I Ching reading: Zhun (Difficult Beginnings) changing to Fu (Return)
Zhun: Nine in the fifth place
His bounty is held up. In small things, staying true brings good fortune; in great things, persisting brings misfortune.
屯其膏，小貞吉，大貞凶。
慎Proceed with care
Reading
Yes, but carefully.Every beginning is hard, and right now you are in the hardest part of the beginning.
Governing text · Zhun: Nine in the fifth place
In plain wordsYou have good things to give, but you cannot get them out to people. You hold a position, but you are stuck in difficulty and your helpers are weak. In small matters, keeping to the right course can still bring good fortune; in big matters, even doing the right thing brings misfortune.
- Now
- Things have only just started. There are many loose ends and much resistance, like a seed just pushing up through the soil. The prospects are good, but for now it is heavy going.
- The key
- Only one line is changing: Nine in the fifth place. The answer is in that line. The text names both a good and a bad outcome: one way of acting leads to each. The result depends on which you choose.
- Where it is heading
- Things are moving toward Fu (Return): The worst is over, and the turn has come.
- What to do
- Don't be in a hurry to go far. First get a firm footing, find helpers, and untangle the mess one thread at a time.
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: 8 yin · 4: 8 yin · 5: 9 yang (changing) · 6: 8 yin
Line position
In its proper place · central · answered by the second line
Fifth place: the center of the upper trigram, the ruler's seat, a place of achievement. This is where things are decided.
Verdict words in the text
Nuclear hexagram · Bo (Splitting Apart)
The foundation is being hollowed out bit by bit. This is no time to act.
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.