Hexagram 31 changing to 62: Influence to Small Excess

Where it starts: 31 Influence

Mutual attraction: influence that works because it is felt, not forced, and the courtship that follows. Mountain below, lake above: the still mountain with the lake resting on its summit, the strong below the gentle, the two drawn together. Influence is the hexagram of attraction between people, and its structure is the whole argument: the strong yields its place, the gentle is above, and the two are joined by feeling that neither commands. The tradition's judgement is that success comes with persistence and that to take a wife brings good fortune. The reading says an attraction is real and mutual, and its lines trace the difference between influence that arises in the heart and influence that is merely restless movement in the toes, the calves, the tongue.

Where it goes: 62 Small Excess

The bird that should not fly too high: a time for small things, done with extra care, and for staying low. Mountain below, thunder above: thunder on the mountain, louder than in the sky and smaller in reach. Four yielding lines outweigh two strong ones. Small Excess describes a time when the small predominates and the correct response is to attend to small things with slightly more care than usual: more reverence in conduct, more grief in mourning, more thrift in spending. The tradition's judgement is that small things may be done and great things may not, and its image is the flying bird whose call should go downward, not up. The reading says this is not a time to attempt anything large or to fly high, and that success lies in modesty carried a little past the ordinary.

The lines that move

1. Line 5

   The influence shows itself in the back of the neck. No remorse.

   The stiff part of the body, above the heart, that cannot be swayed. Someone whose will is firm and who cannot be influenced by what they do not choose. No remorse, and no great reach either; the line describes integrity, not warmth. Hold your own will firmly; it is right, if a little cool.

What is changing. The situation of Influence is moving toward Small Excess. Be receptive; let influence arise from real feeling rather than from pressure or talk. As the change completes: Do small things with extra care and stay low; this is not a time to fly high.

love and relationships

Now: The reading for love itself: genuine mutual attraction. Let it work at its own pace. The lines warn against pushing with the body before the heart has spoken, and against influencing by talk. Receptivity is what draws the other person. Then: Small things, done with extra care: the gesture, the apology, the attention to detail. Not the grand declaration. The reading favours modesty and warns against flying high; the bird that climbs now is caught in the net.

career

Now: Influence that comes from openness rather than pressure. People approach a person who is receptive. Persuade by listening. The reading favours partnerships and alliances that form naturally. Then: Attend to the details and keep a low profile. Great initiatives are not favoured. Be a little more conscientious than usual in conduct and spending, and let the small, well-done things accumulate.

money

Now: Attraction of the right people and opportunities through openness and good faith. Not the time to push a deal; the time to be approachable and let it come. Beware of influence exercised through mere talk. Then: Thrift beyond the ordinary. Small, careful economies rather than large plays. The reading rules out the big move and rewards attention to the details of the accounts.

decisions

Now: Decide by what you feel drawn to, once you have distinguished the deep pull from the restless one. The reading supports commitment where the attraction is mutual and calm. Then: Choose the small, careful option and decline the large one. The reading is explicit: small things may be done, great things may not. Decide accordingly.