What this change means
The top line moves, and the wind above turns to water resting on the earth. This line asks you to look at the great order of things, at how everything arrives and departs. Seen from that height, your own situation takes its place in a larger pattern, and you can act wisely within it.
The resulting hexagram, 8 Union, places success in joining people aligned with your project, who support you, while also asking whether you have the qualities needed to carry it out; you can toss the coins again to find out. Together, they suggest choosing allies with the same wide view. Look at who tends to stay and who tends to pass, and at how alliances have risen and faded before. Then commit to the right ones. Watch for joining anyone just to avoid being alone; understanding how things come and go helps you choose bonds that last.
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 20 Observing
If you observe the laws that govern the world, the coming and going of things, you'll act wisely.
Contemplating their life. For the noble person, no fault.
- The judgment of 20 Observing
Observe before you act. Right now you're a source of inspiration for others, and at the same time you need to observe those who inspire you. This will let things unfold at the right moment, and perfectly.
Hands washed, the offering not yet made. There is sincere trust, solemn and grave.
- 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 trigrams
The way back
8 Union → 20 Observingline 6
Other transformations of Observing
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.