I Ching reading: Li (Clinging Fire) changing to Shihe (Biting Through)
Li: Nine in the third place
The light of the setting sun. If one does not beat the clay pot and sing, there will be the sighs of great old age. Misfortune.
日昃之離，不鼓缶而歌，則大耋之嗟，凶。
止Hold back
Reading
Not now.Attach yourself to the right people and things, and the light can last.
Governing text · Li: Nine in the third place
In plain wordsThe sun is slanting west. If you don't beat the clay pot and sing, content and at ease, you will only lament that you are old. Misfortune. One stretch of life is nearly over; only by making peace with that do you get through it.
- Now
- Fire has to cling to something in order to burn. Your situation is the same: what you depend on, and whom you go with, decides the outcome.
- The key
- Only one line is changing: Nine in the third place. The answer is in that line. This text describes a bad outcome. Carry on as you are and you will lose by it. Stop, step aside or change your approach. Do not force it.
- Where it is heading
- Things are moving toward Shihe (Biting Through): Something is stuck in the middle, and you have to bite through it.
- What to do
- Choose a legitimate support. Don't let your temper run too fierce; like raising a cow, cultivate a little gentleness. Stay true and things go through.
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: 9 yang (changing) · 4: 7 yang · 5: 8 yin · 6: 7 yang
Line position
In its proper place · not 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 · Daguo (Great Excess)
The load is too heavy and the beam is already bent. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.
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.