The Transformed (Secondary) Hexagram - Mapping the Path of Change

When your I Ching consultation results in one or more changing lines in your Primary Hexagram, these lines do more than just offer specific advice; they also act as catalysts, transforming the Primary Hexagram into a Secondary Hexagram (also known as the “Transformed Hexagram,” “Future Hexagram,” or “Changed Hexagram”). This Secondary Hexagram provides crucial insights into the potential outcome, the direction of change, or the underlying dynamics of the situation.

The Mechanics of Transformation: How Changing Lines Shift

The formation of the Secondary Hexagram is a straightforward process based on a fundamental principle of the I Ching: Yin and Yang are not static but are in a constant state of potential transformation into their opposites when they reach an extreme.

• A Changing Yang Line (9) becomes a Yin Line: When a solid Yang line is marked as changing (typically a result of a sum of 9), it has reached its peak of active energy. In the Secondary Hexagram, this line transforms into its opposite: a broken Yin line.

  ----o---- (Changing Yang in Primary)  →  ---   --- (Stable Yin in Secondary)

• A Changing Yin Line (6) becomes a Yang Line: When a broken Yin line is marked as changing (typically a result of a sum of 6), it has reached its extreme of receptive energy or decline. In the Secondary Hexagram, this line transforms into its opposite: a solid Yang line.

  --- X --- (Changing Yin in Primary)  →  --------- (Stable Yang in Secondary)

• Stable Lines (7 and 8) Remain Unchanged: Lines that were cast as stable Yang (7) or stable Yin (8) in the Primary Hexagram do not transform. They retain their original character in the Secondary Hexagram.

Step-by-Step Guide to Deriving Your Secondary Hexagram

1. Examine Your Primary Hexagram: Identify all the lines that are marked as changing (lines 6 or 9).

2. Create a New Six-Line Figure: Mentally or physically (by drawing it next to your Primary Hexagram), begin to construct the Secondary Hexagram line by line, from bottom to top:

   For each line position (1 through 6):

   • If the line in your Primary Hexagram was a Changing Yang (9), draw a Stable Yin line (--- ---) in the corresponding position of your Secondary Hexagram.
   • If the line in your Primary Hexagram was a Changing Yin (6), draw a Stable Yang line (---------) in the corresponding position of your Secondary Hexagram.
   • If the line in your Primary Hexagram was a Stable Yang (7), draw a Stable Yang line (---------) in the Secondary Hexagram.
   • If the line in your Primary Hexagram was a Stable Yin (8), draw a Stable Yin line (--- ---) in the Secondary Hexagram.

3. Identify the Secondary Hexagram: Once you have drawn all six transformed/stable lines, this new figure is your Secondary Hexagram. You would then identify its name and number using a hexagram lookup table, just as you did for the Primary Hexagram.

Example of Transformation:

Let’s use the example from Article 4. The Primary Hexagram was:

---   ---  (Line 6 - Stable Yin, 8)
---------  (Line 5 - Stable Yang, 7)
----o----  (Line 4 - Changing Yang, 9)
---   ---  (Line 3 - Stable Yin, 8)
--- X ---  (Line 2 - Changing Yin, 6)
---------  (Line 1 - Stable Yang, 7)

To find the Secondary Hexagram:

• Line 1 (Stable Yang, 7) remains Stable Yang: ---------
• Line 2 (Changing Yin, 6) transforms to Stable Yang: ---------
• Line 3 (Stable Yin, 8) remains Stable Yin: --- ---
• Line 4 (Changing Yang, 9) transforms to Stable Yin: --- ---
• Line 5 (Stable Yang, 7) remains Stable Yang: ---------
• Line 6 (Stable Yin, 8) remains Stable Yin: --- ---

So, the Secondary Hexagram would be:

---   ---  (Line 6)
---------  (Line 5)
---   ---  (Line 4)
---   ---  (Line 3)
---------  (Line 2)
---------  (Line 1)

This is Hexagram 24, Fu (Return / The Turning Point).

Interpretive Significance of the Secondary Hexagram

The Secondary Hexagram offers valuable perspectives on your inquiry. It often represents:

• The Potential Outcome: Where the current situation (Primary Hexagram) is heading if the changes indicated by the moving lines unfold.

• The Direction of Change: The path or process of transformation that is underway.

• A Future State: A glimpse into a later stage or resolution of the matter.

• An Underlying Tendency: Sometimes it reveals a more hidden aspect or the deeper current that is driving the situation.

• The Result of Heeding Advice: It can reflect the state that will emerge if you understand and act upon the specific advice given in the changing line texts of the Primary Hexagram.

When interpreting a reading with changing lines, you consider the Primary Hexagram (the present), the specific texts of the changing lines (the key advice or focus), and the Secondary Hexagram (the potential future or outcome). Together, they provide a rich, multi-layered narrative.

If your reading has no changing lines, then there is no transformation, and thus no Secondary Hexagram to consider. The Primary Hexagram alone provides the complete message.

Understanding how to derive and consider the Secondary Hexagram is a vital skill in reading the I Ching, as it illuminates the dynamic nature of change inherent in its wisdom.

In the next article, we will discuss “Article 6: Readings Without Change - Interpreting ‘Locked’ or Stable Hexagrams.”