What this change means
Fire burns on the Mountain as the third and fifth lines move, and the result is 56 The Traveler. The fifth line leads. The stuck period is coming to an end, but caution is still needed until things are fully stable; the line warns that what you have could be lost and ties it to deep roots. The third line adds patience: you may be carrying an uncomfortable position for a while, as things improve little by little and justice takes its time. The resulting hexagram describes a passing stage of small achievements, new places or situations that ask you to adapt. Keep a light, flexible attitude, release attachments and be gracious as new ties form. So the end of the stagnation may not mean settling down. Be ready to move on, travel light, and hold what you have carefully while the ground beneath you is still shifting.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 5 of 12 Decline
The stagnation is ending, but you still need to act with caution until the situation is fully stable.
Stagnation comes to rest. For the great person, good fortune. “It may be lost, it may be lost”: tied to the leafy mulberry.
- Line 3 of 12 Decline
Little by little things will improve; it's a matter of waiting patiently for justice to be done.
Embracing shame.
- The judgment of 12 Decline
You're surrounded by adverse people and situations. Avoid getting involved with those people, no matter what they offer you. Circumstances aren't good for acting or making decisions; it's time to withdraw to a safe place and wait for conditions to change. It's time to keep a low profile.
Stagnation: these are not worthy people. The constancy of the noble person is not favorable. The great goes, the small comes.
- The judgment of 56 The Traveler
It's a time of small achievements. Keep a light, flexible attitude. You may be facing a period of change, new places or situations that ask you to adapt while they settle: let go of attachments and be gracious as you make new connections and your situation takes hold.
Small success. For the traveler, constancy brings good fortune.
The trigrams
The way back
56 The Traveler → 12 Declinelines 3 and 5
Other transformations of Decline
- 10Treading Carefullylines 1 and 2
- 13Gathering with Equalslines 1 and 3
- 44Lack of Firmnesslines 2 and 3
- 42Increaselines 1 and 4
- 59Release from Obstacleslines 2 and 4
- 53Gradual Progresslines 3 and 4
- 21Bitinglines 1 and 5
- 64Transitionlines 2 and 5
- 23The Falllines 4 and 5
- 17Adaptinglines 1 and 6
- 47Overwhelmedlines 2 and 6
- 31Attractionlines 3 and 6
- 8Unionlines 4 and 6
- 16Passionlines 5 and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.