Transformation · line 6
Opposites becomes A Subordinate Role
What this change means
A pig covered in mud, a cart full of ghosts, a bow drawn and then lowered: the sixth line of Opposites is a scene of mistaken fear. It moves alone. Isolation can lead you into confusion, so that friends look like enemies and you're ready to strike. Slowly the confusion clears, the raiders turn out to be a wedding party, and joining with like-minded people brings success. With the upper Fire turning to Thunder, the figure becomes 54 A Subordinate Role, thunder above the lake. The resulting hexagram asks you to take second place for now, since personal initiative tends to fail. So lower the bow. Before you act on suspicion, check whether the threat is real. Then accept a modest position for a while. Joining others, even from a lesser place, is better than fighting phantoms alone.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 6 of 38 Opposites
Isolation leads you into a moment of confusion where you don't recognize friends or allies; you're even about to attack them. But little by little the confusion clears, and joining with like-minded people will bring you success.
Alone in opposition: sees a pig covered in mud, a cart loaded with ghosts. First the bow is drawn; then it is set down. Not a raider: a wedding party. If on the way the rain comes, good fortune.
- The judgment of 38 Opposites
You're in a situation of opposition: the people around you are different from you, yet you need to share with them. This means that what you can achieve for now is small. Even so, don't give in. It matters that both you and they keep your own nature and contribute from there to a shared project.
In small matters, good fortune.
- The judgment of 54 A Subordinate Role
You're in a situation where you have to take second place to others; any personal initiative will lead to failure. Recognizing the moment and acting in keeping with it is all you can do until things change and you're in a better position.
Setting out brings misfortune. Nothing is favorable.
The trigrams
The way back
54 A Subordinate Role → 38 Oppositesline 6
Other transformations of Opposites
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.