師 → 萃
Hexagram 7: The Army → Hexagram 45: Gathering Together
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 2, 4, 5).
Line 2
九二 在師中吉。无咎。王三錫命。
Nine in the second place means: In the midst of the army. Good fortune. No blame. The king bestows a triple decoration.
Line 4
六四 師左次。无咎。
Six in the fourth place means: The army retreats. No blame.
Line 5
六五 田有禽。利執言。无咎。長子帥師。弟子輿尸。貞凶。
Six in the fifth place means: There is game in the field. It furthers one to catch it. Without blame. Let the eldest lead the army. The younger transports corpses; Then perseverance brings misfortune.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
鳧雁啞啞，以水為家。雌雄相和，心志娛樂，得其歡欲。
Wild ducks and geese cry out, making water their home. Male and female in harmony; hearts content and joyful, finding their pleasure.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water hidden within the earth releases its multitudes into joyful play, and ducks and geese call happily, making the water their home. Male and female birds harmonize in song, their hearts full of pleasure and delight. The waterfowl's contentment on water is a perfect emblem of creatures in their natural element — unburdened, paired, and at ease. From The Army to Gathering, the lake spreads upon the earth as communities congregate. The army's disciplined formations dissolve into the natural gathering of kindred spirits: no command required, only the instinct to flock together where conditions are welcoming. Military order yields to the spontaneous assembly of those who belong.
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