Transformation · lines 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6
Coming Back becomes Leaving Behind
What this change means
Only the second line holds as the rest move, and Coming Back becomes 33 Leaving Behind, a mountain standing under heaven. That still second line of the resulting hexagram is the guide: let go of what doesn't serve you, cling to what's fair and right, and your goals come within reach in time. A return and a retreat may sound opposed, but here they work together. Coming back to the right path often means walking away from something else, a habit, a role, a relationship that kept you in the dark. Stepping back isn't failure. It lets you recover your strength and see clearly. Keep the people who harm you at a distance, without hatred but firmly, and stay loyal to what is right.
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 33 Leaving Behind, which stays still
If you leave behind what doesn't serve you and hold fast to what is fair and right, you'll reach your goals in the end.
Bound with the hide of a yellow ox: no one can work it loose.
- The judgment of 24 Coming Back
After a period of adversity and darkness, the return comes. Still, be aware of the mistakes that led you into the dark, because if you repeat them you could fall again. People will come to help you, and your undertakings and projects will be favored.
Success. Going out and coming in without harm; friends arrive, no fault. Back and forth along its way: in seven days comes the return. It is favorable to have somewhere to go.
- Line 1 of 24 Coming Back
Success lies in doing things at the perfect time: watch the signs and act on them.
Returning from not far, without coming to regret. Great good fortune.
- Line 3 of 24 Coming Back
If you act with insecurity, going forward and back and repeating past mistakes, you'll stray from the path and from right action.
Returning again and again. Danger; no fault.
- Line 4 of 24 Coming Back
If you notice who the people around you really are and step away from those you see aren't right, even if you're left without company for a while, you'll find guidance and help.
Walking in the middle of the others, returning alone.
- Line 5 of 24 Coming Back
Acting without delay, recognizing past mistakes and correcting them, will lead you to sure success.
A generous return. No regret.
- Line 6 of 24 Coming Back
If you let opportunities slip by and don't act at the right moment, it will no longer be possible to put things back in order, and you'll have to wait for new options to appear, which may take some time.
A lost return. Misfortune; there is calamity and ruin. If armies are set marching, in the end there will be a great defeat that reaches the ruler of the country. Misfortune. Not for ten years can a campaign be undertaken.
- The judgment of 33 Leaving Behind
Leaving a path behind or stepping back right now isn't a bad thing. On the contrary, it will help you recover your strength and think carefully about the situation and how to set it right. Sometimes what looks like a loss turns into a gain, if you can let go of what isn't good for you and then pick up again in the right direction.
Success. In small things, constancy is favorable.
The trigrams
The way back
33 Leaving Behind → 24 Coming Backlines 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6
Other transformations of Coming Back
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.