The simplest answer to your question is that how good or bad it is, and what it means, depends on the hexagram. If you don't like the sound of that hexagram's Judgement and Advice, you should probably change your mind about the project; if you feel comfortable with it, then I don't think you have anything to worry about. To be 'locked' in a state of Increase would be attractive to most people (especially if you already feel positive about the project); to be locked into Obstruction would not.

Depending to some extent on what your question was, the I Ching may be saying 'this is how it'll stay for a long time' or 'this is the fundamental truth about the situation'. It doesn't actually mean 'this is what you'll be stuck with forever.' That's based on the very simplistic idea that an I Ching reading shows where you stand now (primary hexagram), how things will change (moving lines), and where you'll stand after the change (relating hexagram). Sometimes it can - but not always! Hexagrams aren't just 'where you stand', but more 'how things are moving': they're not static. And so receiving just one hexagram doesn't mean you are at a standstill or that there's 'no future'.

You can get a better understanding of your answer by looking at all the hexagrams of context. The Sequence will show how you got there, the Nuclear Hexagram will show you some future possibilities, and so on. If you're just trying to make a quick decision, this may not even be necessary. You can just think of the 'locking' as a form of emphasis, like putting the answer in capitals.

What's missing from a locked hexagram is not movement so much as specificity. The relating hexagram serves as a kind of lens through which to view the primary one - the perspective from which it's experienced. For example, the quest for union of Hexagram 8, seen from the receptive openness of Hexagram 2, takes on a different colour: the hunting king of 8, line 5, who doesn't try to trap all the animals, but only those who 'want' to come to him. A locked hexagram is seen from no particular 'angle': the I Ching is saying 'here it is, this is what you need to understand'. An unchanging hexagram isn't a curse - it might even be a gift.

Any DIY questions? Send them here, and they will get answered!

™Discussion point—

Last month's survey asked about the accuracy of computer-based I Ching consultation: an important question for all those who use Clarity's free online reading! It seems that a majority are happy that the I Ching can work through a great variety of methods - I must admit I agree.

This month's survey is, um, 'inspired' by this posting at the forum, signed 'Rational':

'To be quite honest, it's obvious to an objective observer that the I Ching is so vague it could mean anything, and you are all just using it to mean whatever suits you at the time. When you can't make it do this, you just say 'oh, that must be in the future', and later on you say 'oh, now I can see it's all come true!'. With hindsight you can make it mean anything. I mean, come on, this is the 21st century here. Why do you bother with the I Ching?'

Post a reply here.

'How would you rate the answers you've received from the I Ching?'

™How you can help—