Critical Mass ䷛

“Stack overflow — the load exceeds capacity, demanding extraordinary action.”

excessoverloadcritical massbreaking pointextraordinarythreshold

Trigram Composition

Upper Trigram

☱

☱ Lake (Dui)

Lower Trigram

☴

☴ Wind (Xun)

Binary Structure

Line 6

Yin (0)

Line 5

Yang (1)

Line 4

Yang (1)

Line 3

Yang (1)

Line 2

Yang (1)

Line 1

Yin (0)

Binary: 011110

Hexagram Meaning

䷛

The Oracle Speaks

The lake rises above the trees — an extraordinary, unstable situation. The ridgepole sags. It furthers to have somewhere to go. The load exceeds the capacity. This is the moment of creative breakthrough or catastrophic failure. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. The system is at 100% — either scale or crash.

The Six Lines — Changing Line Oracles

When a line is “changing” (old yin or old yang), its oracle activates. These texts reveal the specific mutation occurring at that position in the hexagram.

Line 1 (Yin — broken) — Bottom

To spread white rushes underneath. No blame. Extraordinary caution in extraordinary times.

Line 2 (Yang — solid)

A dry poplar sprouts at the root. An older man takes a young wife. Everything furthers. Revival from an unexpected source.

Line 3 (Yang — solid)

The ridgepole sags to the breaking point. Misfortune. The infrastructure cannot hold — immediate action required.

Line 4 (Yang — solid)

The ridgepole is braced. Good fortune. But if there are ulterior motives, humiliation. Proper reinforcement at the critical point.

Line 5 (Yang — solid)

A withered poplar puts forth flowers. An older woman takes a husband. No blame. No praise. Late bloom, late partnership — functional but not celebrated.

Line 6 (Yin — broken) — Top

One must wade through the water. It goes over one's head. Misfortune. No blame. The flood exceeds all preparation — you did your best.