Yi Jing, Oracle of the Moon

Gěn-Kūn, Mountain-Earth

    

  When Gěn becomes Kūn, the mountain is strong and unmoving, but Earth with her natural power of growth brings the chance of returning to life. She opens up Gěn's severity and shows what is healthy and what is harmful, so Gěn can relax. The power to choose or discard paves the way to success.
  The Earth is nurturing but wide, the Mountain shelters the valley and directs the rain down so all creatures at its foot can make use of what Earth offers.
  Mountain and Earth together show the facts of reality. Life means there will be death. Growth means there will be decay. They form the severity of life, but if you heed them, life can be rich. The worthy mountain catches the rain and benefits the valley below, but the aloof mountain harms it with its shadows and dangers.
  Accepting loss or having to decide what to leave behind are difficult decisions, but life will deteriorate without them. Clinging to the present will stifle it. Holding on to the past will harm the future.

This is the short answer - click for the complete one.

General info about the trigram oracle: the lines, the origin, and more

The initiative

    
The top line (Heaven-line) shows the change of the focus or initiative.
变上为坤, 舍崇高而从卑下, 脱崎岖而履平坦, 土命逢之, 温厚和平, 成始成终。
When the top line changes it activates Kun. Following from a high place to a low place; leave the rough terrain and follow the level path. Whoever has an affinity to Earth will find it and be successful from beginning to end.
(affinity to earth: Tu Ming, earth name/destiny, born in an earth year or having a local or popular name - a lasting link to Earth.)

  The mountain is strong but unmoving, Earth with her natural power of growth brings the chance of returning to life. She opens up Gěn's severity and shows which emotions are healthy and which are harmful, so Gěn can relax. A strong and also easy character is the way to success.
  General: yin initiative in yang potential will need perseverance. Everything around seems too bright, too overbearing. Don't try to compete, but make use of what presents itself to you. When the time is yang, it offers many opportunities and resources, brilliant ideas, but few concrete results. Yin's power is to absorb and then to create from what she gathered.
  You are a good organizer, you oversee the work and inspire others while working hard yourself. You can turn visionary ideas into viable plans.
  Yin at the top line brings the rain: blessings.

    The timing of this change of the initiative:
   春夏土膏肥厚, 生物荣华。盖山中地, 地中山, 正类谦尊而光, 卑而不可逾, 无往不利也。
  In spring and summer the earth is fertile and provides abundant food; all living things are glorious and resplendent. Thus: If the mountain is in the midst of the earth, or the earth in the midst of the mountain, then the upright man is humble and spreading light; modest and not overstepping boundaries, successful in everything attempted.

The subject

    
The bottom line (Earth-line) shows the change of the field or subject.

  The Earth-line is unchanging yin. This line is the subject, or the ‘field’ where you pour in or find both the cause and the means for your initiative: space, material, helpers or other people, resources and realization, even food for thought. It is a 'receiving' line, the earth needs input and resources to make things grow and bring concrete results.
  Your subject or project will stay attractive, but it will continue to absorb and process and use it to continue the work. It will not shine on its own or show increase to the outside, the work of building up happens in the background.

Beauty comes from the space within.

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: Kun, Earth, with her ability to nurture and concretize.
  Advice or help for the subject: Li, Fire, with her power to discern and create order
  Advice or help for the outcome: Xun, Wind, with her power to choose and influence, 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.