What this change means
The fourth and fifth lines move, and the Earth above becomes Lake: fire in the middle of the lake. The fifth leads: you can't leave for better circumstances yet, so stay, keep your goal in view, and draw no attention. The fourth, below it, shows you the real causes of your difficulties so you can step out to safer ground when the moment comes. The resulting hexagram, 49 Renewal, says this is a time to shed a skin. Open to change, take each step at the right moment, and weigh what needs to go and what doesn't. Put together: understand first, wait quietly while you must, then change decisively. Watch for clinging to what no longer works just because you can't move yet. The renewal starts with seeing clearly, even before you can act.
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 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 4 of 36 Darkness
You'll be allowed to see the causes of the hard situations you're facing. This will help you act quickly and withdraw to safe ground before adversity takes complete control.
It enters the left side of the belly; it reaches the heart of the wounded light and goes out through the courtyard gate.
- 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 49 Renewal
You're in a time of renewal, like shedding a skin. Open yourself to change and to new ways of doing things. Success lies in taking each step at exactly the right moment, and in weighing what needs to change and what doesn't, what is no longer doing its job. Don't be afraid to let it go: you need to make room for the new to arrive.
When the day has come, there is trust. Great success. Constancy is favorable. Regret vanishes.
The trigrams
The way back
49 Renewal → 36 Darknesslines 4 and 5
Other transformations of Darkness
- 46Going Uplines 1 and 2
- 2Passivitylines 1 and 3
- 19Fleeting Successlines 2 and 3
- 62Success in Small Matterslines 1 and 4
- 34Great Manifestationlines 2 and 4
- 51Shocklines 3 and 4
- 39Held Backlines 1 and 5
- 5Inactionlines 2 and 5
- 3Initial Obstacleslines 3 and 5
- 52Abidinglines 1 and 6
- 26Great Achievementslines 2 and 6
- 27Nourishmentlines 3 and 6
- 30The Flamelines 4 and 6
- 37The Tribelines 5 and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.