Jié · Limitation
Upper trigram: ☵ Water · lower trigram: ☱ Lake
The joints of the bamboo, the right measure; an accepted limit sets free. But a limit too harsh must not last.
The primitive graph shows the rigid, regular nodes of a bamboo stem, which segment the plant's growth to give it its solidity and its flexibility, joined to the drawing of a demarcation line setting clear limits. "Jie" symbolises the right cadence, the regulation of flows, self-discipline and the necessity of setting limits to avoid the scattering of energy.
The necessity of a frame and of regulation
This hexagram corresponds to a phase of indispensable framing. Your projects or your budget risk overflowing for lack of structure; the situation demands setting clear limits (managing your time, regulating your spending, fixing a contractual frame). It is the moment to find the right measure between anarchic excess and stifling restriction.
Establish rules that are just and practicable by all
The strategy consists in applying a firm but benevolent self-discipline: "Bitter measures lead only to an impasse". The Accomplished Being institutes rules of the game that are clear and adapted to the real possibilities of those around them. Do not create a frame so rigid it would destroy all spontaneity; the measure must be a tool of freedom and protection, not an instrument of torture or oppression.
Energetically, the figure joins the trigram of the Marsh (Dui, the available liquid mass) below to the trigram of the Ravine/Water (Kan, the regulation of the flow) above. The Water pours into the Marsh, which must fix geographical limits (its dykes) to contain the liquid without overflowing. The challenge is to maintain this fragile balance between the container and the contained.
Each line is read only if it is changing in your cast. A changing line transforms the figure: the link under each text shows which hexagram it leads to.
Three-coin or yarrow-stalk cast, changing lines, outlook figure — computed on your device, no account.