What this change means
An open mouth, Mountain over Thunder, is the shape four moving lines leave behind. The first two lines of the resulting hexagram, 27 Nourishment, stay still and carry the message. The first says that ingratitude for what you have, and envy of what others have, will hold back your achievements. The second says that expecting others to manage your affairs, and acting selfishly, isn't favorable. So the renewal now turns to what you take in and what you give. Look at what feeds you, in body and spirit, and be thankful for it rather than measuring it against someone else's. Take responsibility for your own needs, and share what's good with the people around you. Change here starts with how you nourish yourself and how you help others grow.
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 27 Nourishment, which stays still
Being ungrateful for what you have and busying yourself envying what others have will hold back your achievements.
You let go of your sacred tortoise and watch my jaw working. Misfortune.
- Line 2 of 27 Nourishment, which stays still
Expecting others to sort out your affairs and acting selfishly isn't favorable.
Jaws turned upside down: against the norm. Seeking sustenance from the hill. Setting out brings misfortune.
- 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.
- Line 3 of 49 Renewal
Neither dragging things out nor acting in too much of a hurry is the right way to go about it now. Ask for signs, so you act at the right moment.
Setting out brings misfortune. Constancy is in danger. When word of the change has come round three times, there is sincere trust.
- Line 4 of 49 Renewal
Making the right changes at the right time will bring you success, as long as you rest on an inner certainty and your motives seek not only your own good but the well-being of others too.
Regret vanishes. There is sincere trust: the mandate is changed. Good fortune.
- Line 5 of 49 Renewal
Renewal will come naturally, guided by a higher will that shows you the way to act.
The great person changes like the tiger. Before any divining, there is sincere trust.
- Line 6 of 49 Renewal
Take stock of the changes you can actually make now, given the circumstances. A change that's too ambitious has to wait for a better time.
The noble person changes like the leopard; the petty person changes face. Setting out brings misfortune. Abiding in constancy brings good fortune.
- The judgment of 27 Nourishment
Right now you need to take care of your physical and spiritual nourishment, so you have the resources you need in each area, and at the same time help others grow through what you do. Success lies in giving and receiving: take in what is good for you and share it with those around you.
Constancy brings good fortune. Watching the jaws; seeking for oneself what fills the mouth.
The trigrams
The way back
27 Nourishment → 49 Renewallines 3, 4, 5, and 6
Other transformations of Renewal
- 29Waterlines 1, 2, 3, and 4
- 40Clearing Obstacleslines 1, 2, 3, and 5
- 46Going Uplines 1, 2, 4, and 5
- 2Passivitylines 1, 3, 4, and 5
- 19Fleeting Successlines 2, 3, 4, and 5
- 6Conflictlines 1, 2, 3, and 6
- 57Gentlenesslines 1, 2, 4, and 6
- 20Observinglines 1, 3, 4, and 6
- 61Inner Integritylines 2, 3, 4, and 6
- 50The Vessel of Nourishmentlines 1, 2, 5, and 6
- 35Advancelines 1, 3, 5, and 6
- 38Oppositeslines 2, 3, 5, and 6
- 52Abidinglines 1, 4, 5, and 6
- 26Great Achievementslines 2, 4, 5, and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.