Cast Hexagram: 5 - Five Hsü 水天需 Calculated Waiting, Attending, Biding One's Time, Nourishment Through Inaction, Waiting for Nourishment, Moistened, "Waiting with the assurance that a blessing will come." A fisherman can cast the line, but still can only wait for the fish to bite. Your catch will come in its own good time; you cannot make it come sooner — neither by working nor by planning nor by wishing. You may have a need to provide nourishment, but only through patience can you become the bridge between the fickle fish and the eventual feast. Strength in a time of trial waits quietly, resolutely. Weakness grows agitated, and abandons the effort before the fish start biting. Periods of waiting are most fruitful when used for quiet contemplation. This is patience. Proceed cautiously, but resolutely, with whatever you are doing. The situation calls for consistency and perseverance. Waiting is an essential skill; patience is a powerful force. Time is an ally for those with inner strength — the strength that allows you to be uncompromisingly honest with yourself, while sticking to the path you have charted. If you persevere with a positive attitude, time weakens even the hardest obstacles. To rush anything, or force results, stimulates resistance and causes setbacks. At best, you achieve surface changes that may just as quickly be reversed. Steadfast waiting — holding to your integrity — leads to slow but permanent improvements. In the end, you accomplish something great. Be content to practice patience. There are Two Changing Lines. The Upper Changing Line (Line Three) prevails. Line One : No trouble in sight, but vague anxieties about what lies beyond the horizon. Whether real or not, the threat has already won your peace of mind. Line Three: Anxiety prods you to premature action. Wading into the river, you become mired in the bed of mud. Not only does the enemy realize you detect them, but they see your vulnerability as an opportunity to strike.
