䷩
Hexagram 42
Increase
Yi 益
It is time to add energy where the whole will grow, not only your self-regard.
Divination · I Ching · Image 42
The sayings of the six lines
- At the start it pays to take up a great, beneficial work, while your intent is clear and your strength enough to set it going.
- When support comes from elsewhere, receive it gratefully and turn it toward what reaches beyond your own gain.
- Even a hard moment can bring you growth, if you stay honest and do not misuse it for your sole profit.
- You stand between the summit and the whole — be a reliable go-between who adds where it truly helps.
- When you give from a good heart and expect no reward, you strengthen yourself and others more than if you counted every step.
- Whoever stops giving and begins only to take loses his support — see that you do not offer empty promises in place of deeds.
The reading in practice
When to read Increase
When this image comes up
Hexagram 42, Increase, is best read at a moment when something like this is in play: it is time to add energy where the whole will grow, not only your self-regard. The main motif is not a label for the situation, but the direction in which your attention is meant to move.
What the situation asks for
The lower trigram Thunder (Zhen 震) shows the inner movement, while the upper trigram Wind (Xun 巽) shows the shape that turns outward. Invest your time or strength in something that strengthens others too, not only you.
Work
At work, Increase does not ask only about performance. It leads you to let the theme "growth in the right direction" show in your next step, your pace or your responsibility.
Relationships
In relationships this image is not a verdict on the other person. It rather opens the question of what should be said, borne or left to ripen: Where can you add energy so it benefits the people around you, not only yourself?
Shadow / risk
The risk is to overdo the image's main motif: growth in the right direction. The top line recalls the extreme form of the situation: Whoever stops giving and begins only to take loses his support — see that you do not offer empty promises in place of deeds.
A question for your journal
Where can you add energy so it benefits the people around you, not only yourself? Write down one small step and come back to it in a few days.
Also related: You are starting something new
Thematic reading
How Increase returns across the themes
Thematic paths