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I Ching · Hexagram 16 Enthusiasm

Hexagram 16 for decisions: Enthusiasm

豫 Yù · A decision

Act with the momentum, provided the direction is sound. Ask whether you are moving with the grain of the situation or merely with the feeling. If the former, go.

Earth below, thunder above: movement breaking out of stillness, music and spring. Enthusiasm is the power to carry people along, and the tradition ties it to timing and to the natural order: it works when it moves with the way things already tend, as thunder follows the season. The judgement favours appointing helpers and setting armies in motion, meaning that this is a time to organise and to act with momentum. The reading also carries the hexagram's shadow: enthusiasm that becomes self-indulgence, or that continues after its moment, ends in delusion.

Advice
Move with the momentum while it aligns with the real situation, and organise as you go.
Warning
Enthusiasm that outlasts its moment, or that serves only its own pleasure, ends in delusion.

The changing lines, read for decisions

If your cast of Hexagram 16 had changing lines, these are what each one adds to a decision question, and where each leads.

  1. Line 1 · changes into 51 The Arousing

    Enthusiasm that boasts of itself. Misfortune. Do not trumpet your connections or your excitement.

  2. Line 2 · changes into 40 Deliverance

    Firm as a rock. Not a whole day. Persistence is fortunate. Read the early signs and act on them before the crowd catches up.

  3. Line 3 · changes into 62 Small Excess

    Enthusiasm that looks upward brings regret. Hesitation brings regret. Do not wait for others to inspire you; find your own timing.

  4. Line 4 · changes into 2 The Receptive

    The source of enthusiasm. Great things are achieved. Do not doubt. Friends gather like hair in a clasp. You are the source; act with confidence and people will gather.

  5. Line 5 · changes into 45 Gathering Together

    Persistently ill, and yet one does not die. The strain is chronic but not fatal; use it to stay awake.

  6. Line 6 · changes into 35 Progress

    Deluded enthusiasm. When it is complete, a change of course brings no blame. If you have been carried away, change course now; it is not too late.

Hexagram 16 in fullLove & relationshipsCareerMoney

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