Transformation · lines 2, 3, and 5

Release from Obstacles becomes Abiding

Starting hexagram
Resulting hexagram

What this change means

Water and wind both turn to stone. The second, third and fifth lines move, and the result is mountain upon mountain, 52 Abiding. The judgments carry equal weight. From the starting hexagram: tension came from selfishness, and it loosens through sincerity, through bringing opposites together around shared goals, and through letting the current carry you. From the resulting one: this is a time of stillness, of staying centered and steady, waiting calm and confident until outer conditions show it's time to act. The two fit better than they seem. After so much dispersal, what helps now is to stop. Don't chase reconciliations or try to fix every rift today. Stay where you are, keep your thinking from straying beyond the present, and let your steadiness do the work. A still center can draw scattered people back more reliably than effort can.

What to read, in order

Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Line 3 of 59 Release from Obstacles

    If you're clear about your goals and purposes, you'll be able to give ground so as to find unity and get past the obstacles.

    Scatters its own self. No regret.

  5. Line 5 of 59 Release from Obstacles

    In times of deep division and widespread selfishness, make unity your aim, even if it means yielding more than you think you should.

    Scatters its great proclamation like sweat. Scatters the dwelling of the king. No fault.

The trigrams

Below Water Mountain
Above Wind Mountain

The way back

52 Abiding → 59 Release from Obstacles
lines 2, 3, and 5

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.

Toss the coins