Hexagram 25
Innocence
無妄
Upper
Heaven · 乾
the creative, strong
Lower
Thunder · 震
the arousing, movement
Contemporary judgment
Innocence: acting without calculation. The right response to the moment arises naturally when motive is clean. Scheming, posturing, or strategizing for advantage here brings misfortune; the situation rewards transparent, unforced action rooted in honest intention.
Image
Thunder rolling under the heavens. The ancient kings aligned themselves with the seasons and nourished all things.
Counsel
Do not overthink this. Drop the elaborate plans and the hidden agendas. Ask simply: what is the true thing to do? Do that, and let the outcome be what it will be. Innocence is not naivety: it is the refusal to corrupt clear action with private calculation.
The six lines
Numbered from the bottom upward; displayed here from first to sixth.
Line 1
A nine at the beginning means: Innocent conduct brings good fortune!
Line 2
A six in the second place means: If in ploughing one does not think of the harvest, and in clearing the land one does not think of using the field, then it is favorable to undertake something.
Line 3
A six in the third place means: Undeserved misfortune: The cow someone had tied up is the wanderer's gain, the citizen's loss.
Line 4
A nine in the fourth place means: Whoever is able to be persevering remains without blame.
Line 5
A nine in the fifth place means: In case of undeserved illness, use no medicine. It will become good of itself.
Line 6
A nine at the top means: Innocent action brings misfortune. Nothing is furthering.
Contemporary sections are original app interpretations. Line text comes from the CC0 translation in jesshewitt/i-ching.