Transformation · lines 1, 3, 4, and 6

The Flame becomes Passivity

Starting hexagram
Resulting hexagram

What this change means

The four yang lines all move, the first, third, fourth and top, and the double Fire becomes pure Earth: radiance turns into receptiveness. The still second and fifth lines of 2 Passivity give the guidance. The second says that quietly, without fuss, you can succeed. The fifth adds that success right now depends on acting with reserve, and that your light shines from within. So the brightness you had moves inside. This isn't the time to take the initiative or show what you can do. Let others guide you, keep working patiently on your projects, and let your quality show through steadiness rather than display. Watch for the urge to prove yourself. Reserve and quiet persistence are what bring results now, and the light is no less yours for being hidden.

What to read, in order

Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.

  1. Line 2 of 2 Passivity, which stays still

    Quietly, without a lot of fuss, you can succeed.

    Straight, square, great. Without learning it, nothing that is not favorable.

  2. Line 5 of 2 Passivity, which stays still

    Right now success depends on acting with reserve. Your light shines from within.

    A yellow skirt. Great good fortune.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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.

  8. The judgment of 2 Passivity

    This is not the time to take the initiative to achieve things. It's better to let others guide you and to keep at your projects with patience.

    Great success. The constancy of a mare is favorable. The noble person has somewhere to go: going ahead, they lose the way; following behind, they find someone to guide them. It is favorable to find friends in the southwest and to lose them in the northeast. Calm constancy brings good fortune.

The trigrams

Below Fire Earth
Above Fire Earth

The way back

2 Passivity → 30 The Flame
lines 1, 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.

Toss the coins