Also known as The Clinging, Fire, Radiance.
The character 離 means both to cling and to shine. Hexagram 30 is fire doubled. Fire has no shape of its own. It shines only by clinging to something it burns. Clarity, the figure says, depends on what you attach yourself to.
The figure
Fire over Fire. Each trigram has a weak line held between two strong ones: an empty center that gives off light. It is the opposite of hexagram 29, and together they form the pair of danger and clarity.
The judgment
It pays to hold, and it goes through. Keep a cow and it goes well.
The cow stands for docility and patience. Clarity lasts when it is tied to something steady and humble, not to restless brilliance.
The image
Light after light, each one taking from the last. Keep it going, and let it reach all four sides.
The sun rises again each day. Keep your light burning, and let it reach widely.
The six lines
Counted from the bottom, the way the figure is built when you cast it.
- Line 1, at the bottom. Footprints crossing every which way. If you are serious about it, you're not at fault. Start with focus while everything is still a jumble.
- Line 2. Yellow light, the light of the center at midday. This goes very well.
- Line 3. In the light of the setting sun, people either drum on pots and sing or wail about growing old. It goes badly. Either way you lose the calm the moment needs.
- Line 4. It flares up suddenly, burns out and is thrown away. Brilliance with no fuel behind it doesn't last.
- Line 5. Floods of tears, sighing and grief. It goes well. Real feeling, faced honestly, leads to clarity.
- Line 6, at the top. The king sends you out to set things right. Remove the leaders and spare the followers. Not a mistake. Clear judgment, without cruelty.
Reading it for a question
Hexagram 30 asks what you depend on. Attach yourself to what is steady and good, keep your attention clear, and be careful of flash without substance.