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I Ching · Hexagram 40 Deliverance

Hexagram 40 for love and relationships: Deliverance

解 Xiè · Love & relationships

The tension has broken. Do what remains quickly and forgive what can be forgiven. Do not keep the argument alive after it is over. The reading favours a prompt return to ordinary warmth.

Water below, thunder above: a thunderstorm clearing the air, the tension of Obstruction discharged. Deliverance is the moment after difficulty, when the knot is untied. The tradition's judgement has two parts: if there is nowhere further to go, return brings good fortune; if there is somewhere to go, haste brings good fortune. Either finish the release quickly or go back to ordinary life; do not linger in the aftermath. The image adds forgiveness: the wise person pardons mistakes and forgives misdeeds. The reading says the crisis is passing, and the task now is to clear up promptly and not to prolong what has already been resolved.

Advice
Act promptly on what the release allows, forgive the rest, and return to ordinary life.
Warning
Prolonging the crisis after it has broken, or refusing to forgive, ties the knot again.

The changing lines, read for love and relationships

If your cast of Hexagram 40 had changing lines, these are what each one adds to a love question, and where each leads.

  1. Line 1 · changes into 54 The Marrying Maiden

    Without blame. It is over; rest.

  2. Line 2 · changes into 16 Enthusiasm

    One kills three foxes in the field and receives a yellow arrow. Persistence brings good fortune. Clear out the flatterers and the deceptions; be straight about it.

  3. Line 3 · changes into 32 Duration

    If a person carries a burden on his back and yet rides in a carriage, robbers come. Persistence leads to humiliation. Do not put on airs after the release; it invites trouble.

  4. Line 4 · changes into 7 The Army

    Deliver yourself from your big toe. Then the companion comes, and him you can trust. Release the unworthy attachment; the trustworthy friend is waiting.

  5. Line 5 · changes into 47 Oppression

    If only the superior person can deliver himself, it brings good fortune. He proves to the inferior that he is in earnest. Withdraw from what is beneath you, in earnest; the rest follows your example.

  6. Line 6 · changes into 64 Before Completion

    The prince shoots at a hawk on a high wall and kills it. Everything furthers. Deal decisively with the last entrenched obstacle; the release is complete.

Hexagram 40 in fullCareerMoneyA decision

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