Transformation · lines 2 and 4
Release from Obstacles becomes Decline
What this change means
Heaven above and Earth below, no longer meeting: that's where this movement lands, in 12 Decline. The fourth line leads the way there. It asks you to step out of personal allegiances and put your attention on what you want to accomplish, even if that means breaking up a group you belonged to. The second line adds a quieter task: notice where you've isolated yourself or pulled away from shared purposes, and get back to what supports you. Together they describe someone sorting out who they really belong with. The resulting hexagram warns that the wider environment is adverse right now. Avoid getting tangled with people who don't serve you, whatever they offer. This isn't the moment to make big decisions or push forward. Withdraw to safe ground, keep a low profile, stay close to your real support, and wait for conditions to shift.
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 59 Release from Obstacles
Free yourself from personal loyalties and focus on what you want to achieve; this will lead you to success.
Scatters its band: great good fortune. The scattering forms a hill: not what ordinary people imagine.
- 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 12 Decline
You're surrounded by adverse people and situations. Avoid getting involved with those people, no matter what they offer you. Circumstances aren't good for acting or making decisions; it's time to withdraw to a safe place and wait for conditions to change. It's time to keep a low profile.
Stagnation: these are not worthy people. The constancy of the noble person is not favorable. The great goes, the small comes.
The trigrams
The way back
12 Decline → 59 Release from Obstacleslines 2 and 4
Other transformations of Release from Obstacles
- 42Increaselines 1 and 2
- 9Small Thingslines 1 and 3
- 53Gradual Progresslines 2 and 3
- 10Treading Carefullylines 1 and 4
- 44Lack of Firmnesslines 3 and 4
- 41Decreaselines 1 and 5
- 23The Falllines 2 and 5
- 18Loss, Then Gainlines 3 and 5
- 64Transitionlines 4 and 5
- 60Thriftlines 1 and 6
- 8Unionlines 2 and 6
- 48Right Actionlines 3 and 6
- 47Overwhelmedlines 4 and 6
- 7The Armylines 5 and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.