Hexagram 21 changing to 27: Biting Through to Nourishment

Where it starts: 21 Biting Through

An obstruction that must be bitten through: clear, firm, lawful action against what is in the way. Thunder below, fire above: lightning and thunder, clarity and force together. The image is of a mouth with something stuck in it that must be bitten through before the jaws can close. Biting Through describes an obstacle, often a person or a wrong, that cannot be talked around and must be dealt with decisively. The tradition's judgement is that it furthers to administer justice: to act with the clarity of lightning and the firmness of thunder, in proportion, under rule. The reading is favourable to firm action and it insists that the action be fair.

Where it goes: 27 Nourishment

What you feed, and what feeds you: attention to nourishment, of the body, the mind and others. Thunder below, mountain above: the hexagram's shape is an open mouth, two firm lines enclosing four yielding ones. Nourishment asks a simple question that runs in both directions: what are you taking in, and what are you giving out? The tradition's judgement says to pay attention to what you nourish and to what you seek to fill your mouth with, and the image adds care in words and moderation in food. The reading is about sustenance in the widest sense: diet, information, company, the people you support and those who support you. Its favourability depends on the quality of what is being fed.

The lines that move

1. Line 4

   Biting on dried gristly meat, receiving metal arrows. It furthers to be mindful of difficulties and persistent.

   A hard case against a powerful opponent, requiring both firmness and awareness. The metal arrows are the qualities needed: straight and hard. The line promises success to someone who does not underestimate the difficulty. Be hard and straight, and do not underestimate the resistance.

What is changing. The situation of Biting Through is moving toward Nourishment. Identify the obstruction precisely and remove it with firm, fair, proportionate action. As the change completes: Attend to what you take in and what you give out; feed what is worth feeding.

love and relationships

Now: Something is stuck between you and it will not clear on its own. Name it plainly and deal with it. Firmness here is kindness; the obstruction left in place poisons everything around it. Then: Ask what each of you feeds the other: attention, kindness, honest speech, or the opposite. The reading asks you to look at the diet of the relationship, and to be careful with words, which nourish or poison more than anything.

career

Now: An obstacle, a wrong or a person who is blocking things, and the moment to act on it decisively. Be clear about the facts, proportionate in the response, and do not let it drag. Justice, not vengeance. Then: What sustains you at work, and what you are sustaining. Feed your competence with real learning, not gossip; support the people who depend on you properly. The reading warns against seeking nourishment from the wrong source.

money

Now: A dispute, a debt or a bad arrangement that needs resolving by firm action. Get the facts straight, act through proper channels, and bite through rather than nibbling. Then: Money as sustenance, not display. Spend on what feeds you and yours, be moderate, and be wary of dependence on a source that does not deserve trust. Look at what your money is feeding.

decisions

Now: Decide firmly and act. The reading supports the decisive option, and it conditions it on fairness and clarity: know exactly what the obstruction is before you bite. Then: Decide by asking what the option will nourish. The choice that feeds something worthwhile, in you or in others, is the right one; the one that only fills the mouth is not.