What this change means
Thunder below hardens into Mountain as the first and third lines move, and Innocence becomes 33 Leaving Behind. The third line weighs most: a misfortune that isn't your fault, the ox taken by a passerby while the village pays. A good action at the wrong time can backfire. The first line adds its counsel: follow the heart, and going forward goes well. The resulting hexagram says that stepping back right now isn't defeat; it lets you recover strength and see how to put things right. So if you've been caught in trouble you didn't cause, don't keep pushing where the timing is wrong. Withdraw a little, keep your distance from people who stir confusion, without hostility but firmly, and let your heart show you the direction for when you return. Sometimes the step back is what turns a loss into a gain.
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 25 Innocence
Watch and act at the right time, because a good deed done at the wrong moment turns out badly.
An undeserved calamity: someone tied up an ox; the traveler takes it, and the calamity falls on the villagers.
- Line 1 of 25 Innocence
Follow the way of the heart: it will always know what is right at each moment. This will lead you to success.
Without falseness. Going brings good fortune.
- The judgment of 25 Innocence
If you act with a pure heart, free of hidden motives and without straying from what is right, true to original human nature, you'll let the blessings of heaven reach you. Otherwise you'll meet obstacles and your affairs will become difficult.
Great success. Constancy is favorable. If it is not upright, there is calamity. It is not favorable to have somewhere to go.
- 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 → 25 Innocencelines 1 and 3
Other transformations of Innocence
- 6Conflictlines 1 and 2
- 1Activitylines 2 and 3
- 20Observinglines 1 and 4
- 61Inner Integritylines 2 and 4
- 37The Tribelines 3 and 4
- 35Advancelines 1 and 5
- 38Oppositeslines 2 and 5
- 30The Flamelines 3 and 5
- 27Nourishmentlines 4 and 5
- 45Meetinglines 1 and 6
- 58Inner Peacelines 2 and 6
- 49Renewallines 3 and 6
- 3Initial Obstacleslines 4 and 6
- 51Shocklines 5 and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.