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Hexagram 20: Contemplation

䷓ 觀 (Guān) · Contemplation. Step back and observe before acting.

observation, perspective, example, reflection

Lower trigram: Earth ☷ · Upper trigram: Wind ☴

The judgment

Step back and look before you act. Like someone who has washed their hands for a ceremony but not yet made the offering, stay in that moment of gathered, quiet attention. When you are sincere, others feel it without being told.

The image

Wind moves across the earth, touching everything it passes. Go out and look closely at how people actually live, and let what you see shape how you guide them.

The six lines

Read only the lines that changed in your casting, counting from the bottom.

• Line 1 (bottom): You look at things the way a child does, without the bigger picture. That is fine for someone with little responsibility, but not for anyone who must lead.
• Line 2: You see the world through the crack of a door and take your small view for the whole. It may do for a narrow life, but a wider view is needed now.
• Line 3: Look at your own life and what it brings about. Your own effects, not other people's opinions, tell you whether to go forward or step back.
• Line 4: You see clearly how a place or group truly flourishes. Offer your gifts there as a respected guest rather than trying to take charge.
• Line 5: Others look to you, so look honestly at your own life. If what you bring about is good, you are free of blame.
• Line 6 (top): Look at your life from a little distance, as if it belonged to someone else. Free of ego, you see what matters and are without blame.

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