Hexagram 63 changing to 39: After Completion to Obstruction

Where it starts: 63 After Completion

Every line in its proper place: the crossing made, order achieved, and the only remaining task to keep it from decaying. Fire below, water above: water over fire, a pot on a flame in perfect balance, as long as nothing shifts. Every line of After Completion is in its correct position, yang in the odd places and yin in the even. It is the hexagram of order achieved, and the tradition immediately warns what follows: success in small matters, persistence furthers, at the beginning good fortune, at the end disorder. Perfection has nowhere to go but down. The image is of the wise person who takes thought of misfortune and arms against it in advance. The reading says the goal has been reached, or nearly, and that the work now is maintenance: attention to small things, vigilance, and the refusal to relax because things look complete.

Where it goes: 39 Obstruction

Water on the mountain, a dangerous ravine ahead: the obstacle is real, and the way is to turn and seek help. Mountain below, water above: a steep mountain with a treacherous stream at its top, an obstacle that cannot be walked through. Obstruction differs from Difficulty at the Beginning: this obstacle is outside you, in the terrain, and it is not passable by persistence alone. The tradition's judgement gives directions: the southwest furthers, the northeast does not, it furthers to see the great person, and persistence brings good fortune. The southwest is the open plain; the reading says to turn toward the easy ground, to seek allies and advice, and above all to turn inward and examine oneself, which the image names as the response to obstruction.

The lines that move

1. Line 1

   He brakes his wheels. He gets his tail in the water. No blame.

   Restraint at the very moment of success, holding back from rushing forward. The fox wets its tail and slows down. The line approves of caution while everyone else is celebrating. Brake now, at the moment of success; do not rush on.

What is changing. The situation of After Completion is moving toward Obstruction. The crossing is made; attend to the small things and guard the order against its own decay. As the change completes: Turn toward the open ground, seek help, and use the block to examine yourself.

love and relationships

Now: Things are in order and the reading says this is the moment of greatest risk, not because anything is wrong but because nothing is. Keep attending to the small things. The relationship that assumes it is finished is the one that starts to decay. Then: An obstacle between you that cannot be bulldozed. Stop pushing, look at your own part in it, and bring in help or perspective from outside. The lines repeatedly favour turning back to gather allies over going forward alone.

career

Now: The project is done, the position reached, the structure in place. Now maintain it. Small matters only; no large new ventures on the strength of the completion. Watch for the first signs of slippage and arm against them. Then: A real block. Do not attack it head-on. Turn to easier ground, seek advice from someone experienced, and use the pause to work on yourself. The reading treats the obstruction as an occasion for growth rather than a failure.

money

Now: Goals met, affairs in order. The reading warns against the complacency that follows success. Keep the discipline that got you here; the disorder at the end comes from relaxing it. Then: Blocked. Move toward the easier, more open option rather than the difficult one, take advice, and do not throw resources at the obstacle. Persistence is favoured, force is not.

decisions

Now: Decide for maintenance and small adjustments, not for the next great thing. The reading is favourable in small matters and warns that the end of completion is disorder unless it is guarded. Then: Choose the option that goes around, not through: the open plain, not the ravine. Bring in help. If a decision can wait until you have examined your own role in the block, let it.