Hexagram 53
Development
漸
Upper
Wind · 巽
the gentle, penetrating
Lower
Mountain · 艮
keeping still
Contemporary judgment
Gradual development. Advance by stages, unforced, unhurried. What grows slowly grows deeply; the tree that takes root on the mountain withstands every storm because it did not rush its rooting. Do not be swayed by those urging faster progress.
Image
Wood on the mountain. The superior person abides in dignity and virtue and so improves the customs around them.
Counsel
Keep to the correct pace, even if it looks slow from the outside. Do not skip stages; each one prepares the next. The proper forms of the situation, the how of doing things, matter as much as the content. Your quiet steadiness becomes an influence that needs no announcement.
The six lines
Numbered from the bottom upward; displayed here from first to sixth.
Line 1
A six at the beginning means: The wild goose gradually draws near the shore. The young son is in danger. There is talk. No blame.
Line 2
A six in the second place means: The wild goose gradually draws near the rock. Eating and drinking in peace and concord. Good fortune!
Line 3
A nine in the third place means: The wild goose gradually draws near the plateau. The man goes forth and does not return. The woman carries a child, but does not bring it to the world. Misfortune! It is favorable to ward off robbers.
Line 4
A six in the fourth place means: The wild goose gradually draws near the tree. Perhaps she gets a flat branch. No blame.
Line 5
A nine in the fifth place means: The wild goose gradually draws near the summit. The woman for three years gets no child. Finally nothing can prevent it. Good fortune!
Line 6
A nine at the top means: The wild goose gradually draws near the cloud heights. Her feathers can be used for the holy dance. Good fortune!
Contemporary sections are original app interpretations. Line text comes from the CC0 translation in jesshewitt/i-ching.