Hexagram 33 changing to 31: Retreat to Influence

Where it starts: 33 Retreat

A timely, dignified withdrawal: strength stepping back before it is forced to, with its integrity intact. Mountain below, heaven above: heaven receding from the mountain. Two yin lines are entering at the bottom and rising; the strong lines above withdraw in good order. Retreat is not flight. The tradition's judgement is that retreat succeeds, and that persistence in small things furthers. The reading describes a situation in which the lesser is gaining ground and the right response is not to fight it head-on but to withdraw with dignity, keeping one's distance and one's standards, and giving no ground in the small things that define who you are. Timing is everything: the retreat done early is a strategy; done late, it is a rout.

Where it goes: 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.

The lines that move

1. Line 6

   Cheerful retreat. Everything furthers.

   The retreat completed with a light heart, by someone who is entirely clear about the situation and has no doubt about leaving it. Detachment that is not bitterness. The line is the hexagram's best. Leave lightly; certainty about the retreat is what makes it cheerful.

What is changing. The situation of Retreat is moving toward Influence. Withdraw early, calmly and with reserve; hold your standards in the small things. As the change completes: Be receptive; let influence arise from real feeling rather than from pressure or talk.

love and relationships

Now: Step back. Not a break, a withdrawal from a dynamic that is not serving you, done calmly and without anger. Keep your dignity and your small standards. Distance now may be what preserves the relationship later. Then: 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.

career

Now: The environment is turning against you and confrontation would lose. Withdraw strategically: reduce exposure, keep your work impeccable in small things, and do not engage the people who are gaining ground. Retreat early and it is a choice. Then: 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.

money

Now: Reduce exposure. Pull back from positions that are going wrong while you still can do it on your own terms. Persistence in small, careful matters is favoured; large moves are not. Then: 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.

decisions

Now: Choose the option that lets you step back in good order. The reading is against fighting the rising tide and equally against retreating so late that it becomes a collapse. Withdraw while it is still a decision. Then: 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.