Hexagram 37 changing to 42: The Family to Increase

Where it starts: 37 The Family

The household in order: roles, warmth and words with substance, from which everything larger is built. Fire below, wind above: wind rising from fire, influence spreading outward from the hearth. The Family describes the structure of the household and, by extension, of any close group: each person in a fitting role, relationships held by affection and by rule together, and the whole kept in order from the inside. The tradition's judgement is that the persistence of the woman furthers, meaning that the inner, steady, nourishing principle is what holds the house. The image adds that words must have substance and conduct must be consistent. The reading is about order at home, in the widest sense, as the foundation for everything beyond it.

Where it goes: 42 Increase

The top gives to the base and everything grows: a time of increase, to be used well and used now. Thunder below, wind above: the two reinforcing each other, wind spreading the thunder's force. Increase is the mirror of Decrease: what is above gives to what is below, and the whole flourishes. The tradition's judgement is expansive: it furthers to undertake something, it furthers to cross the great water. The image describes the inner counterpart: seeing good, imitate it; seeing faults, correct them. The reading says the time is one of growth and generosity from above, that it favours large undertakings, and that it will not last; the lines warn at the end of increase that no one helps a person who has stopped giving.

The lines that move

1. Line 3

   When tempers flare in the family, too great severity brings remorse, yet good fortune. When wife and child dally and laugh, it ends in humiliation.

   The choice between too strict and too lax, and the tradition's preference: severity causes regret but preserves the house; laxity causes no regret and loses it. Between the two errors, err toward firmness. If you must err, err toward firmness; laxity costs more.

What is changing. The situation of The Family is moving toward Increase. Keep the household in order from the inside: clear roles, consistent conduct, words with substance. As the change completes: Use the season of increase for substantial undertakings, and keep giving as you receive.

love and relationships

Now: The reading is about the home you make together: clear roles, real affection, and words that mean what they say. Firmness with warmth. It warns against a household run by mood, and against one run only by rule. Then: A time of growth and giving. Invest in the relationship generously; the conditions favour it and the giving comes back. The reading warns that increase is a season, and that taking without giving, at the end, leaves you alone.

career

Now: Order in the team or the organisation, built from clear roles and consistent conduct. Lead as the head of a household: firmly, warmly, and by example. What is in order at the centre spreads outward. Then: Expansion. The reading supports the ambitious project and the big crossing. Use the help coming from above, give it forward, and improve what can be improved while the wind is behind you.

money

Now: The household budget: order, clear responsibility, and provision for those who depend on you. Wealth here means a well-run house, not a large one. Consistency over years is the method. Then: Growth, and the moment to act on it: invest, undertake, build. Use the increase for lasting good rather than display. The reading is favourable and time-limited; use it while it lasts.

decisions

Now: Decide as the head of a household would: for the order and wellbeing of the whole, with roles clear and words kept. The option that strengthens the foundation is the right one. Then: Take the expansive option. The conditions support undertaking something substantial. Decide now; the reading says increase is a moment, and moments pass.