What this change means
Only the second line is solid in this hexagram, the one commander in the middle of the troops, and now it softens: Water below becomes Earth, and every line turns yielding. That line is the heart of this reading. It says that keeping up your activity and your discipline will get you what you want; the old text shows someone in the midst of the army, trusted enough that the king renews the charge three times.
The resulting hexagram, 2 Passivity, adds an unexpected note. It says this isn't the time to take the initiative but to let others guide you and stay patient with your projects. Put together, the message is about leading from inside a larger order. You do your part steadily and well, and the direction comes from above. Watch for confusing discipline with control. Your strength now is reliability, not command.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 2 of 7 The Army
Keep up your activity and discipline to reach what you want, and you'll get it.
In the midst of the army: good fortune. No fault. Three times the king bestows his charge.
- The judgment of 7 The Army
Whatever your question, the favorable answer comes from acting with discipline and organization: face the situation head-on and speak clearly, say what you want, without trying to impose it.
The constancy of a seasoned leader brings good fortune. No fault.
- The judgment of 2 Passivity
This is not the time to take the initiative to achieve things. It's better to let others guide you and to keep at your projects with patience.
Great success. The constancy of a mare is favorable. The noble person has somewhere to go: going ahead, they lose the way; following behind, they find someone to guide them. It is favorable to find friends in the southwest and to lose them in the northeast. Calm constancy brings good fortune.
The trigrams
The way back
2 Passivity → 7 The Armyline 2
Other transformations of The Army
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.