I Ching: Tuesday, October 20

One of the sixty-four hexagrams

This is an archived reading, kept as it was published.

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The Marrying Maiden

Hexagram 54 has the bleakest Judgment in the book. Undertakings bring misfortune; nothing furthers. It describes entering an arrangement from below, without standing and without setting the terms. Today is not for launching anything ambitious. The hexagram then spends its lines finding what remains possible. A lame man can still walk, a one-eyed man can still see, and both are given good fortune for using what they actually have. The fifth line is the model: a princess whose sleeves are plainer than her attendant's, and a moon one night short of full. Do not push for the last increment.

For your star sign

The same reading, taken through each sign of the zodiac.

Aries

Launching something to change your position is the obvious move for you. The Judgment says undertakings bring misfortune, in terms it uses nowhere else. Act within the position you have, the way the lame man still walks.

Taurus

Secure terms matter to you, and this hexagram describes an arrangement entered without them. Do not sign up for more of it. The fourth line permits waiting for the proper season, and says that season comes.

Gemini

Talking your way into better standing is the temptation. The hexagram does not offer it. The second line's one-eyed man still sees, so use the partial view you have honestly rather than claiming a wider one.

Cancer

Belonging matters to you, and this is the hexagram of belonging on poor terms. The fourth line puts off the appointed time and is not faulted for it. You are allowed to wait for a place that has room for you.

Leo

Restraint in a position that would entitle you to display is the fifth line, and it is the best line here. Dress plainer than your rank. The moon nearly full is good fortune; the last increment is the misfortune.

Virgo

Getting the arrangement correct on paper will occupy you. The top line describes a ceremony with nothing in it: the empty basket, the sheep with no blood. Check that there is substance behind the form.

Libra

Accepting lesser terms to keep the peace is the third line, which records it without comment. Before you do it, consider the fourth line's alternative: putting off the appointed time until a fairer season.

Scorpio

Seeing the whole arc of an arrangement is your strength, and it is the only consolation the Image offers: understand the transitory by knowing how things end. Look at the end clearly before you commit to the middle.

Sagittarius

Your optimism will find promise in a position that has none. The Judgment is flat: nothing furthers. Keep the hopes for later and make only honest, limited moves inside the limits this hexagram sets.

Capricorn

Entering somewhere from below grates against your sense of rank. The first line finds good fortune even in the lowest position, the lame man walking. Work within the limit and do not pretend it away.

Aquarius

Standing apart from the arrangement costs you little, and the second line rewards that: the steadiness of someone living apart. Hold to it. Solitude is not the misfortune in this hexagram.

Pisces

You may be giving yourself to an arrangement that offers nothing in return. The top line is the empty basket held out. Look at what is in the basket before you keep holding it.

For your Chinese animal

The same reading, taken through each animal of the Chinese zodiac.

Rat

A clever way to improve your terms is what you will look for. The hexagram finds none, and its counsel is honest use of the capacity you have. Save the scheme for when you hold some standing.

Ox

Enduring a poor arrangement longer than anyone else would is your habit. Endurance is not the virtue this hexagram asks for. It asks you to see how the thing ends, which the Image names as the understanding on offer.

Tiger

Subordinate positions do not suit you, and this hexagram describes one. Do not fight it. The fifth line's restraint, a princess in plain sleeves, is the strongest move available.

Rabbit

Patience suits the fourth line, which waits for its own season and is not faulted for it. If the terms are poor, you are permitted to delay. The hexagram treats waiting here as dignity rather than weakness.

Dragon

Second place is hard on your pride. The fifth line shows a sovereign's daughter dressing below her station, and it is the best line in the hexagram. Choose the restraint before it is forced on you.

Snake

Foresight serves you well here, because the Image asks you to know how things end. Watch quietly and commit to nothing new. The Judgment is unusually firm that undertakings misfire under this hexagram.

Horse

Leaving a position without standing as fast as possible is your impulse. Leaving is not ruled out; launching something new is. Wait for the season the fourth line describes rather than bolting into another weak arrangement.

Goat

Needing the place can make you accept whatever terms come with it. The third line shows that choice without judging it. Consider first whether you can wait, since the fourth line allows it.

Monkey

Making a weak position look strong for a while is within your skill. The top line warns about forms emptied of substance. Do not spend effort dressing up an arrangement with nothing in the basket.

Rooster

Your attendant may be dressed better than you, and you will notice. The fifth line wants it that way and calls it good fortune. Let the display go to others and keep the plain sleeves.

Dog

Loyalty can keep you in an arrangement that gives you little standing. The first line finds good fortune in limited capacity used within its limits. Stay faithful without asking more of the position than it can give.

Pig

Good nature can lead you to accept whatever is offered. The hexagram warns against undertakings from a position without standing. Enjoy what you already have and agree to nothing new.

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