17. Following

The two trigrams

above

☱

The Lake

兌 · duì

gathered water, as in a marsh or lake

below

☳

Thunder

震 · zhèn

thunder

The Judgement

This hexagram tells you something simple: following is not a sign of weakness. Following promises great progress and full success, but ties it to a precise condition: that you stay firm and correct, meaning that you choose carefully whom and what you follow, and for what reasons. If these days you find yourself going along with a change you did not decide, a new boss, a new rhythm at home, a partner who has taken a different direction, know that adapting can carry you far, provided you do not betray what you believe in. Whoever follows sincerely and with judgment makes no mistake: that is the meaning of the promise. The practical advice is to check, before saying yes, whether the person or the project you are about to go along with truly deserves your trust, and then to follow it all the way, without keeping a foot in both camps. The other direction counts too: if others are following you, lead them with integrity, because the same rule holds for the one who is followed. The time is favourable and the road is open; all it takes is an honest heart to walk it.

The Image

The image is that of thunder resting hidden within the waters of a lake: the force that moves learns to adapt to what holds it. The wise person, the text says, when darkness falls goes indoors and rests. It is no accident that this hexagram reaches you at a time when you feel obliged to be always active: following the time also means knowing when to stop. The advice is concrete: respect the rhythm of the day, close your work when the light goes, allow yourself real rest in the evening. Whoever knows how to stop at the right moment is ready when the time to move returns.

First line

The first line shows you someone changing goal, leaving the road they were on for another. It is not a mistake if you do it with firmness and honesty: fortune is with you. The text adds a fine image: going beyond your own gate to find companions. If you are changing job, group, habits, do not shut yourself within your four walls: go and find new people, open up to those you do not know yet. Whoever leaves home with an open heart earns merit.

Second line

The second line describes someone who clings to the little boy and lets go of the mature, experienced man: in plain words, someone who chooses the easier, more immediate company at the expense of the one that would truly do them good. If these days you are drawn to what is comfortable, light, flattering, be careful: you cannot keep both. The advice is to ask yourself who, among the people around you, really makes you grow, and not to neglect them in order to chase whoever merely amuses you.

Third line

The third line reverses the second: here you cling to the person of experience and let go of the little boy. Following in this way gets you what you seek, in love as at work, but the text immediately adds a recommendation: stay anchored to what is firm and correct. Giving up something pleasant may weigh on you; do not let regret pull you back. Choose the right teacher, the right partner, the right associate, and then keep a steady course.

Fourth line

The fourth line speaks of someone who is followed and gains followers. It looks like an advantage, and yet the text warns: even if you are correct, there is a danger, because your success can overshadow those above you or breed envy. If lately people seek you out, listen to you, agree with you, do not use this credit for yourself alone. Be sincere in your intentions and make them visible to everyone: whoever acts in broad daylight, the text asks, into what error could they ever fall?

Fifth line

The fifth line shows someone who leads and is sincere in fostering everything that is good. It is the position of one who holds responsibility, at the office or in the family, and exercises it with an open heart: good fortune. If you are the one coordinating, deciding, setting the example, the advice is simple: sincerely encourage what works, the people who make an effort, the sound ideas, without jealousy. The support you give comes back as loyalty and results.

Sixth line

The sixth line closes Following with a solemn image: sincerity held firm, clung to, bound fast, and the king presenting his offerings with it on the western mountain. It means the bond has reached its highest degree, that of a loyalty no longer in question. If you have found a person, a cause, a place you want to belong to, this is the right moment to say so openly and to honour that bond with a concrete gesture: a promise kept, a commitment made in front of others.

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