What this change means
Thunder below a mountain: the upper trigram goes still as the fourth and top lines move, and the shape is an open mouth. The top line leads: your trouble is a restless mind, catching worry from an atmosphere that isn't about you; it's no time to set out, so return to your center. The fourth line adds being bogged down: you can't see what's holding you back, so your efforts don't settle anything, and it's better to wait for conditions to change. The resulting hexagram, 27 Nourishment, points the waiting in a useful direction. Take care of what feeds you, physically and spiritually, and help others grow through what you do. Be careful with words and moderate with food and drink. Calm comes back when you feed yourself well.
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 51 Shock
Your main enemy now is a lack of calm: catching the worry that fills the air over situations that aren't affecting you. If you can step away from that atmosphere and return to your center, things will settle.
Thunder, shiver upon shiver; the eyes restless and lost. Setting out brings misfortune. The thunder strikes not oneself but the neighbor: no fault. Over the marriage there will be talk.
- Line 4 of 51 Shock
You can't see clearly what's holding you back, so the things you do don't settle matters. It's a time to wait until conditions change.
Thunder sinks into the mud.
- The judgment of 51 Shock
When unexpected situations come along that would frighten others, keep control and act calmly, without losing your composure. This attitude will get you results in what you want and let you succeed where others fail.
Success. Thunder comes, and there is dread; then laughter and easy talk. The thunder alarms a hundred leagues around, yet neither the ladle nor the sacrificial wine is let fall.
- 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 → 51 Shocklines 4 and 6
Other transformations of Shock
- 40Clearing Obstacleslines 1 and 2
- 62Success in Small Matterslines 1 and 3
- 34Great Manifestationlines 2 and 3
- 2Passivitylines 1 and 4
- 19Fleeting Successlines 2 and 4
- 36Darknesslines 3 and 4
- 45Meetinglines 1 and 5
- 58Inner Peacelines 2 and 5
- 49Renewallines 3 and 5
- 3Initial Obstacleslines 4 and 5
- 35Advancelines 1 and 6
- 38Oppositeslines 2 and 6
- 30The Flamelines 3 and 6
- 25Innocencelines 5 and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.