Hexagram 15 line 2: Modesty, yin in the second place

What changes when line 2 moves

Line 2 of Hexagram 15 is yin, a broken line. When it is cast as old yin (a 6) it flips, and the hexagram becomes Hexagram 46, Pushing Upward: A tree growing up through the earth: steady, effortless ascent, one stage at a time, in the right direction.

Read together, the reading moves from Modesty toward Pushing Upward. A mountain inside the earth: real substance carried without display, which the tradition rewards above almost everything. Wind below, earth above: wood growing within the earth, a tree pushing upward through soil without haste and without pause. Pushing Upward is the hexagram of gradual, sustained rise. 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.

Hexagram 15 changing to 46 →

Line 2 in context

Love & relationships

Be the same in private as in public; it is noticed and trusted. In love and relationships, Hexagram 15 reads: Let your actions speak and your claims stay quiet. The reading favours the partner who does the work without needing it noticed. Balance is the theme: give more where you have given little, ask less where you have asked much.

Career

Be the same in private as in public; it is noticed and trusted. In career, Hexagram 15 reads: Competence without self-promotion, which in this reading is rewarded rather than overlooked. Do the substantial thing and let it be seen in its own time. Level the team's imbalances rather than standing above them.

Money

Be the same in private as in public; it is noticed and trusted. In money, Hexagram 15 reads: Moderation. Reduce excess, cover the shortfalls, avoid display. Wealth handled modestly grows quietly; wealth flaunted draws the attention that costs it.

A decision

Be the same in private as in public; it is noticed and trusted. In decisions, Hexagram 15 reads: Choose the option that balances rather than the one that impresses. Where you have too much of something, give some up; where too little, add. The modest choice is the one that carries through.