Hexagram 56 line 2: The Wanderer, yin in the second place

What changes when line 2 moves

Line 2 of Hexagram 56 is yin, a broken line. When it is cast as old yin (a 6) it flips, and the hexagram becomes Hexagram 50, The Cauldron: The ritual vessel: nourishment refined into something worthy, and the person who becomes worthy by it.

Read together, the reading moves from The Wanderer toward The Cauldron. Fire on the mountain, passing on: the stranger in a strange place, who succeeds in small things by courtesy and reserve. Wind below, fire above: wood feeding fire, the flame under the great bronze cauldron in which offerings were cooked. The Cauldron is the pair of the Well: where the Well is raw nourishment from nature, the Cauldron is nourishment transformed by culture, cooked, refined and offered. The primary hexagram describes the situation; the changing line is the point of movement in it; the resulting hexagram is where that movement leads. Both hexagrams belong to the reading, and the changing line is the hinge between them.

Hexagram 56 changing to 50 →

Line 2 in context

Love & relationships

Conduct yourself well and the inn, the means and the loyal helper follow. In love and relationships, Hexagram 56 reads: 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.

Career

Conduct yourself well and the inn, the means and the loyal helper follow. In career, Hexagram 56 reads: 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.

Money

Conduct yourself well and the inn, the means and the loyal helper follow. In money, Hexagram 56 reads: 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.

A decision

Conduct yourself well and the inn, the means and the loyal helper follow. In decisions, Hexagram 56 reads: 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.