What this change means
Light sinks into the earth as the second through fifth lines move, Fire forming below and Earth above. The lines of the resulting hexagram that don't move speak for this case. The first says pushing ahead now will only reveal obstacles; keep going on the right road, the one your heart chooses, as far as you can without losing your goal. The top line says that if you persist quietly, without attracting notice, the bad situations and the people behind them tend to collapse under their own weight. The resulting hexagram, 36 Darkness, describes a hard time spent near the wrong people. Protect yourself, keep your integrity, and don't display your light. Your inner peace is something to guard, not to show. Persist quietly; hard times pass.
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 36 Darkness, which stays still
Trying to move ahead right now will only show you obstacles. Keep persevering on the right path, the one your heart moves you along, without straying from your goal and advancing as far as you can.
The wounded light, in flight, lowers its wings. The noble person is on the road: three days without eating. There is somewhere to go; the host grumbles.
- Line 6 of 36 Darkness, which stays still
If you keep persevering, quietly and without drawing attention, the bad situations and the people behind them will fall under their own weight.
No light, darkness. First it climbs to heaven; later it goes into the earth.
- The judgment of 58 Inner Peace
You're in a time of calm and inner peace that lets you achieve great things. Spending time with people whose energy is like yours will nourish and recharge you to reach your aims. Still, don't lose sight of your goals, or you'll slide into inertia.
Success. Constancy is favorable.
- Line 2 of 58 Inner Peace
Take great care over whom you spend time with and what activities you choose, because if you let yourself be drawn into worldly things without cultivating your inner life, you'll stray from your goals.
Joy with trust. Good fortune. Regret vanishes.
- Line 3 of 58 Inner Peace
If you don't cultivate your inner strength and you let distractions carry you off, you may fall into addictions and drift from your purpose.
Joy that comes seeking. Misfortune.
- Line 4 of 58 Inner Peace
You're moving between serenity and indulgence. Indulgence leads to empty pleasure; serenity, to inner joy. That is the true path to success.
Joy that bargains, never at rest. Once the ill is set apart, there is gladness.
- Line 5 of 58 Inner Peace
Contact with the wrong people can lead you into distraction and addiction. Once you realize it and put a stop to it, you'll get back on the path to inner peace.
Trusting what strips away: there is danger.
- The judgment of 36 Darkness
It's a dark time: circumstances force you to live alongside the wrong people. If you know how to protect yourself, hold on to your integrity, and go unnoticed, without openly showing your light and your talents, you'll stay safe until better times come. However hard they seem, hard times pass too.
Constancy in hardship is favorable.
The trigrams
The way back
36 Darkness → 58 Inner Peacelines 2, 3, 4, and 5
Other transformations of Inner Peace
- 39Held Backlines 1, 2, 3, and 4
- 62Success in Small Matterslines 1, 2, 3, and 5
- 2Passivitylines 1, 2, 4, and 5
- 46Going Uplines 1, 3, 4, and 5
- 33Leaving Behindlines 1, 2, 3, and 6
- 20Observinglines 1, 2, 4, and 6
- 57Gentlenesslines 1, 3, 4, and 6
- 37The Tribelines 2, 3, 4, and 6
- 35Advancelines 1, 2, 5, and 6
- 50The Vessel of Nourishmentlines 1, 3, 5, and 6
- 30The Flamelines 2, 3, 5, and 6
- 4Immaturitylines 1, 4, 5, and 6
- 27Nourishmentlines 2, 4, 5, and 6
- 26Great Achievementslines 3, 4, 5, and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.