Hexagram 11 line 4: Peace, yin in the fourth place
I Ching 11.4
Fluttering down, not boasting of wealth, in company with the neighbour. Sincere and unguarded.
The high meeting the low without pretension. Someone with advantages who approaches others simply and honestly, and is trusted for it. The line describes the openness that keeps peace alive.
Advice. Approach others simply; do not lead with what you have.
What changes when line 4 moves
Line 4 of Hexagram 11 is yin, a broken line. When it is cast as old yin (a 6) it flips, and the hexagram becomes Hexagram 34, Great Power: Strength in the ascendant: thunder in heaven, and the discipline to use power only in what is right.
Read together, the reading moves from Peace toward Great Power. Heaven and earth in communion: a time of flourishing, when the small departs and the great arrives. Heaven below, thunder above: four strong lines rising, two yielding lines retreating above them. Great Power describes a time when strength is with you and growing, and the tradition's whole concern is what you do with it. The primary hexagram describes the situation; the changing line is the point of movement in it; the resulting hexagram is where that movement leads. Both hexagrams belong to the reading, and the changing line is the hinge between them.
Line 4 in context
- Love & relationships
- Approach others simply; do not lead with what you have. In love and relationships, Hexagram 11 reads: A time of real harmony, when you and the other person move toward each other easily. Enjoy it and build on it. Agreements made now hold. The reading's only caution is not to take the season for granted.
- Career
- Approach others simply; do not lead with what you have. In career, Hexagram 11 reads: Cooperation across levels works, the environment is favourable, and initiatives succeed. Build the structures now that will carry you when conditions are harder. Share the good fortune with the team.
- Money
- Approach others simply; do not lead with what you have. In money, Hexagram 11 reads: Growth and ease. A good time to invest in what lasts, to settle arrangements, and to be generous. Remember that plenty is a season, and set something aside within it.
- A decision
- Approach others simply; do not lead with what you have. In decisions, Hexagram 11 reads: Decide in favour of growth, agreement and openness. The conditions support the ambitious option. Make the decision now, while things flow, rather than waiting for the peace to prove itself.
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