Your current situation can be depicted as "The Arousing (Shock, Thunder)" transforming into "Opposition".
In front of you lies "Thunder" which transforms into "Fire". That means that movement, initiative, and action are being transformed into brightness and warmth. Behind you lies "Thunder" which transforms into "Lake". That means that movement, initiative, and action are being transformed into joy, pleasure, and attraction.
The Situation
51. Chên - The Arousing (Shock, Thunder) Above (in front): Chên - The Arousing (Thunder) Below (behind): Chên - The Arousing (Thunder)
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
The hexagram Chên represents the eldest son, who seizes rule with energy and power. A yang line develops below two yin lines and presses upward forcibly. This movement is so violent that it arouses terror. It is symbolized by thunder, which bursts forth from the earth and by its shock causes fear and trembling.
The Judgement for the Current Situation
Shock brings success. Shock comes--oh, oh! Laughing words--ha, ha! The shock terrifies for a hundred miles, And he does not let fall the sacrificial spoon and chalice.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
The shock that comes from the manifestation of God within the depths of the earth makes man afraid, but this fear of God is good, for joy and merriment can follow upon it. When a man has learned within his heart what fear and trembling mean, he is safeguarded against any terror produced by outside influences. Let the thunder roll and spread terror a hundred miles around: he remains so composed and reverent in spirit that the sacrificial rite is not interrupted. This is the spirit that must animate leaders and rulers of men–a profound inner seriousness from which all outer terrors glance off harmlessly.
The Image for the Current Situation
Thunder repeated: the image of Shock. Thus in fear and trembling The superior man sets his life in order And examines himself.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
The shock of continuing thunder brings fear and trembling. The superior man is always filled with reverence at the manifestation of God; he sets his life in order and searches his heart, lest it harbor any secret opposition to the will of God. Thus reverence is the foundation of true culture.
Interpretation of the Changing Line(s)
Line 2: Shock comes bringing danger. A hundred thousand times You lose your treasures And must climb the Change hills. Do not go in pursuit of them. After seven days you will get them back.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
This pictures a situation in which a shock endangers a man and he suffers great losses. Resistance would be contrary to the movement of the time and for this reason unsuccessful. Therefore he must simply retreat to heights inaccessible to the threatening forces of danger. He must accept his loss of property without worrying too much about it. When the time of shock and upheaval that has robbed him of his possessions has passed, he will get them back again without going in pursuit of them.
Line 6: Shock brings ruin and terrified gazing around. Going ahead brings misfortune. If is has not yet touched one's own body But has reached one's neighbor first, There is no blame. One's comrades have something to talk about.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
When inner shock is at its height, it robs a man of reflection and clarity of vision. In such a state of shock it is of course impossible to act with presence of mind. Then the right thing is to keep still until composure and clarity are restored. But this a man can do only when he himself is not yet infected by the agitation, although its disastrous effects are already visible in those around him. If he withdraws from the affair in time, he remains free of mistakes and injury. But his comrades, who no longer heed any warning, will in their excitement certainly be displeased with him. However, he must not take this into account.
The Future
38. K'uei - Opposition Above (in front): Li - The Clinging (Fire) Below (behind): Tui - The Joyous (Lake)
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
This hexagram is composed of the trigram Li above, i. e. , flame, which burns upward, and Tui below, i. e. , the lake, which seeps downward. These two movements are in direct contrast. Furthermore, Li is the second daughter and Tui the youngest daughter, and although they live in the same house they belong to different men; hence their wills are not the same but are divergently directed.
The Judgement for the Future
Opposition. In small matters, good fortune.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
When people live in opposition and estrangement they cannot carry out a great undertaking in common; their points of view diverge too widely. In such circumstances one should above all not proceed brusquely, for that would only increase the existing opposition; instead, one should limit oneself to producing gradual effects in small matters. Here success can still be expected, because the situation is such that the opposition does not preclude all agreement. In general, opposition appears as an obstruction, but when it represents polarity within a comprehensive whole, it has also its useful and important functions. The oppositions of heaven and earth, spirit and nature, man and woman, when reconciled, bring about the creation and reproduction of life. In the world of visible things, the principle of opposites makes possible the differentiation by categories through which order is brought into the world.
The Image for the Future
Above fire; below, the lake: The image of Opposition. Thus amid all fellowship The superior man retains his individuality.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
The two elements, fire and water, never mingle but even when in contact retain their own natures. So the cultured man is never led into baseness or vulgarity through intercourse or community of interests with persons of another sort; regardless of all commingling, he will always preserve his individuality.
51. Chên - The Arousing (Shock, Thunder)
38. K'uei - Opposition