I Ching reading: Shihe (Biting Through) changing to Li (Clinging Fire)
Shihe: Six in the third place
Biting cured meat and meeting poison. Slight humiliation, no blame.
噬臘肉，遇毒。小吝，无咎。
慎Proceed with care
Reading
Yes, but carefully.Something is stuck in the middle, and you have to bite through it.
Governing text · Shihe: Six in the third place
In plain wordsBiting into a piece of dried cured meat with bone in it, and getting poisoned too. You go to deal with someone, they won't accept it, and you hit a wall. A bit embarrassing, but this had to be done; no blame.
- Now
- Like a hard object in the mouth that keeps the teeth from meeting: things are jammed by some obstacle, some person or some problem.
- The key
- Only one line is changing: Six in the third place. The answer is in that line. There is some risk, or some regret left over, but nothing serious. Notice it early, correct it early, and things turn for the better.
- Where it is heading
- Things are moving toward Li (Clinging Fire): Attach yourself to the right people and things, and the light can last.
- What to do
- Deal with it head-on and clear the obstacle decisively. Be clear about right and wrong; what should go by the rules, handle by the rules. No vagueness, no stalling.
Read more closely
Which text applies
One changing line: read that line of the primary hexagram.
Your six throws, bottom to top: 1: 7 yang · 2: 8 yin · 3: 6 yin (changing) · 4: 7 yang · 5: 8 yin · 6: 7 yang
Line position
Not in its proper place · answered by the top line
Third place: the top of the lower trigram, a place of risk. A moment of transition. Be on guard.
Verdict words in the text
Nuclear hexagram · Jian (Obstruction)
The road ahead is very hard. Do not force your way forward yet.
The nuclear hexagram is formed from the four inner lines. It shows what is going on inside the situation.
Full texts
One who truly knows the Changes does not need to divine. The text is for reflection; what you do is up to you.