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I Ching · Hexagram 2 The Receptive

Hexagram 2 for decisions: The Receptive

坤 Kūn · A decision

Choose the option that follows an established direction rather than the one that strikes out alone. If you are unsure, wait for a lead to become clear; the reading does not reward forcing the front.

Six broken lines, earth above earth. Where the Creative initiates, the Receptive completes. This is the hexagram of devotion, of doing the work that makes another's idea real, of the mare that carries a rider across open country. It is not weakness and it is not passivity; the earth holds everything up. The reading says the situation asks you to respond, support and persist rather than to lead. There is great fortune in that when the direction is sound, and the tradition adds that one goes astray by rushing ahead but finds the way by following.

Advice
Support what is sound, follow the direction that is already right, and persist.
Warning
Taking the lead when the moment asks you to follow loses the way; hesitation at the right moment is not weakness.

The changing lines, read for decisions

If your cast of Hexagram 2 had changing lines, these are what each one adds to a decision question, and where each leads.

  1. Line 1 · changes into 24 Return

    Frost underfoot. Solid ice is coming. Notice the small sign and prepare before it becomes the season.

  2. Line 2 · changes into 7 The Army

    Straight, square, great. Without practice, nothing is lost. Act straightforwardly and trust that plain honesty carries the situation.

  3. Line 3 · changes into 15 Modesty

    Hidden excellence. Serve, and let the credit go elsewhere. Do excellent work without needing the recognition yet.

  4. Line 4 · changes into 16 Enthusiasm

    A tied sack. No blame, no praise. Say little, commit to nothing new, and wait for the climate to change.

  5. Line 5 · changes into 8 Holding Together

    A yellow lower garment. Great good fortune. Hold your position with modesty and let results speak.

  6. Line 6 · changes into 23 Splitting Apart

    Dragons fight in the open country; their blood is dark and yellow. If you find yourself fighting for the lead, stop; the struggle costs both sides.

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