Transformation · line 2
Release from Obstacles becomes Observing
What this change means
The second line asks you for an honest look at yourself. Somewhere along the way you've drifted from the people and purposes you shared, and that isolation is part of what's blocking you. In the old text, the one who is scattered runs back to what supports them, and regret fades. As this line moves, the Water below becomes Earth, and the hexagram turns into 20 Observing: wind passing over open ground, seeing everything. The shift asks you to observe before you act. Notice where you pulled away, who you stopped listening to, what common aim you let go. Then notice, too, who inspires you and who might be looking to you. Recognizing the distance is already half the way back. Don't rush to fix it with grand gestures; return to your footing, watch carefully, and let the right moment for action show itself.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 2 of 59 Release from Obstacles
Recognizing that you've isolated yourself and pulled away from shared purposes will help you get past the obstacles.
In the scattering, it runs to its support. Regret vanishes.
- The judgment of 59 Release from Obstacles
You can free yourself from the obstacles that hold you back if you're able to act sincerely and bring opposites together around shared goals. The tension has arisen because selfishness rules. To move forward, be humble and let the current carry you rather than going against it.
Success. The king goes to his temple. It is favorable to cross the great river. Constancy is favorable.
- The judgment of 20 Observing
Observe before you act. Right now you're a source of inspiration for others, and at the same time you need to observe those who inspire you. This will let things unfold at the right moment, and perfectly.
Hands washed, the offering not yet made. There is sincere trust, solemn and grave.
The trigrams
The way back
20 Observing → 59 Release from Obstaclesline 2
Other transformations of Release from Obstacles
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.