I Ching Oracle / Hexagrams / 24
The Judgement
Success. Going out and coming in without error. Friends come without blame. To and fro goes the way. On the seventh day comes return.
The turning point: light returns after the darkest hour.
The Image
Thunder within the earth; the kings of antiquity closed the passes at the time of solstice.
This hexagram on ten matters
- WorkCAREER
- The light returns; a turning point. On the seventh day comes return — the worst has passed. Begin again with the turn.
- LoveRELATIONSHIP
- A chance to repair or reconcile. Return from a short distance, no need for remorse — the sooner you turn back, the lower the cost.
- MoneyFINANCE
- A bottoming and lifting pattern. Going out and coming in without error: small re-entry is acceptable now.
- HealthBODY
- A recovery phase. The kings closed the passes at the solstice — this hexagram plainly recommends a genuinely quiet stretch.
- StudyLEARNING
- A good moment to restart. Repeated return, danger, no blame: needing several attempts is normal. A relapse is not a reason to quit.
- An examEXAM
- A good hexagram for a resit or second attempt. Last time's setback is the turning point.
- PeopleSOCIAL
- You may reach out again. Friends come without blame — that first step back is worth taking.
- A choiceDECISION
- Decide along the direction of the turn, not against it.
- TravelJOURNEY
- Go. It furthers one to have somewhere to go, and this journey carries the sense of a fresh start.
- A lost itemLOST ITEM
- It comes back. On the seventh day comes return — it often reappears within days, or someone returns it.
The Six Lines
Return from a short distance. No need for remorse. Great good fortune.
Return from a short distance; no need for remorse. Turning back before going far. The best line in the hexagram: the error was early and so was the correction.
Quiet return. Good fortune.
Quiet return; good fortune. Coming back calmly. Neither forced nor dramatic — returning is easy at this line.
Repeated return. Danger. No blame.
Repeated return; danger, no blame. Turning back, straying, turning back again. The danger is the oscillation; the absence of blame is that you keep returning.
Walking in the midst of others, one returns alone.
Walking in the midst of others, one returns alone. Nobody else turns back; you do. Solitary, and correct.
Noblehearted return. No remorse.
Noblehearted return; no remorse. A solid return. No drama, only firmness: once settled, no more wavering.
Missing the return. Misfortune. Misfortune from within and without.
Missing the return; misfortune. The moment to turn back has passed. The one misfortune here, and a heavy one: ten years unable to advance.
The governing line
Nuclear · Opposite · Reverse
The nuclear hexagram shows the middle stretch of the matter; the opposite is the same situation seen from the reverse position; the reverse is the view from the other party's side.