I Ching reading: Jiji (After Completion) changing to Zhun (Difficult Beginnings)
Jiji: Nine in the third place
Gaozong attacks the Demon Land and conquers it in three years. Do not employ petty people.
高宗伐鬼方，三年克之，小人勿用。
平Neutral
Reading
Neither good nor bad. It depends on how you act.The thing is already accomplished. What you most need to guard against now is slackening.
Governing text · Jiji: Nine in the third place
In plain wordsGaozong made war on the Demon Land and needed three years to conquer it. A great undertaking after things have been accomplished costs time and strength, and must not be started lightly. And once it is won, petty people must not be given office.
- Now
- You have crossed the river and everything is in place. But this hexagram says: good fortune at the start, disorder at the end.
- The key
- Only one line is changing: Nine in the third place. The answer is in that line. The text gives no verdict, only an image. Ask what in your situation the image resembles. The answer is there.
- Where it is heading
- Things are moving toward Zhun (Difficult Beginnings): Every beginning is hard, and right now you are in the hardest part of the beginning.
- What to do
- Hold on to what you have achieved. While nothing has gone wrong yet, think of the problems first and take precautions. Do not reach for anything bigger.
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: 8 yin · 5: 7 yang · 6: 8 yin
Line position
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.
Nuclear hexagram · Weiji (Before Completion)
Not done yet. One last step remains, and this is the step where mistakes come most easily.
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.