Hexagram 6 changing to 64: Conflict to Before Completion

Where it starts: 6 Conflict

A dispute you are sincere in but cannot win outright: meet halfway, and take advice before going further. Water below, heaven above: the two move in opposite directions and cannot meet. Conflict describes a disagreement that has hardened, where you may be in the right and still cannot carry it through by force. The tradition is specific: sincerity matters, obstruction is real, stopping halfway brings good fortune and pushing to the end brings misfortune. It recommends seeing the great person, meaning someone impartial who can arbitrate, and it says plainly that this is not the time to cross the great water, not the time for large undertakings.

Where it goes: 64 Before Completion

The crossing almost made: every line out of place, the end in sight, and the last step the most dangerous. Water below, fire above: fire rising and water sinking, the two not yet meeting. Every line is in the wrong place, the exact reverse of After Completion, and the book ends here, on the threshold. Before Completion describes the moment just before a transition is achieved, when the way across is visible and the fox is nearly over the ice. The tradition's judgement is success, and then the warning: if the little fox, nearly across, gets its tail in the water, nothing furthers. The image asks for careful discrimination of things so that each finds its place. The reading says you are near the end of something, that the outcome is favourable, and that the last step needs more care than all the others together.

The lines that move

1. Line 5

   Contending before a just judge. Great good fortune.

   An impartial, competent arbiter is available and the case is fairly heard. The line promises a good outcome when the matter is put into the right hands. This is the moment to seek judgement rather than to keep arguing. Take the dispute to a fair arbiter and accept the ruling.

What is changing. The situation of Conflict is moving toward Before Completion. Stop the dispute halfway, seek an impartial view, and start nothing large until it is settled. As the change completes: The end is near; take the last step with more care than all the others, and set each thing in its place.

love and relationships

Now: An argument in which both of you feel right. Winning it is not available. The reading asks you to stop before the point of no return, to bring in a fair outside view if you need one, and to look at how the disagreement began. Then: Almost there, and not yet. The reading is hopeful and it asks for care in the last stage: do not assume the crossing is made, do not let the tail in the water. Distinguish what belongs where, patiently, and the order comes.

career

Now: A conflict with a colleague, client or employer. Do not escalate to the end. Document your position, stay sincere, seek a neutral arbiter, and settle at the halfway point where you can. Then: The end is in sight and the situation is still unresolved. Success is possible and the final step is the risky one. Sort things carefully into their places, do not celebrate early, and keep your footing on the last stretch of ice.

money

Now: A dispute over money, or a deal going sour. The reading warns against litigation to the finish and against new ventures while the dispute is open. Settle if you can; do not expand while you fight. Then: A transition nearly complete. Do not release your caution before the last payment clears, the last document signs, the last step is taken. The reading is favourable and its whole emphasis is on finishing carefully.

decisions

Now: Do not decide in the heat of the conflict, and do not commit to anything large while it runs. The choice that lets you stop halfway with dignity is the better one. Then: You are close to resolution. Choose the option that finishes carefully rather than the one that assumes it is already done. The reading favours discernment over speed at the threshold.