Hi,
Thanks so much for any feedback. I have been using the I ching for about 2 years now and from the start I felt the changing lines were kind of a stair case to the relating hexagram. Say you started at one and went up to 6. Which would take you to the relating hexagram. I'm a bit confused now though as I have been reading through the shared readings here for several weeks and will say I am very impressed with others interpretations but now found that I'm not certain I'm viewing the lines in the correct way. Some say if you have several moving lines then the middle one is the most important. "My view was always that the higher up changing line would be as that would be the outcome in a sense. Others seem to place the importance on lines 1 and 6 and not alot of the lines in the middle. I have often wondered as well if there is a certain meaning to each line but haven't found an answer on this as of yet. So any help or clarification that you can share with me would be most appreciated.

Jillian

There's a summary and a chart in my book, Volume Two, pp. 25-27,
on the meaning of the six line positions (Yao Wei).
Free download at the link below

If you just get lines 1 and six it tends to have a certain effect, it seems to snap to the second hex like a watershed, I also find I just receive lines 2 and 5 it has a binding effect as if the hexes were two timbers intersecting with dove tail joints. If I just get line 3 changing its very heightened or emotional (even 42.3, but often I'm expecting the opposite kind of answer when this appears).

1 3 and 6 together feels like taking big leaping steps. If line 5 is changing I always place more importance on it, and generally with many lines I find the answer lies in the last (highest) moving line.

I also find it handy to read the first changing line of the sequential hex when I receive line 6 moving, and in general the fan yao is illuminating but especially with one line moving. I'm just discovering the changing line...oops i've forgotten what its called, the same line in what the hex become if you turn it upside down... and this for me describes environment or surrounding infleunces or events (as learnt from hilary!!)

two or three lines moving consecutively feels a little more like 'lessons to learn', a little more focussed there and urgent or that its needs to be learnt thouroughly, you cant skip these advices.

There is a steps way of reading changing lines, you go through each lines zhi gua until you get to the relating hex, this often really helps me when I dont even know why I got to the place I got to to need to ask a question, or am asking a question about something new that I have no idea what the possibilities could be.

I still dont understand the change patterns thing, but hilary has a blog post on it somewhere, and LiSe has a mirror of the lines, or was that what I was talking about with the upside down turning of the hex to get the change line?

Sorry for the vagueness. I say experiment. Most of what I have said above is from what I've read and my own experience with castings and outcomes.

Once you've got a good back catalogue of readings, and working closely with them, you'll get the feel of the lines.

edited to add: oh and just getting lines 3 and 6 tends to gives me the impression you're having trouble with this, but you'll finish this off.

and 1 and 3, just starting this and you'll come up against obstacles.

Pocossin once pointed out line four as the line of retreat and trojan pointed out many other line 4's which are not retreating, but looking at those there was a sense of quietness or not acting in the line 4's as in 51.4 where a shock releases the mud for you.

extra edit: oh oh, before bradford bites me head orf, LiSe's rendering of 51.4 is more what I have said above but bradford's still has a sense of stuck, not moving, but that one gets muddled " great stimulus wants a more worthy response than a lost will to live*" which I guess if you followed that cue would shock you out of the mud and into action anyway. ( *sort of like Hanneman's 'a polite form of suicide')

Thank you Bradford and chingching for your replies. Bradford I just downloaded your book and will read through it in a bit. Chingching you gave me alot to think about and to play with as far as the lines go so thank you very much for sharing your experiences with the lines with me. I have been keeping a journal of my readings for some time now and for the most part I have found that the results of the changing lines haven't been an exact step to the next Hexagram but more of a round about theme in which things do or may play out. I'm going to read the information in Bradfords book and take some notes on the information you shared chingching and see if this will help me to get a more clear answer on some of my more recent readings.

Thanks you both once again. Very helpful.

Jillian

I think every line is as important as every other line. Just different aspects of the advice.

Line 1 often about direct action, 2 and 5 have to do with interactions with others, in a more simple way - 2, or with a goal in mind or something like that - 5.
Line 3 has often to do with emotions, line 4 with decisions.
The top line with ideas and mental attitudes.

When a real-life person gives you advice, it consists seldom of just one thing. You cannot learn to drive a car by only knowing about road signs, or only about where the brake is and where the gas. You need all of it.

Thank you heylisa,
This is as well what I was hoping to find which is if the certain lines do indeed mean emotions or actions etc. I agree with your thoughts on not learning how to drive a car, this is why I asked as I want to know much more.

Thank you again!
Jillian

Hi jillian,

Just in case you might have an interest in another take on changing lines, here is an article from my blog.