Transformation · lines 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6
Nourishment becomes Attraction
What this change means
A lake comes to rest on the mountain when five lines move and only the second holds; the jaws turn from feeding to receiving. That still line of the resulting hexagram, 31 Attraction, guides the reading: wait, without hurrying or making the first move, for the right people and circumstances to appear by themselves. The resulting hexagram says good results come to the extent that you stay open and receptive, letting supportive people come close. Its image is of emptiness that makes room for others. Nourishment usually asks you to seek what you need; here it asks you to make space for it to arrive. Don't chase. Keep yourself well, stay open, and be ready to receive kindly when help or company appears. What comes unforced tends to be more generous and more lasting.
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 31 Attraction, which stays still
Wait, without rushing or taking the initiative, until the right people and situations show up on their own.
Contact at the calves. Misfortune. Staying put brings good fortune.
- The judgment of 27 Nourishment
Right now you need to take care of your physical and spiritual nourishment, so you have the resources you need in each area, and at the same time help others grow through what you do. Success lies in giving and receiving: take in what is good for you and share it with those around you.
Constancy brings good fortune. Watching the jaws; seeking for oneself what fills the mouth.
- Line 1 of 27 Nourishment
Being ungrateful for what you have and busying yourself envying what others have will hold back your achievements.
You let go of your sacred tortoise and watch my jaw working. Misfortune.
- Line 3 of 27 Nourishment
Watch the balance between your worldly food and your higher food closely: tending only to the first, and overindulging, brings misfortune.
Going against sustenance. Even with constancy, misfortune. For ten years, do not act. Nothing is favorable.
- Line 4 of 27 Nourishment
Getting the right nourishment for yourself and seeing how you can help others nourish themselves well brings you success and help.
Jaws upside down: good fortune. The tiger stares, intent and watchful; its desire chases on and on. No fault.
- Line 5 of 27 Nourishment
Being aware of your limits in helping others and asking advice on how to do it will bring you moderate achievements, not extraordinary ones, but it's something.
Against the norm. Abiding in constancy brings good fortune. The great river cannot be crossed.
- Line 6 of 27 Nourishment
You gain the resources to take care of your own affairs, and you help others get theirs. This brings a great responsibility, but also great success.
From here comes sustenance. Danger; good fortune. It is favorable to cross the great river.
- The judgment of 31 Attraction
You'll get good results to the extent that you stay open and receptive, which lets people come close who will support you and help you get there, generously and without self-interest.
Success. Constancy is favorable. Taking a wife brings good fortune.
The trigrams
The way back
31 Attraction → 27 Nourishmentlines 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6
Other transformations of Nourishment
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.