Work on What Has Been Spoiled (Decay) in Growth

Something in you has gone stale — false beliefs, an old resentment, a decadent habit, a way of thinking that corrupts your understanding from within. It didn't fall from the sky; it grew, slowly, from things you stopped tending. That's the good news: what neglect made, honest work can unmake. The Judgment prescribes exactly how. Before you start, three days of consideration — search out how the fault actually arose rather than swinging blindly at the symptom. Much of what's decayed in any life was inherited: line 1's fault "the father spoiled" wears the authority of the past — rigid rules, handed-down patterns — and breaking from it takes courage, but the one who corrects an inherited fault redeems its source.

The next step is the crossing of the great water — decisive, energetic repair, not tinkering. But the hexagram is careful about how you apply the force. Line 2, "what the mother spoiled," points to decay woven of old fears, invisible to the one who carries them; harshness only drives such things deeper, so work with persistence and gentleness together and give the release time. Line 3 warns the opposite way — correction pressed too hard brings friction and regret — yet judges it mildly, because in rooting out decay a little too much energy beats too little. Then, after you start, three days of care: spoilage returns by the road it came. Guard the mended place until the new way holds.