I Ching
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17. Following

suí · Wind ☴ over Mountain ☶

The ability to adapt to changing conditions, without needless resistance.

The Noble One's Path

Thunder beneath the surface of a lake — a force that knows when to fall quiet. The Noble One follows the natural rhythm of the day: when dusk falls, he rests instead of fighting the hour.

The Lesson

Be flexible. If the situation calls for a change of direction, don't cling stubbornly to the old plan.

A question to sit with

What do I need to let go of in the current situation, so I can move with the current instead of against it?

Related hexagrams

In the I Ching no hexagram stands alone. Each one enters into relationships with others, and those relationships show the situation seen from the other side, in its opposite, and in its hidden tendency.

The classical deep dive for this hexagram — the Judgment and the Image after Richard Wilhelm — along with the texts of all six changing lines, is in the book. Get the book

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