Transformation · lines 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6
Gathering with Equals becomes Clearing Obstacles
What this change means
Thunder and rain break loose over the gathering as five lines move, clearing the air. In 40 Clearing Obstacles, the single still line is the focus: release the bonds and allegiances you can't rely on, the ones that would only hold you back, so you can move on unencumbered. That's the work of this change. Some connections in your community have become dead weight, perhaps alliances kept out of habit or guilt. Release them. You don't have to be harsh; forgiving and letting go can be done together. Once you're freed from what holds you back, act quickly where you can, without overrating your strength, and rest if you need to. Freedom of movement matters more now than the size of your circle.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 4 of 40 Clearing Obstacles, which stays still
It's important to let go of ties and loyalties that can't be trusted and that, if anything, will slow your progress, so you can move forward freely.
Untie your big toe: the friend arrives, and then there is trust.
- The judgment of 13 Gathering with Equals
It's a time of meetings with people of a high nature like yours, with whom you can carry out important tasks and projects. Relationships built on trust and mutual support take shape. Large, innovative projects are favored.
Community in the open country. Success. It is favorable to cross the great river. The constancy of the noble person is favorable.
- Line 1 of 13 Gathering with Equals
Shared projects should be carried out in the open, with nothing hidden.
Community at the gate. No fault.
- Line 2 of 13 Gathering with Equals
If you join with people who try to exclude others, the projects won't move forward.
Community within the clan. Distress.
- Line 3 of 13 Gathering with Equals
If you let distrust grow in your relationships and let the people in them hide things from each other, your actions will fail.
Hiding soldiers in the brush, climbing the high hill. For three years, no rising.
- Line 5 of 13 Gathering with Equals
The big differences seem impossible to bridge; still, with patience and a willing heart, union returns.
Community: first wailing and cries, then laughter. The great armies manage to meet.
- Line 6 of 13 Gathering with Equals
You're in a favorable position from which you can reach agreements with all kinds of people.
Community on the outskirts. No regret.
- The judgment of 40 Clearing Obstacles
The obstacles have been overcome one by one. You're in a time when balance matters: act quickly and decisively as far as you can, without overrating your abilities. If you feel you need a rest, or even to step back before going on, do it.
The southwest is favorable. With nowhere to go, coming back brings good fortune. With somewhere to go, going early brings good fortune.
The trigrams
The way back
40 Clearing Obstacles → 13 Gathering with Equalslines 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6
Other transformations of Gathering with Equals
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.