I Ching hexagram 45
I Ching hexagram 45: Gathering Together
萃 cuì · a lake above earth
The lake gathers over the earth: people come together around a center, and the gathering needs a shared purpose and real offerings.
- The judgment
- The king approaches his ancestral temple. Seeing a great person is favorable and brings success; steadfastness is favorable. Large offerings bring good fortune. Going forward is favorable.
"In (the state denoted by) Zhui, the king will repair to his ancestral temple. It will be advantageous (also) to meet with the great man; and then there will be progress and success, though the advantage must come through firm correctness. The use of great victims will conduce to good fortune; and in whatever direction movement is made, it will be advantageous."
- What it says to you
- Water collects over the earth into a lake, and people collect around a center. Gathering Together is the hexagram of crowds, families, teams, festivals. The judgment pictures the king going into his ancestral temple, the place where a scattered people remember what they share. Gatherings need that: a center, a leader worth meeting, and something offered. The text says large offerings bring good fortune, and in the second line even a small spring offering works if it is sincere. The lines are full of people trying to belong, sighing, weeping, calling out, until one handclasp turns tears into laughter. If you are wondering whether to join something or how to hold a group together, here is the answer: give it a clear purpose and show up generously. Reach out today to one person hovering at the edge.
Matter by matter
- Love
- Coming together. Family events and shared rituals strengthen the bond; reach out sincerely.
- Work
- Teamwork and alliances are favored. Unite people around a clear goal and an able leader.
- Money
- Pooling resources works; be generous in your contribution to shared ventures.
- A yes or no question
- Yes. Join, gather, and offer something real.
The six lines of Gathering Together
A hexagram is built from the bottom up, so the first line is the lowest. You read a line's text only when your cast made it a moving line.
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Bottom line, broken
Sincere, but not to the end: confusion, then gathering. If he cries out, one handclasp turns it to laughter. Don't worry; going forward is no mistake.
You want to belong but your commitment wavers, and things get messy. Ask for help out loud. One handshake turns tears to laughter. Go ahead and join them.
-
Second line, broken
Drawn in: good fortune, no mistake. With sincerity, even a simple spring offering is favorable.
Someone pulls you into the group, and that is good. You don't need a grand contribution. A small offering made sincerely is welcome, and it counts for more than its size.
-
Third line, broken
Gathering, sighing. Nothing is favorable. Going forward is no mistake, though a little humiliating.
You want in and feel left out. Sighing about it won't help. Approach anyway, toward whoever is open to you; it is slightly awkward, but nothing goes wrong.
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Fourth line, solid
Great good fortune. No mistake.
You are in a position to draw people together. Do it for the group's sake rather than your own standing, and it turns out very well for everyone, you included.
-
Fifth line, solid
Gathering around one who holds the position: no mistake. Some do not trust him yet. With lasting, sincere steadfastness, regret vanishes.
You have the role, but not everyone's trust. Keep being consistent, fair, and patient. Over time the doubters come around, and your regrets about the slow start fade.
-
Top line, broken
Sighing and weeping, tears and running nose. No mistake.
You feel shut out and grieve openly. That honesty is not a mistake. Expressing the loss is how you get drawn back in, or how you let go cleanly and move on.
About hexagram 45
What does I Ching hexagram 45 mean?
Hexagram 45, Gathering Together, puts a lake above earth. The lake gathers over the earth: people come together around a center, and the gathering needs a shared purpose and real offerings. Its judgment reads: The king approaches his ancestral temple. Seeing a great person is favorable and brings success; steadfastness is favorable. Large offerings bring good fortune. Going forward is favorable.
Is hexagram 45 a yes or a no?
Yes. Join, gather, and offer something real.
What does hexagram 45 mean for love?
Coming together. Family events and shared rituals strengthen the bond; reach out sincerely.
What does hexagram 45 mean for work?
Teamwork and alliances are favored. Unite people around a clear goal and an able leader.
Cast the coins for a new question , or for a straight yes or no, throw the moon blocks
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The judgment and lines are rendered from the Chinese text; the quoted judgment is Legge's 1882 translation, and every other English line is Jade Almanac's own. A cast is a prompt for reflection, not advice about health, money or the law.