What this change means
Wind and thunder: the third, fifth and top lines move, and Thunder rises below while Wind takes the place of Earth above. Under the starting hexagram you've been surviving bad company by keeping your principles and your light hidden. The resulting hexagram, 42 Increase, opens onto gain and growth: projects prosper, and you're asked to keep your inner integrity, follow good examples, and drop traits that have caused you trouble. Weighed together, they show the hard time giving way to growth. What you held to in the dark becomes the base of the increase. Keep it close as things improve. Learn from people you admire and correct old faults while things improve. Watch for slipping back into habits that made the dark harder.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- The judgment of 36 Darkness
It's a dark time: circumstances force you to live alongside the wrong people. If you know how to protect yourself, hold on to your integrity, and go unnoticed, without openly showing your light and your talents, you'll stay safe until better times come. However hard they seem, hard times pass too.
Constancy in hardship is favorable.
- The judgment of 42 Increase
You're in a time of gain and growth: your projects will grow and prosper. At times like this it's important to keep your inner integrity, follow the example of people who have the qualities you want to gain, and get rid of the traits that have caused you trouble before. Overall, it's a time of achievement and generosity.
It is favorable to have somewhere to go. It is favorable to cross the great river.
- Line 3 of 36 Darkness
A small stroke of luck lets you move forward, but the obstacles aren't overcome yet, so don't celebrate too soon. Stay alert until they're fully defeated.
The wounded light on the southern hunt: the great chief is taken. Constancy must not be hurried.
- Line 5 of 36 Darkness
For now you can't withdraw to better circumstances, so you have to stay where you are, with your mind fixed on your goal and a low profile so you don't draw attention.
The wounded light of Jizi. Constancy is favorable.
- Line 6 of 36 Darkness
If you keep persevering, quietly and without drawing attention, the bad situations and the people behind them will fall under their own weight.
No light, darkness. First it climbs to heaven; later it goes into the earth.
The trigrams
The way back
42 Increase → 36 Darknesslines 3, 5, and 6
Other transformations of Darkness
- 7The Armylines 1, 2, and 3
- 32What Lastslines 1, 2, and 4
- 16Passionlines 1, 3, and 4
- 54A Subordinate Rolelines 2, 3, and 4
- 48Right Actionlines 1, 2, and 5
- 8Unionlines 1, 3, and 5
- 60Thriftlines 2, 3, and 5
- 31Attractionlines 1, 4, and 5
- 43Overflowinglines 2, 4, and 5
- 17Adaptinglines 3, 4, and 5
- 18Loss, Then Gainlines 1, 2, and 6
- 23The Falllines 1, 3, and 6
- 41Decreaselines 2, 3, and 6
- 56The Travelerlines 1, 4, and 6
- 14Wealthlines 2, 4, and 6
- 21Bitinglines 3, 4, and 6
- 53Gradual Progresslines 1, 5, and 6
- 9Small Thingslines 2, 5, and 6
- 13Gathering with Equalslines 4, 5, and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.