What this change means
Only the bottom line of Water moves, and the lower trigram turns into Lake: water that was rushing ahead now has to find a basin. This line describes a fall deeper into the pit, the kind that happens when you keep charging in the direction you've chosen without looking at what's going on around you. Obstacles in this hexagram come one after another, and plowing through them blindly tends to land you lower, not farther. The resulting hexagram, 60 Thrift, shows the way out: measure. Save your time, energy and resources instead of spending them on force. Look up, read the circumstances, and set yourself limits you can keep. When the next challenge arrives, you'll meet it prepared rather than exhausted. What to watch for is the reflex to push harder when things go wrong; here, that's exactly what digs the pit deeper. Slow down, take stock, and let restraint carry you where recklessness can't.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 1 of 29 Water
You won't get results if you keep acting recklessly in the direction you're going, without watching outside circumstances.
Pit upon pit. Entering the bottom of the pit. Misfortune.
- The judgment of 29 Water
Just as a stream moves through obstacles and gets past them, following its course without stagnating, you're at a time when obstacles will come one after another, but you'll get past them if you can keep moving. Letting fear paralyze you will only leave you stuck.
There is sincere trust. Only the heart gets through. Going earns esteem.
- The judgment of 60 Thrift
It's a time to conserve your time, energy and resources so you're ready for what lies ahead. If you do, when challenges arrive you'll be prepared and will overcome them easily.
Success. Bitter measure cannot be kept up with constancy.
The trigrams
The way back
60 Thrift → 29 Waterline 1
Other transformations of Water
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.