Hexagram 56 changing to 62: The Wanderer to Small Excess

Where it starts: 56 The Wanderer

Fire on the mountain, passing on: the stranger in a strange place, who succeeds in small things by courtesy and reserve. Mountain below, fire above: fire burning on a mountain, moving on as the grass is consumed, never staying. The Wanderer describes the condition of being away from home, without standing, dependent on the goodwill of strangers: a traveller, an outsider, someone whose position is temporary. The tradition's judgement is modest: success through smallness, persistence brings good fortune. The image adds the rule of conduct: the wise person is clear-minded and cautious in imposing penalties and does not prolong disputes. The reading says you are, in some sense, passing through, and that the way to do it well is with restraint, courtesy, care in choosing companions, and no expectation of the rights of a resident.

Where it goes: 62 Small Excess

The bird that should not fly too high: a time for small things, done with extra care, and for staying low. Mountain below, thunder above: thunder on the mountain, louder than in the sky and smaller in reach. Four yielding lines outweigh two strong ones. Small Excess describes a time when the small predominates and the correct response is to attend to small things with slightly more care than usual: more reverence in conduct, more grief in mourning, more thrift in spending. The tradition's judgement is that small things may be done and great things may not, and its image is the flying bird whose call should go downward, not up. The reading says this is not a time to attempt anything large or to fly high, and that success lies in modesty carried a little past the ordinary.

The lines that move

1. Line 6

   The bird's nest burns up. The wanderer laughs at first, then must lament and weep. Through carelessness he loses his cow. Misfortune.

   The traveller who forgets that they are a traveller, grows careless and loud, and loses everything, including the gentle patience that a wanderer most needs. The line is the hexagram's ruin. Do not forget you are passing through; carelessness here loses everything.

What is changing. The situation of The Wanderer is moving toward Small Excess. Behave as a good guest: modest, courteous, reserved, and careful about disputes and companions. As the change completes: Do small things with extra care and stay low; this is not a time to fly high.

love and relationships

Now: One of you is passing through, or the relationship is in a transitional, unsettled phase with no fixed home. Do not demand the rights of permanence. Be courteous, choose carefully whom you trust, and keep your reserve. The lines describe both the wanderer who finds a resting place and the one who burns it down. Then: Small things, done with extra care: the gesture, the apology, the attention to detail. Not the grand declaration. The reading favours modesty and warns against flying high; the bird that climbs now is caught in the net.

career

Now: You are the outsider: new, temporary, without standing. Success is in small things. Be modest, reliable and reserved; do not throw your weight about, and do not entangle yourself in the disputes of the place. The inn is found by good conduct. Then: Attend to the details and keep a low profile. Great initiatives are not favoured. Be a little more conscientious than usual in conduct and spending, and let the small, well-done things accumulate.

money

Now: Travelling light. Keep your resources with you, do not invest in a place you are passing through, and avoid disputes that would cost more than they are worth. Small, careful gains. Then: Thrift beyond the ordinary. Small, careful economies rather than large plays. The reading rules out the big move and rewards attention to the details of the accounts.

decisions

Now: Choose the modest option that suits someone without standing. The reading rules out large commitments and prolonged conflicts. Decide as a guest would, with courtesy and an eye to moving on. Then: Choose the small, careful option and decline the large one. The reading is explicit: small things may be done, great things may not. Decide accordingly.