What this change means
Light sinks below the earth: with the second, third and fifth lines moving, the hexagram becomes 36 Darkness. The two judgments stand side by side. From the starting hexagram comes the habit of holding resources in reserve, so you're ready for what's ahead, along with the warning that a harsh restraint can't be kept up. From the resulting one comes a dark season: circumstances may force you to live alongside the wrong people. If you protect yourself, hold to your integrity and go unnoticed, you'll stay safe until better times. Here thrift becomes protection. Save your energy, don't show all your talents, don't spend yourself where it will be wasted or used against you. Keep a low profile and a steady core. Hard times pass, and the reserves you keep now will be what you rebuild with.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- 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 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.
- Line 2 of 60 Thrift
When it's time to move forward, hurry: hesitating without acting will bring trouble.
Does not leave the courtyard inside the gate. Misfortune.
- Line 3 of 60 Thrift
When you can't hold yourself back and set limits, you bring on trouble. If you recognize it and do something about it, you'll get past the obstacles.
One without measure will sigh afterward. No fault.
- Line 5 of 60 Thrift
Accept the restrictions of the moment for yourself too, not only for others; this will lead you to success.
Sweet measure. Good fortune. Going earns esteem.
The trigrams
The way back
36 Darkness → 60 Thriftlines 2, 3, and 5
Other transformations of Thrift
- 39Held Backlines 1, 2, and 3
- 45Meetinglines 1, 2, and 4
- 28Excesseslines 1, 3, and 4
- 49Renewallines 2, 3, and 4
- 2Passivitylines 1, 2, and 5
- 46Going Uplines 1, 3, and 5
- 40Clearing Obstacleslines 1, 4, and 5
- 51Shocklines 2, 4, and 5
- 34Great Manifestationlines 3, 4, and 5
- 20Observinglines 1, 2, and 6
- 57Gentlenesslines 1, 3, and 6
- 37The Tribelines 2, 3, and 6
- 6Conflictlines 1, 4, and 6
- 25Innocencelines 2, 4, and 6
- 1Activitylines 3, 4, and 6
- 4Immaturitylines 1, 5, and 6
- 27Nourishmentlines 2, 5, and 6
- 26Great Achievementslines 3, 5, and 6
- 38Oppositeslines 4, 5, and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.