What this change means
Every line but the fourth moves, and water settles above the lake. That still fourth line of the new figure is the heart of the reading. In 60 Thrift, the call is to save your hours, your strength and your means, so that when challenges arrive you're prepared and they're easier to meet. The fourth line adds a gentle note: the limits you place on yourself work best when they're moderate, and when you can find something to enjoy in them, a gentler face. So keep the discipline you learned in stillness, but soften it. Measure without harshness. A limit you can live with gladly will last far longer than one you endure through gritted teeth. Kindness toward yourself makes discipline sustainable.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 4 of 60 Thrift, which stays still
For good results right now, the limits you set yourself shouldn't be excessive, and you should find a way to enjoy them, to see their kinder side.
Calm measure. Success.
- The judgment of 52 Abiding
It's a time of stillness, of staying centered and steady: that's the best way forward in your present situation. Sometimes you need to stop, calm and confident, and wait for outer conditions to show you it's time to act. Don't go beyond what's happening now. There's no action, only a harmonious stillness, and staying that way brings success.
Still at the back; the body is not reached. Walking in the courtyard; its people are not seen. No fault.
- Line 1 of 52 Abiding
Better to stop too soon than to take ill-advised steps.
Still the toes. No fault. Lasting constancy is favorable.
- Line 2 of 52 Abiding
Right now you can only see to stopping yourself in the right place; you can't make sure others do the same.
Still the calves. It cannot come to the aid of what it follows; the heart is not glad.
- Line 3 of 52 Abiding
The stillness you need now can't be forced. It has to come from a calm heart and unhurried breathing.
Still the waist; the flesh along the spine is torn. Danger: the heart is smothered.
- Line 5 of 52 Abiding
You need not only to stay still and calm but also to keep quiet, because careless words could put you at risk.
Still the jaws; words come in order. Regret vanishes.
- Line 6 of 52 Abiding
There's perfect stillness, an inner calm that lets you master what's outside. Success.
Deep stillness. Good fortune.
- The judgment of 60 Thrift
It's a time to conserve your time, energy and resources so you're ready for what lies ahead. If you do, when challenges arrive you'll be prepared and will overcome them easily.
Success. Bitter measure cannot be kept up with constancy.
The trigrams
The way back
60 Thrift → 52 Abidinglines 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6
Other transformations of Abiding
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.