What this change means
Fire appears beneath the mountain as the third line moves, and it lights up a question of balance. This line is the harshest in Nourishment: going against what truly sustains you, it says, brings misfortune even with constancy, and for a long time nothing will be favorable. The practical warning is about appetite. If you only tend to worldly food and overindulge, neglecting the higher kind, things go wrong. The resulting hexagram, 22 Good Manners, turns the attention to form and courtesy: kindness and good manners with others bring good results now, and everyday matters are favored over great undertakings. So scale down. Look honestly at what you've been consuming, in every sense, and cut back where it's excessive. Treat people with care, handle the small daily things well, and leave big ventures for another time. Moderation and grace, not more, are the nourishment this moment asks for.
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 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.
- 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.
- The judgment of 22 Good Manners
It's a time to be kind and courteous and to use good manners with others if you want good results in what you undertake. What might seem superficial at another time leads you to success now. It's a time to handle everyday matters, not great undertakings.
Success. In small things, it is favorable to have somewhere to go.
The trigrams
The way back
22 Good Manners → 27 Nourishmentline 3
Other transformations of Nourishment
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.