What this change means
Wind sinks below water as the second and third lines move, and a well takes shape where people once gathered on open ground. The third line leads with its warning. You may be joining with the wrong people, and shallow alliances bear no good fruit. The second line answers with the remedy: say sincerely what you need, and the right help comes, a bond formed from within.
The resulting hexagram, 48 Right Action, says opportunities are already on your side, but they won't help if you keep postponing decisions. It's about using what you have, not hunting for something new. So stop gathering more contacts and make use of the honest ones you already know. Ask them plainly for what you need, and act. Watch for delaying by chasing new connections. The water is already in the well; draw it up.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 3 of 8 Union
You tend to choose badly the people you join with. Avoid shallow alliances that won't bear good fruit.
Joining with those who are not the right ones.
- Line 2 of 8 Union
When you speak sincerely about what you need from others, you'll receive the right help.
Joining from within. Constancy brings good fortune.
- The judgment of 8 Union
Right now success lies in joining with people who are aligned with your project and who are a support for you. But it's important that you, too, have the qualities needed to carry it out; that's why you can toss the coins once more to find out whether you have those qualities.
Good fortune. Consult the oracle again: great and lasting constancy. No fault. The restless come from every side. The one who comes late: misfortune.
- The judgment of 48 Right Action
You're at a moment when opportunities are on your side. But if you don't know how to use them because you keep putting off decisions and actions, being in the right place at the right time won't do you any good. It's not about looking for new things but about making use of what you have, or there will be loss.
The town is changed, the well is not. Nothing lost, nothing gained. They come and go, and draw from the well. Nearly there, the rope does not yet reach the well; if the jar breaks, misfortune.
The trigrams
The way back
48 Right Action → 8 Unionlines 2 and 3
Other transformations of Union
- 60Thriftlines 1 and 2
- 63After the Endlines 1 and 3
- 17Adaptinglines 1 and 4
- 47Overwhelmedlines 2 and 4
- 31Attractionlines 3 and 4
- 24Coming Backlines 1 and 5
- 7The Armylines 2 and 5
- 15Simplicitylines 3 and 5
- 16Passionlines 4 and 5
- 42Increaselines 1 and 6
- 59Release from Obstacleslines 2 and 6
- 53Gradual Progresslines 3 and 6
- 12Declinelines 4 and 6
- 23The Falllines 5 and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.