I Ching, Yijing or Zhou Yi
"Oracle of the moon": © 2000 LiSe
Yi Jing, Oracle of the Moon
Lí-Gěn, Fire-Mountain
When Lí activates Gěn, Fire has trouble to find nourishment. The Mountain, with his rocky heights, can be dangerous for fire, but he also lifts her high so that she shines far and wide. Then she spreads light, warmth and insight and benefits her wide environment.
Mountain gives the elusive, ephemeral, and sometimes superficial fire stamina, extending her life beyond the moment. Fire gives back by revealing the stark beauty of Mountain to the outside world. Two lovers of the truth.
This is the short answer - click for the complete one.
The initiative
The top line (Heaven-line) shows the change of the focus or initiative.
The top line is stationary yang. A yang initiative, entering a yang world, fits right in. Both clear and inspiring, full of plans. Even when other things change, you will remain giving, pouring ideas, efforts or money into this situation. Yang brings and spreads creativity and ideas with a good basic structure, It is the master of good timing and planning, but not of finding a final solution or concrete results.
Stay within limits, Yang is also prone to deplete itself. It is relentless, and it can focus so intensely on mental images that they can turn into air castles or delusions. Yin is necessary for concrete results but not before the planning is right, too early can be disastrous, no matter the quality of your ideas or how determined you are.
Yang has the talent to enjoy the road
before reaching any destination.
The subject
The bottom line (Earth-line) shows the change of the field or subject.
变初爻为艮, 日入于山, 光辉晚照, 早年蹇剥, 老景亨泰。
When the first line changes, it activates Gen. The sun sets on the mountains, its rays become those of the evening sun. During youth one suffers difficulties and misfortune; in old age everything goes easily and there is peace.
The outcome
The middle line (Man-line) shows the outcome.
The middle line indicates the result. It is unchanging yin, this project will stay attractive, but also continue to absorb efforts, knowledge or resources, because its developing stage is not finished and not all possibilities have been explored. It still needs input and keeps doing so for the time being. It is too early to decide about a final direction, there will be no output yet.
But yin is the one who can bring about concrete results. Yin stays in the background and does the work. It is nurturing, defusing crises, monitoring the process, building up and rounding out.
This is the 'man' line, it can also be about you yourself, not only what you do.
Love for the work dissolves the effort.
The three helpers
Each line, active or at rest, summons one of the 8 trigrams as a Helper.
For an activated line: telling you what you need - or about a problem area or something to avoid.
For a stationary line: this is what you already have or do or what you don't need. Often we just need a reminder of our abilities. Or it could be what you wish or fear - but will not happen.
Active lines are the helpers to change things, they listen to intentions, which can come from you, surroundings, or fate. Stationary helpers are part of the core meaning, they are your soul talking, but they also see the impossibilities. They reinforce the overall power of a reading.
Advice or help for the initiative:
Zhen, Thunder with his energy and stimulation and quick actions
Advice or help for the subject:
Gen, Mountain with his constancy, his ability to make things endure.
Advice or help for the outcome:
Qian, Heaven, with his severe structure and his timing, is lacking here or not needed. Yin remains Yin.
But when things are not satisfying, it might be that one or more helpers don't help enough - or try too hard. Or maybe you don't listen carefully enough.