What this change means
Lake upon lake replaces water on the mountain: Held Back becomes 58 Inner Peace as its four lower lines move. What guides the reading now are the fifth and top lines of the new figure, the two that don't change. Both carry a warning. The fifth says that contact with the wrong people can draw you into distraction and even addiction, and that noticing it and stopping is how you get back to calm. The top line goes further: without real inner peace, shallow entertainments win you over a little at a time, until you're carried by chance instead of choice. After a long stretch of hard going, relief can be tempting, and not every relief is good for you. Enjoy the easing of pressure, spend time with people whose energy nourishes you, and keep your goals in view. Watch what you reach for to feel better, and choose the company that keeps you yourself.
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 58 Inner Peace, which stays still
Contact with the wrong people can lead you into distraction and addiction. Once you realize it and put a stop to it, you'll get back on the path to inner peace.
Trusting what strips away: there is danger.
- Line 6 of 58 Inner Peace, which stays still
If you haven't developed real inner peace, you're easy prey for shallow entertainments, which will win you over bit by bit until you lose yourself in them. Now you're only in the hands of fate; you have no control.
Joy that draws on.
- The judgment of 39 Held Back
Every time you advance, something blocks you, forcing you to stop, step back, and look for help from like-minded people who give you their support. That way you'll get past the obstacles one by one until the final victory.
The southwest is favorable; the northeast is not. It is favorable to see the great person. Constancy brings good fortune.
- Line 1 of 39 Held Back
A strategic retreat in the face of obstacles will help you reflect, come up with new strategies, and act when conditions are right.
Going: hardship. Coming: praise.
- Line 2 of 39 Held Back
It's time to face the difficulties, which seem to grow as you advance. Still, if your actions go hand in hand with inner integrity, you'll succeed in the end.
The king's servant, in hardship upon hardship, and not of their own doing.
- Line 3 of 39 Held Back
The right thing now is to step back from the obstacles and return to normal conditions, with the people who love you, until the time to act comes.
Going: hardship. Coming: a return.
- Line 4 of 39 Held Back
You won't get past the obstacles on your own. It's time to return to more stable conditions and look for support from like-minded people; with their help you'll succeed.
Going: hardship. Coming: joined with others.
- The judgment of 58 Inner Peace
You're in a time of calm and inner peace that lets you achieve great things. Spending time with people whose energy is like yours will nourish and recharge you to reach your aims. Still, don't lose sight of your goals, or you'll slide into inertia.
Success. Constancy is favorable.
The trigrams
The way back
58 Inner Peace → 39 Held Backlines 1, 2, 3, and 4
Other transformations of Held Back
- 19Fleeting Successlines 1, 2, 3, and 5
- 34Great Manifestationlines 1, 2, 4, and 5
- 51Shocklines 1, 3, 4, and 5
- 40Clearing Obstacleslines 2, 3, 4, and 5
- 61Inner Integritylines 1, 2, 3, and 6
- 1Activitylines 1, 2, 4, and 6
- 25Innocencelines 1, 3, 4, and 6
- 6Conflictlines 2, 3, 4, and 6
- 26Great Achievementslines 1, 2, 5, and 6
- 27Nourishmentlines 1, 3, 5, and 6
- 4Immaturitylines 2, 3, 5, and 6
- 30The Flamelines 1, 4, 5, and 6
- 50The Vessel of Nourishmentlines 2, 4, 5, and 6
- 35Advancelines 3, 4, 5, and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.