3. Difficulty at the Beginning

The two trigrams

above

☵

Water

坎 · kǎn

flowing water: rain, the clouds, springs, streams in defiles, the moon

below

☳

Thunder

震 · zhèn

thunder

The Judgement

The name of this hexagram is the picture of a sprout struggling to break through the soil. If these days you feel at the very start of something, a new job, a flat you have just moved into, a relationship taking its first steps, and everything seems harder than expected, that is no accident: it is the difficulty of what is being born. The Judgment, however, is encouraging: there will be great progress and success, and the advantage will come from being correct and firm. There are two conditions. First: no movement in advance should be undertaken lightly, so no rushing, no decisions taken on a wave of excitement or fear. Second: there is advantage in appointing feudal princes, that is, in delegating, in giving yourself allies, in not trying to do everything alone. Practical advice: write down the list of what has to be done, keep only the essentials for yourself, and entrust the rest to people you trust. The plant will grow, but it needs time, roots, and someone to hold it up.

The Image

The Image brings together clouds and thunder: a heavy, tense sky that promises rain but has not yet released it. That is exactly how a beginning feels, when everything hangs in suspense. The wise person, Legge says, in this situation adjusts his measures as in sorting the threads of the warp and woof. For you it means putting things in order: in a confused moment, the most useful thing is to separate the threads, one problem at a time, the bill, the phone call, the conversation you keep putting off. Advice: take a sheet of paper and divide what is urgent from what is merely loud. After the storm, the air clears.

First line

First line: there is difficulty in advancing. It will be advantageous for you to abide correct and firm, and advantageous also to be made a feudal ruler, set in charge of something. You have strength, but the ground ahead is hard. Do not force the pace: consolidate your position instead, take responsibility for what is yours, a team, a home, a project, and run it well. Authority will be recognised in you once you first show constancy.

Second line

Second line: someone is distressed and obliged to turn back, even the horses of her chariot seem to be retreating. But it is not a spoiler assailing her: it is one who seeks her to be his wife. The young lady maintains her firm correctness and declines the union; after ten years she will be united and have children. If a proposal comes to you, in love or at work, that looks good but arrives at the wrong time, this line gives you permission to say no. It is not a refusal for ever: it is a wait that will bear fruit.

Third line

Third line: someone follows the deer without the guidance of the forester, and only finds himself in the midst of the forest. The superior man, acquainted with the secret risks, thinks it better to give up the chase; if he went forward, he would regret it. If you are chasing a goal without anyone to guide you, an investment whose terms you do not understand, a path whose rules nobody has explained, stop. Find an expert or let it go: pressing on blindly brings only regret.

Fourth line

Fourth line: the horses of the chariot appear in retreat, but the lady seeks the help of him who seeks her to be his wife. Advance will be fortunate, and all will turn out advantageously. Here the difficulty dissolves because you accept help. If someone has offered you a hand, a business partner, a companion, a capable friend, and you hesitated out of pride, call them now. Going forward with the one who seeks you brings luck: everything works out to your advantage.

Fifth line

Fifth line: the one in charge finds difficulties in dispensing the rich favours that might be expected from him. With firmness and correctness there will be good fortune in small things; even with them, in great things there will be evil. If you are in a position of responsibility but circumstances hold you back, a cut budget, a team that does not respond, do not aim for the big coup. Do the small things well, one gesture at a time, and put the grand plans off to a more open season.

Sixth line

Sixth line: the horses of the chariot are obliged to retreat, and their driver weeps tears in streams. This is the line of difficulty carried to its extreme, when there seems to be no way out. If you feel like that, overwhelmed and drained, this line does not condemn you: it tells you that you are at the end of a cycle, and that retreat is no disgrace. Allow yourself to stop, ask those who love you for support, and let the pain pass. From here, the only way is to begin again.

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