Transformation · lines 1 and 5
Decrease becomes Release from Obstacles
What this change means
Wind moves over water as the first and fifth lines change, and what was held tight below the mountain begins to loosen and flow. The fifth line leads with good news: unexpected opportunities, earned through your own conduct, arrive like a gift, and little can stand against them. The first line keeps you grounded: finish your own work, then help others when they ask, weighing how much you take on. The resulting hexagram, 59 Release from Obstacles, says you can free yourself from what holds you back by acting sincerely and bringing opposite sides together around shared goals. Selfishness is what created the tension, so humility is what dissolves it. Use your good fortune to reconcile, not to win. Let the current carry you instead of fighting it, and offer your help in measure, at the right time. Fortune shared this way tends to clear the road for everyone, including you.
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 41 Decrease
Lucky chances will come unexpectedly, like a gift from heaven, because you've earned them.
Someone adds to it: a tortoise worth ten strings of shells cannot go against it. Great good fortune.
- Line 1 of 41 Decrease
Once your tasks are done, this is a time when you can use your time and energy to help others, as long as they ask for that help.
When the work is done, go quickly. No fault. Weigh how much to take away.
- The judgment of 41 Decrease
It's a time for moderation and saving: conserving your resources and energy matters a great deal now. A period of growth will follow, but for now you need to stay aware and avoid excess of every kind while you get ready to take on big projects.
There is sincere trust. Great good fortune. No fault. Constancy is possible. It is favorable to have somewhere to go. What to offer? Two bowls will do for the offering.
- The judgment of 59 Release from Obstacles
You can free yourself from the obstacles that hold you back if you're able to act sincerely and bring opposites together around shared goals. The tension has arisen because selfishness rules. To move forward, be humble and let the current carry you rather than going against it.
Success. The king goes to his temple. It is favorable to cross the great river. Constancy is favorable.
The trigrams
The way back
59 Release from Obstacles → 41 Decreaselines 1 and 5
Other transformations of Decrease
- 23The Falllines 1 and 2
- 18Loss, Then Gainlines 1 and 3
- 22Good Mannerslines 2 and 3
- 64Transitionlines 1 and 4
- 21Bitinglines 2 and 4
- 14Wealthlines 3 and 4
- 42Increaselines 2 and 5
- 9Small Thingslines 3 and 5
- 10Treading Carefullylines 4 and 5
- 7The Armylines 1 and 6
- 24Coming Backlines 2 and 6
- 11Well-Beinglines 3 and 6
- 54A Subordinate Rolelines 4 and 6
- 60Thriftlines 5 and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.