PROJECT DOLBY

57: Gentle Penetration: A subtle penetrating effect is like a soft wind blowing through some reeds that are bending gracefully, demonstrating flexibility and endurance. This symbolizes a quiet, relaxed effectiveness in action. This is a gentle influence that is at work, but just as the wind can be ceaseless in its efforts, small forces can add up to produce lasting results.

Gentle penetration bodes well for new relationships or enterprises. Just as a summer breeze slowly penetrates the woods to cool the forest, the ideas of gifted leaders slowly reach the minds and sink into the hearts of people. In personal relationships, a gentle beginning can lead to a long-lasting union.

When using a force that is gentle but persistent, careful aim is necessary, for only when a small force continually moves in the same direction will it have a cumulative effect. In human affairs, this kind of soft influence comes more through strength of character than by direct confrontation or active seduction. It’s important to have, and stick to, clearly defined goals now. Maintaining a strong vision and following a steady course of least resistance will bring good fortune.

Changing Line Interpretations

Line 1 (bottom line) Inborn gentleness can have indecision as an unfortunate side effect. This line points to a case of a gentle spirit drifting into quandary and becoming filled with doubt. When the rudder of personal will flaps back and forth with no clear direction, it must be grasped firmly, and brought back on course, like the rudder of a boat. Discipline may be required.

Line 2 When negative forces are undermining your best plans, trace the shadows back to their source, and gently expose them to the light. Openness and honesty will succeed, but only if you have been honest with yourself first. Search your heart and mind for hidden enemies like self-pity, pride or a rigid view of what “should” happen. 

An excess of feelings -- either hard and arrogant or soft and self-indulgent -- obstructs progress and saps your strength. By gently bringing negative inner feelings to the light of day, you can rob them of their power over you. Do so, and good fortune awaits you.

Line 3 Even a gently penetrating mind can be driven to excessive processing. After having researched and pondered a serious decision, further deliberation may only lead to a subversion of the will. An overactive mind may begin to use fresh doubts as a shield against taking needed action. When analysis becomes overdone, the will becomes paralyzed, and weakness of purpose sets in. Misfortune can result from too much thinking.

Line 4 When responsibility, experience and energy are combined with modesty, the effects will be enduring, and success almost guaranteed. When approaching difficult situations that require sustained effort to achieve a desired goal, keep these virtues in mind.

Line 5 A changing line in the fifth place indicates a situation in which things are far from perfect and a new direction needs to be taken. The beginning has not been great, even if it has not been horrendous. Some careful reform is in order, but don’t throw out the good with the bad. Be prepared to continue making changes and adjustments, until the situation is aligned with your true purpose. Self-correction will bring success.

Line 6 (top line) When a quiet, penetrating power has reached its peak, both success and difficulty are indicated, for a certain loss of strength will also come about. If you penetrate deeply into a situation and discover the presence of strong opposing forces, you will be practically helpless. In such a case, immediate withdrawal would be the best course of action.

64: Nearing CompletionThe situation is incomplete, but the chaos of the past is giving way to order, and the goal is in sight. Nevertheless, you are still treading on thin ice. The way ahead is unobstructed, the goal is clear, but a cautious and careful attitude is still important, lest you slip and fall. Nearing Completion is the last hexagram of the I Ching. It suggests that the ever-spinning wheel of life never reaches a final conclusion. Just as a hidden sadness resides in the heart of true euphoria, just as the seeds of great achievement can sprout in a caldron of adversity, so too no end is ever really complete without a new beginning stirring inside it. Though we divide life into categories in order to understand and manage it, experience itself is seamless. With this reading, the Tao’s sixty-four-spoked, timeless wheel of change is ready to spin onward, ever evolving, ever staying the same. The situation represented by this reading can be compared to taking a lengthy trek over a high mountain. At some point before reaching the peak, you can see in detail exactly how much farther you have to travel. You will have a good idea what it will take to reach the top, because of the climbing experience you’ve accumulated thus far. However, when you do reach the peak, which has been in sight for quite a long period of sustained effort, you will have done only that. You will have reached the top — achieving your initial goal — but now you must still descend the other side. This last critical segment is what remains before completion. You may have little information and no experience of what it’s like descending the other side of the mountain. All your attention has been focused on the path going up. The coming situation may seem very strange to you, unlike anything that you have experienced before. The other side of the mountain is where the true mysteries reside. Proceed carefully, cautiously, and alertly — and you will arrive at the completion of your goal.

Changing Line Interpretations

Line 1 (bottom line)In periods of chaos, there is a natural tendency to become anxious, throw caution to the wind and rush ahead. Like the young fox that dashes ahead as it nears its goal, it will be treading on thin ice if an attempt is made to escape problems too quickly. Hold back a little and spare yourself such humiliation.

Line 2 The time is not ripe for direct action. Patience is advised, but don’t let a period of waiting degenerate into idleness. This is the patience of an engine that is running but idling in neutral gear. Be ready and waiting, keep your eyes on the prize, but do not move before you see a green light.

Line 3 A transition from harmful entanglements to a clean success is possible, but you may currently lack adequate strength to complete the undertaking. When caught in such a situation, enlist the aid of others to help you toward the finish line. Failure to do so could court disaster.

Line 4 Inevitably, as chaos gives way to a new order and troubles dissolve themselves in the clarity of a fresh solution, new struggles develop. This line refers to a situation where forces of decadence or disorder are threatening again. You must either advance strongly and firmly, or face humiliation and defeat. Take heart, and enter the fray. All of your skills, talents, and influence will be needed. Engage all of yourself right now.

Line 5The rascals have been routed, and victory is close at hand! Just as the sun shines sweetest after a hard rain, so the victory is all the more joyous by contrasting it with troubles and failure. Bask for a time in the glory of the successful struggle, and then move ahead carefully toward what now can be yours. The time is ripe for great achievement.