Hexagram 56 line 4: The Wanderer, yang in the fourth place

What changes when line 4 moves

Line 4 of Hexagram 56 is yang, a solid line. When it is cast as old yang (a 9) it flips, and the hexagram becomes Hexagram 52, Keeping Still: The mountain doubled: stillness so complete that one keeps the back still and does not feel the body.

Read together, the reading moves from The Wanderer toward Keeping Still. Fire on the mountain, passing on: the stranger in a strange place, who succeeds in small things by courtesy and reserve. Mountain below, mountain above: stillness upon stillness. Keeping Still is the hexagram of rest, of the pause between movements, of the mind that has stopped chasing itself. 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 52 →

Line 4 in context

Love & relationships

You are safe for now; do not mistake the shelter for home. 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

You are safe for now; do not mistake the shelter for home. 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

You are safe for now; do not mistake the shelter for home. 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

You are safe for now; do not mistake the shelter for home. 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.