6
Initial Obstacles becomes Nourishment
What this change means
Thunder below the mountain, the image of a mouth: the fifth and top lines move, and the danger above becomes stillness. The top line leads. In its picture, tears flow without end and the team pulls apart, and still its advice is not to give up. The fifth line sets the pace for that perseverance: step by step, without rushing, holding back resources for small things rather than staking them on great ones.
The resulting hexagram, 27 Nourishment, shows what to tend while you persist. Take care of your physical and spiritual nourishment so you have what you need, and help others grow through what you do. Success comes through giving and receiving well. After a hard start, this is a reminder to look after yourself. Watch for exhausting your reserves in a single push. Feed what sustains you, share it, and keep moving in small, steady ways.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 6 of 3 Initial Obstacles
Despite the obstacles, don't give up or lose heart.
The horses of the team pull apart. Weeping blood, in endless streams.
- Line 5 of 3 Initial Obstacles
Act with caution, step by step, without rushing.
Holding back its richness. In small things, constancy brings good fortune; in great things, even with constancy, misfortune.
- The judgment of 3 Initial Obstacles
This isn't the time to act directly: look for people who can act for you, allies who represent you. Still, stay alert so you know when the time comes to take back the initiative and control.
Great success. Constancy is favorable. Having somewhere to go is of no use yet. It is favorable to install lords.
- The judgment of 27 Nourishment
Right now you need to take care of your physical and spiritual nourishment, so you have the resources you need in each area, and at the same time help others grow through what you do. Success lies in giving and receiving: take in what is good for you and share it with those around you.
Constancy brings good fortune. Watching the jaws; seeking for oneself what fills the mouth.
The trigrams
The way back
27 Nourishment → 3 Initial Obstacleslines 5 and 6
Other transformations of Initial Obstacles
- 29Waterlines 1 and 2
- 39Held Backlines 1 and 3
- 5Inactionlines 2 and 3
- 45Meetinglines 1 and 4
- 58Inner Peacelines 2 and 4
- 49Renewallines 3 and 4
- 2Passivitylines 1 and 5
- 19Fleeting Successlines 2 and 5
- 36Darknesslines 3 and 5
- 51Shocklines 4 and 5
- 20Observinglines 1 and 6
- 61Inner Integritylines 2 and 6
- 37The Tribelines 3 and 6
- 25Innocencelines 4 and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.