Transformation · lines 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6
The Flame becomes Right Action
What this change means
All lines but the third move, and water rises over wood where fire stood on fire: the well, a resource waiting to be drawn. The single still line, the third of 48 Right Action, gives the counsel: many of your talents sit unused, so the openings exist but you let them pass. The broader resulting hexagram adds that being in the right place at the right time won't help if you keep putting off decisions and actions. It's not about finding something new, but about using what you have. So stop waiting. Look at the abilities you're neglecting and put them to work. Watch for the habit of postponing. The water is in the well; what's missing is the decision to draw it.
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 48 Right Action, which stays still
You aren't using all your talents, and you have many, so the opportunities are there but you don't take them.
The well is cleaned, and no one drinks: my heart aches. Water could be drawn. If the king were clear-sighted, all would share in the blessing.
- 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 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 5 of 30 The Flame
After a rise, expect a decline. If you stand firm and understand that this is life's natural rhythm, you'll recover.
Tears pouring down in streams, sighs of sorrow. Good fortune.
- 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 48 Right Action
You're at a moment when opportunities are on your side. But if you don't know how to use them because you keep putting off decisions and actions, being in the right place at the right time won't do you any good. It's not about looking for new things but about making use of what you have, or there will be loss.
The town is changed, the well is not. Nothing lost, nothing gained. They come and go, and draw from the well. Nearly there, the rope does not yet reach the well; if the jar breaks, misfortune.
The trigrams
The way back
48 Right Action → 30 The Flamelines 1, 2, 4, 5, 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.