What this change means
Five lines move, leaving only the fifth still, and water gathers inside the earth where fire blazed on fire: brightness becomes discipline. The single still line, the fifth of 7 The Army, gives the counsel: picking only the situations you can handle keeps you clear of pointless battles. The broader resulting hexagram says the favorable answer comes from discipline and organization: face the situation head-on, speak clearly, say what you want without trying to impose it. So not every battle is yours. Pick the ones you can actually handle, and let the rest go. Watch for the pride that wants to take on everything at once. Order your efforts, be clear about your aims, and spend your strength where it counts. Good judgment about where to stand is half of any success here.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 5 of 7 The Army, which stays still
Choosing the situations you're able to face will keep you out of useless fights.
There is game in the field. It is favorable to seize it. No fault. The eldest son leads the army; the younger son hauls corpses. Even with constancy, misfortune.
- The judgment of 30 The Flame
There's clarity in what you do: your inner self guides you toward your goals. A generous attitude helps you, one that leads you to share your light, and this will increase your gains and achievements.
Constancy is favorable. Success. Raising a cow brings good fortune.
- Line 1 of 30 The Flame
Right now it's important to stay calm and focused on your projects, without getting swept up in the noise around you.
Footsteps crossing every which way. With reverence, no fault.
- Line 2 of 30 The Flame
Perseverance and a connection with what is right, as you follow your inner guidance, will bring you achievement and brilliance.
Yellow radiance. Great good fortune.
- Line 3 of 30 The Flame
Don't get swept along by life's ups and downs. Standing firm, centered within yourself whatever the outside circumstances, ensures achievement.
The radiance of the setting sun. If no one beats the clay pot and sings, there comes the lament of great old age. Misfortune.
- Line 4 of 30 The Flame
A quick rise, unless your inner strength and steadiness feed it, will be short-lived.
Suddenly, so it comes: blazing, dying, cast away.
- Line 6 of 30 The Flame
If you recognize the mistakes in what you've done and make the corrections needed, you'll succeed.
The king sets out on campaign. There is merit: the chief's head is cut off, and the captives are not the chief's own people. No fault.
- The judgment of 7 The Army
Whatever your question, the favorable answer comes from acting with discipline and organization: face the situation head-on and speak clearly, say what you want, without trying to impose it.
The constancy of a seasoned leader brings good fortune. No fault.
The trigrams
The way back
7 The Army → 30 The Flamelines 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6
Other transformations of The Flame
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.