Yi Jing, Oracle of the Moon

Xùn-Kăn, Wind/Wood-Water
    

  What are the potential and qualities of this situation?
   Xùn, 'Choosing', the character xun is a table with tokens or seals and a pair of hands. Her attribute is Wind. She is the master of inspiration. She is good at communicating and spreading rumors, news, ideas, orders or goods. The officer who spreads the wishes of the sovereign. She is patient and precise, good at detailed work. She can penetrate and influence physically and mentally. Wind can bring a mood or atmosphere which is clearly felt. Wind can also spread disease, but her absence can cause decay.
  'Xùn' means counting, choosing or being chosen. It is giving or having a direction, a purpose, a 'seal' or mandate. It can be in the way fate does, a path that can hardly be avoided: "your number is up". Being chosen is stronger than the freedom of choosing. It also works in physical ways, defining 'what you are' and the urge to grow into it and live and multiply it.
  Like water always follows gravity, the wind follows air pressure, answering the 'atmosphere', which makes her stronger and more persistent than moving toward a goal.
  Your intuition will have a stronger influence on your road than your mind, even though Wind also relates to thoughts. Thoughts follow the decisions of the heart. Wind follows the voice of the Earth, the voice of life.

  What is the subject, intention or hope of your question? And what is your power in this?
   Kăn, the pit. His image is Water. It is the dark place where things are born, the roots of a tree, the seeds of inspiration, the basis, the bottom of a well or pit, a depression or sunken place, a covered trap in the ground. Kăn is dark and deep. He cannot rise up but has great endurance and depth. Meeting Kăn can be extremely dangerous - or open up refreshing new perspectives. He is memory, he can rescue or destroy, keep or dissolve.
  Kăn follows his own road, even though he is easily influenced for a short time. He is uncertain and doubts himself, yet takes risks and does not shy away from danger. His endurance makes him extraordinarily strong, but his insecurity can cause fears, depression or instability.
  Harness Kăn's strength in a fluent and easy way, circumventing opposition rather than fighting it. Kan is streetwise, knowing nothing and yet knowing all one needs to survive. The way of water is overcoming obstacles by collecting itself and relentlessly following its Dao, which also makes it available for all creatures.

  What do you want or need to do, what can you truly do, or what will fate unfold in this situation?
  When Wind activates Water they form a force that man can seldom influence. Both trigrams have a relentless movement, both extremely strong and devastating - and extremely gentle and caressing. Together they work from tiny creative beginnings all the way to huge disasters.
  Feng-shui, wind-water, is the art of shaping the environment and landscape but also reading it: geomancy. It is how the emperor rules the people: reading the patterns and giving them patterns to follow. Knowing the patterns of your life will allow you to acknowledge or dissolve them and reshape your way. When patterns change or dissolve, opportunities will appear, sudden moments that are not yet defined. A quick mind can seize them, but be careful!
  The great image says: "Winds blowing over the waters: flood. The ancient kings presented offerings to the Lord and established temples". Even kings need assistance in times like this.

  Xùn and Kăn are the 'origin' of hexagram 59. First trigram is the upper trigram (called '悔 huǐ, regret' or 'consult': the problem that makes you consult the oracle). Second trigram is the lower or inner trigram (called '真 zhēn, true': the answer of the oracle for this situation: the advice how to deal with it).

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.
变上爻为坎, 风入水面, 为浪为波, 漂泊劳碌,
小 人尤畏, 亦为混浊之乖, 少全清节,
有 岸覆舟之虞。
When the upper line changes, Wind activates Water. The wind penetrates the surface of the water, making waves and swells. Busy activity but drifting aimlessly.
Little people are very fearful and there is also the shrewdness of corruption, few are completely honest.
There is worry, like when a boat is in danger of crashing on the shore.

    When Wind meets Water, you will surpass your personal goals and instead create or help without intentions for yourself. It is also a time when law and order are one-sided and people like you are needed for restoring the balance. Wind entering Water brings danger and risk, so be very careful. When the wind whips the water into high waves, it can cause dams to burst, flooding the wetlands and creating devastation.
  Listen carefully to the first signs, both opportunities and problems give tiny signs before they grow. Kan can make Xun aimless, but also makes it possible to penetrate to the root of things or to unravel overly sensitive or other impenetrable issues. Use the Way of Water! Water and wind bring rain: blessings.
  General: yin initiative in yang times will need perseverance. Everything around seems too bright, too overbearing, too strict. 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 rain: blessings, results, pride and joy.

  The timing of this initiative: (Time can refer to the seasons of the year, the hours of a day, the progress of an undertaking, a state of mind - anything that has a beginning, a peak, a decline, and an end. See "Timing")
  春风入水, 水毂成纹, 人多奇巧, 繁鲜荣华
  夏风入水, 水渐日干, 人必悭贪悔吝。
  秋风入水, 水浪滔天, 岸摧舟覆, 有不戒之虞, 有不期之祸, 人当思患预防。
  冬风入水, 水竭流迟, 结水成冻, 物象寒苦, 艰辛贫乏, 隐伏阻滞者也。
  When in spring the wind enters the water it starts to spin and make patterns. This person is very ingenious, his life is opulent and knows glory and splendor.
  When in summer the wind penetrates the water, the sun evaporates the water and creates drought. One is stingy and has serious concerns.
  In autumn, when the wind enters the water, waves rise to a great height. Worries arise because no precautions were taken, and one has unexpected misfortune, like a boat overturned and crashing on the shore because it has not been checked for defects to prevent leakage.
  In winter, when the wind penetrates the water, the water dries up and the waterflow slows down. Eventually the water becomes ice, and the landscape is cold and desolate. One endures hardship and is destitute; lives isolated and cannot move on.
  *) Crashing boat: metaphor for being destroyed and defeated, but it also means checking a boat to discover defects.

The subject

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

  The Earth-line is stationary 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, making your vision concrete, or whatever comes your way.

Beauty comes from the space within.

The outcome

    
The middle line (human or self-line) shows the outcome.

   The middle line shows the result. It is stationary yang, there will not be any increase or decrease, but still action and output. Yang is inspiring, but it is too early to expect concrete results. The middle line can also be about you yourself, not only what you do.
  If this project does not need a concrete solution, yang can be very positive. It will continue to inspire and bring joy and brightness. Even if it stays unsubstantial in a material sense, it can improve the lives of people, like movies, holidays, love or a guiding star. But stay within limits, yang brings increase, but without yin it is prone to deplete itself, it is relentless and tends to be too cold or to strive too much. Plans may be too theoretical or even illusionary. If you are aware of this and rein it in, yang brings the joy of inspiration, plans, and visions.

Inspire yourself and your surroundings.

Overview of the lines.
Activated (when the second is different) or stationary (when they are similar)

  An activated Yang line is generally bright and giving.Yang is great for enthusiasm and spreading joy or success, for structure, but don’t expect solid results.
  An activated Yin line generally does the work. Yin's creativity absorbs and converts resources into tangible results. It brings peace, beauty, and a sense of security.

  The initiative (top line or Heaven line) is the intention or focus. Your ideas, plans, or what you want, or something that happens and you want to influence it or use its possibilities.
  In this answer the line is activated Yin: this is a good time to work on ideas. Usually, yin at the top is very positive and creative, there is balance between yang and yin, ideas and their possibilities can become reality.

  The subject (bottom line or Earth line) is the 'reality' of your question or the ‘field’ of action. A situation or person, resources, materials, facts.
  In this answer the line is stationary Yin: She is the most difficult to influence, she is careful and follows her own creativity and decisions, but she is the one who turns resources into concrete results.

  The outcome (middle line or Man Line) is what you or others or fate cause to happen 'between Heaven and Earth'. It is the outcome of this question. It can be physical or mental or both. If this is a yes/no question, then yang means yes, yin means no or 'not yet'. Both can be good or bad, depending on the question.
  In this answer the line is stationary Yang: if you need increase, this is a great line. Your efforts will show results. Often not of the concrete kind, but joy, satisfaction and structure have their own value.

    About the 3 lines of the trigrams and the spirit 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 or what is lacking at the moment. They reinforce the overall power of a reading.
  Helper for the initiative: Kan, Water, with his direction and focus, his courage to take risks and his talent to give things shape, is lacking here or not needed. Yang remains Yang.
  Helper for the subject: Xun, Wind, with her power to choose and influence, is lacking here or not needed. Yin remains Yin.
  Helper for the outcome: Gen, Mountain with his constancy, his ability to make things endure, is lacking here or not needed. Yang remains Yang.
  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.

  When all three lines change, the trigram changes to its complementary trigram, Thunder.
  Yang on its own is giving, bright, assertive and strong and has no trouble inspiring others. But it is prone to deplete itself, it is relentless. When yang meets Earth's yin, she demands that your ideas first acquire a solid reality before they can enter the world.
  Yin on its own
  In this change, all levels find this counterpart of yin. Things change from shiny to absorbing, from infinite possibilities to tangible reality with its limits. This is a good time to do the work of turning plans into concrete results.

  This oracle is NOT according to the Neigua Chuwaili, a chapter of the Heluo Lishu, which is meant to be read and used in Chinese astrology. But I found beautiful texts about the trigrams in the Neigua Chuwaili and borrowed them for this trigram oracle. For those who are interested in the Heluo Lishu see the course by Harmen Mesker.
  See also "Yijing astrologie" by Harmen Mesker (Dutch). The guide to calculating your birth hexagram.
  For divining with trigrams, see the video by Tin Yat Dragon