What this change means
Only the first line stays still as the other five move: fire now burns in the middle of the lake, the image of shedding an old skin. That still first line of the resulting hexagram, 49 Renewal, is the heart of the reading: don't rush into change. Wait until conditions are right and you're clear about what you want to renew. The broader time is one of transformation, of opening to new ways of doing things and letting go of what no longer does its job, so the new has room. Decrease and renewal meet in subtraction. You've already learned to give up excess; now you may give up a whole way of living or working. But timing matters as much as courage. Weigh what truly needs to change and what doesn't. Prepare quietly, and when the moment is clear, take each step at its proper time.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 1 of 49 Renewal, which stays still
Don't rush into changes. Wait until conditions are favorable and you're clear about what you want to renew.
Bound fast with the hide of a yellow ox.
- 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.
- Line 2 of 41 Decrease
Without having to give up any of what you have, it's a good moment to help others.
Constancy is favorable. Setting out brings misfortune. Without taking from it, it is added to.
- Line 3 of 41 Decrease
A good moment to team up with another person, just one. If you don't know whom to team up with, the ally will come on their own.
When three walk together, one is lost; when one walks alone, they find a companion.
- Line 4 of 41 Decrease
If you work on improving yourself, you'll raise your vibration and also draw people in tune with it.
Lessens the ailment; let joy come quickly. No fault.
- 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 6 of 41 Decrease
You're in a position to help others generously and selflessly. The more you do it, the more blessings from heaven will come.
Without taking from it, it is added to. No fault. Constancy brings good fortune. It is favorable to have somewhere to go. Gains servants who have no house of their own.
- 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 → 41 Decreaselines 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6
Other transformations of Decrease
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.