Hexagram 25 changing to 17: Innocence to Following

Where it starts: 25 Innocence

Acting without calculation: doing what is right because it is right, and accepting what comes. Thunder below, heaven above: movement in accord with heaven. Innocence describes action that springs from an honest nature rather than from scheming, and the tradition ties it to the unexpected: what comes to the person who acts without ulterior motive cannot be planned and is not always pleasant. The judgement promises great success with persistence, and warns that anyone not as they should be will meet misfortune. The reading asks for sincerity without agenda. It also says, in the lines, that undeserved misfortune can happen to the innocent, and that the right response is not to lose one's innocence over it.

Where it goes: 17 Following

Following what is right, and being followed: influence that comes from adapting to the time. Thunder below, lake above: movement within joy, thunder resting in the lake in autumn. Following describes the art of adapting, of going with the time rather than against it, and of leading by being worth following. The tradition's judgement promises success with persistence, and the condition is that what is followed must be good. This is not passivity or drifting. It is the choice to serve something you believe in, to let others serve you only when you have earned it, and to rest when the season asks for rest.

The lines that move

1. Line 6

   Innocent action brings misfortune. Nothing furthers.

   At the end, when the time is against you, even honest action produces bad results. The line says to wait. Innocence includes knowing when not to act; sincerity is not the same as insistence. The time is wrong; even a good act misfires now. Wait.

What is changing. The situation of Innocence is moving toward Following. Act from honest motives without calculation, and take what comes without losing your integrity. As the change completes: Follow what is worth following, wholeheartedly, and adapt to the time.

love and relationships

Now: Act from what you honestly feel, without strategy. The reading favours the natural gesture and warns against managing the other person. Unexpected events, good and bad, come to those who are sincere; take them as they are. Then: Go along with the other person's rhythm for now, and choose carefully whom you follow. Devotion to someone worth it is strength; devotion to anyone who asks is the error the lines describe.

career

Now: Do the work honestly, without positioning. The reading supports straightforward action and is suspicious of clever plans. If something undeserved happens, do not let it make you cynical; that would be the real loss. Then: Adapt to the direction of the organisation or the leader, if the direction is sound. If you lead, you keep followers by being worth following, not by insisting. Rest when the day ends.

money

Now: Do not scheme. Honest dealing, straightforward work and acceptance of what comes. The reading warns against calculated moves and against reacting to a setback by abandoning your principles. Then: Follow the trend that is real rather than fighting it, and follow advice that is proven. The reading favours flexibility and warns against clinging to a position out of pride.

decisions

Now: Choose the option you would choose if no one were watching and nothing could be gained. If a decision requires cunning to work, the reading says it will not. Then: Choose the option that adapts to the situation as it is. If it means following someone else's lead, do it wholeheartedly or not at all; half-following is the worst of both.