Hexagram 33 changing to 44: Retreat to Coming to Meet

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: 44 Coming to Meet

One yin line entering beneath five yang: an encounter that looks small and must be met with clear judgement. Wind below, heaven above: wind moving under the sky, reaching into everything. One yielding line has entered at the bottom, the reverse of Breakthrough. Coming to Meet describes an encounter with something that seems harmless and is not: an influence, a person, a temptation, a small beginning of a large change. The tradition's judgement is blunt: the maiden is powerful, one should not marry such a maiden. The image is gentler: the prince issues commands and proclaims them to the four quarters. The reading asks for alertness at the point of meeting: what is arriving is small now and will not stay small, and the right response is to see it clearly and to set terms at once.

The lines that move

1. Line 2

   Held fast with yellow oxhide. No one can tear him loose.

   A bond of loyalty so firm that the retreat does not break it: someone who holds to a worthy person through the withdrawal. Yellow is the mean, oxhide the strongest binding. The line is about attachment that survives adversity. Hold fast to the person worth holding to; that bond will not break.

What is changing. The situation of Retreat is moving toward Coming to Meet. Withdraw early, calmly and with reserve; hold your standards in the small things. As the change completes: See the encounter clearly at the start, set terms at once, and do not bind yourself to what will grow.

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: An encounter, attractive and possibly unwise. The reading does not say refuse it; it says see it for what it is and do not bind yourself to something that will grow beyond your control. Set the terms at the start.

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: A new influence, person or proposal entering, apparently minor. Treat it with full attention; the hexagram's lesson is that what enters small becomes decisive. Judge it now, clearly, and declare where you stand.

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: A tempting opportunity that arrives unexpectedly. Do not commit on the strength of its appeal. The reading warns against being drawn into a coupling whose consequences you cannot yet see.

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: Recognise the meeting for what it is before you decide. The reading is against binding commitments to an influence that has just appeared and looks small. Set conditions; do not marry the maiden.