Hexagram 39 changing to 63: Obstruction to After Completion

Where it starts: 39 Obstruction

Water on the mountain, a dangerous ravine ahead: the obstacle is real, and the way is to turn and seek help. Mountain below, water above: a steep mountain with a treacherous stream at its top, an obstacle that cannot be walked through. Obstruction differs from Difficulty at the Beginning: this obstacle is outside you, in the terrain, and it is not passable by persistence alone. The tradition's judgement gives directions: the southwest furthers, the northeast does not, it furthers to see the great person, and persistence brings good fortune. The southwest is the open plain; the reading says to turn toward the easy ground, to seek allies and advice, and above all to turn inward and examine oneself, which the image names as the response to obstruction.

Where it goes: 63 After Completion

Every line in its proper place: the crossing made, order achieved, and the only remaining task to keep it from decaying. Fire below, water above: water over fire, a pot on a flame in perfect balance, as long as nothing shifts. Every line of After Completion is in its correct position, yang in the odd places and yin in the even. It is the hexagram of order achieved, and the tradition immediately warns what follows: success in small matters, persistence furthers, at the beginning good fortune, at the end disorder. Perfection has nowhere to go but down. The image is of the wise person who takes thought of misfortune and arms against it in advance. The reading says the goal has been reached, or nearly, and that the work now is maintenance: attention to small things, vigilance, and the refusal to relax because things look complete.

The lines that move

1. Line 1

   Going leads to obstruction; coming meets with praise.

   Seeing the block and choosing not to advance into it. Waiting for the right moment is praised, not the attempt to force the moment. The line is the simplest form of the hexagram's advice. Do not go forward into it; wait, and the waiting is right.

What is changing. The situation of Obstruction is moving toward After Completion. Turn toward the open ground, seek help, and use the block to examine yourself. As the change completes: The crossing is made; attend to the small things and guard the order against its own decay.

love and relationships

Now: An obstacle between you that cannot be bulldozed. Stop pushing, look at your own part in it, and bring in help or perspective from outside. The lines repeatedly favour turning back to gather allies over going forward alone. Then: Things are in order and the reading says this is the moment of greatest risk, not because anything is wrong but because nothing is. Keep attending to the small things. The relationship that assumes it is finished is the one that starts to decay.

career

Now: A real block. Do not attack it head-on. Turn to easier ground, seek advice from someone experienced, and use the pause to work on yourself. The reading treats the obstruction as an occasion for growth rather than a failure. Then: The project is done, the position reached, the structure in place. Now maintain it. Small matters only; no large new ventures on the strength of the completion. Watch for the first signs of slippage and arm against them.

money

Now: Blocked. Move toward the easier, more open option rather than the difficult one, take advice, and do not throw resources at the obstacle. Persistence is favoured, force is not. Then: Goals met, affairs in order. The reading warns against the complacency that follows success. Keep the discipline that got you here; the disorder at the end comes from relaxing it.

decisions

Now: Choose the option that goes around, not through: the open plain, not the ravine. Bring in help. If a decision can wait until you have examined your own role in the block, let it. Then: Decide for maintenance and small adjustments, not for the next great thing. The reading is favourable in small matters and warns that the end of completion is disorder unless it is guarded.