Your current situation can be depicted as "Standstill (Stagnation)" transforming into "Keeping Still, Mountain".
In front of you lies "Heaven" which transforms into "Mountain". That means that strength and creativity are being transformed into stillness and obstruction. Behind you lies "Earth" which transforms into "Mountain". That means that docility and receptivity are being transformed into stillness and obstruction.
The Situation
12. P'i - Standstill (Stagnation) Above (in front): Ch'ien - The Creative (Heaven) Below (behind): K'un - The Receptive (Earth)
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
This hexagram is the opposite of the preceding one. Heaven is above, drawing farther and farther away, while the earth below sinks farther into the depths. The creative powers are not in relation. It is a time of standstill and decline. This hexagram is linked with the seventh month (August-September), when the year has passed its zenith and autumnal decay is setting in.
The Judgement for the Current Situation
Standstill. Evil people do not further The perseverance of the superior man. The great departs; the small approaches.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
Heaven and earth are out of communion and all things are benumbed. What is above has no relation to what is below, and on earth confusion and disorder prevail. The dark power is within, the light power is without. Weakness is within, harshness without. Within are the inferior, and without are the superior. The way of inferior people is in ascent; the way of superior people is one the decline. But the superior people do not allow themselves to be turned from their principles. If the possibility of exerting influence is closed to them, they nevertheless remain faithful to their principles and withdraw into seclusion.
The Image for the Current Situation
Heaven and earth do not unite: The image of Standstill. Thus the superior man falls back upon his inner worth In order to escape the difficulties. He does not permit himself to be honored with revenue.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
When, owing to the influence of inferior men, mutual mistrust prevails in public life, fruitful activity is rendered impossible, because the fundaments are wrong. Therefore the superior man knows what he must do under such circumstances; he does not allow himself to be tempted by dazzling offers to take part in public activities. This would only expose him to danger, since he cannot assent to the meanness of the others. He therefore hides his worth and withdraws into seclusion.
Interpretation of the Changing Line(s)
Line 3: They bear shame.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
Inferior people who have risen to power illegitimately do not feel equal to the responsibility they have taken upon themselves. In their hearts they begin to be ashamed, although at first they do not show it outwardly. This marks a turn for the better.
Line 4: He who acts at the command of the highest Remains without blame. Those of like mind partake of the blessing.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
The time of standstill is nearing the point of change into its opposite. Whoever wishes to restore order must feel himself called to the task and have the necessary authority. A man who sets himself up as capable of creating order according to his own judgment could make mistakes and end in failure. But the man who is truly called to the task is favored by the conditions of the time, and all those of like mind will share in his blessing.
Line 5: Standstill is giving way. Good fortune for the great man. "What if it should fail, what if it should fail?" In this way, he ties it to a cluster of mulberry shoots.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
The time undergoes a change. The right man, able to restore order, has arrived. Hence "good fortune. " But such periods of transition are the very times in which we must fear and tremble. Success is assured only through greatest caution, which asks always, "What if it should fail?" When a mulberry bush is cut down, a number of unusually strong shoots sprout from the roots. Hence the image of tying something to a cluster of mulberry shoots is used to symbolize the way of making success certain. Confucius says about this line:Danger arises when a man feels secure in his position. Destruction threatens when a man seeks to preserve his worldly estate. Confusion develops when a man has put everything in order. Therefore the superior man does not forget danger in his security, not ruin when he is well established, nor confusion when his affairs are in order. In this way he gains personal safety and is able to protect the empire.
The Future
52. Kên - Keeping Still, Mountain Above (in front): Kên - Keeping Still (Mountain) Below (behind): Kên - Keeping Still (Mountain)
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
The image of this hexagram is the mountain, the youngest son of heaven and earth. The male principle is at the top, because it strives upward by nature; the female principle is below, since the direction of its movement is downward. Thus there is rest because the movement has come to its normal end. In its application to man, the hexagram turns upon the problem of achieving a quiet heart. It is very difficult to bring quiet to the heart. While Buddhism strives for rest through an ebbing away of all movement in nirvana, the Book of Changes holds that rest is merely a state of polarity that always posits movement as its complement. Possibly the words of the text embody directions for the practice of yoga.
The Judgement for the Future
Keeping Still. Keeping his back still So that he no longer feels his body. He goes into the courtyard And does not see his people. No blame.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
True quiet means keeping still when the time has come to keep still, and going forward when the time has come to go forward. In this way rest and movement are in agreement with the demands of the time, and thus there is light in life. The hexagram signifies the end and the beginning of all movement. The back is named because in the back are located all the nerve fibers that mediate movement. If the movement of these spinal nerves is brought to a standstill, the ego, with its restlessness, disappears as it were. When a man has thus become calm, he may turn to the outside world. He no longer sees in it the struggle and tumult of individual beings, and therefore he has that true peace of mind which is needed for understanding the great laws of the universe and for acting in harmony with them. Whoever acts from these deep levels makes no mistakes.
The Image for the Future
Mountains standing close together: The image of Keeping Still. Thus the superior man Does not permit his thoughts To go beyond his situation.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
The heart thinks constantly. This cannot be changed, but the movements of the heart–that is, a man's thoughts–should restrict themselves to the immediate situation. All thinking that goes beyond this only makes the heart sore.
12. P'i - Standstill (Stagnation)
52. Kên - Keeping Still, Mountain