Hexagram 27.6 — Nourishing (Top Line)

Original Text & Translation

「由颐厉吉。利涉大川。」 — The source of nourishment. Danger, but good fortune. Favorable to cross the great water.

The image is of a mountain spring or a teacher whose words feed many. The power to nourish is real and potent; however, it comes with peril. What you give can heal or harm, empower or create dependency, clarify or confuse. The counsel is to remain acutely aware of your influence, to nourish from principle rather than ego, and to maintain your own sources of renewal. Great responsibility is navigable: the crossing of great waters becomes possible when your foundation is sound and your intentions pure.

Core Meaning

Line six sits at the summit of the hexagram, where nourishment originates rather than merely flows. In Yi, this position represents the one who feeds the system — the parent, the mentor, the creator of culture, the holder of resources or knowledge. The danger arises from the asymmetry: those who depend on you may not see your limits, and you may not see your blind spots. Power to nourish can become power to control, distort, or exhaust.

Practically, this line separates generosity from martyrdom, teaching from indoctrination, leadership from exploitation. The source must remain clean. If you nourish from depletion, resentment, or hidden agenda, the gift becomes toxic. If you nourish from abundance, clarity, and genuine care, even the inherent danger is transformed into sustainable good fortune. The oracle affirms that such purity makes even the most daunting challenges — "crossing the great water" — achievable.

Symbolism & Imagery

The top line of Nourishing evokes the headwaters of a river: small, elevated, and critical. Everything downstream depends on what happens here. In human terms, it is the parent whose emotional patterns shape a child's nervous system, the executive whose decisions set organizational culture, the author whose ideas enter the collective conversation. The mountain above, thunder below — stillness holding dynamic force — suggests that the source must be stable, reflective, and self-aware to safely channel energy outward.

This imagery also addresses legacy. What you nourish now will outlive you. The danger is not in the act of giving, but in giving without discernment, without replenishment, or without accountability. The good fortune comes from recognizing that being a source is not about control — it is about fidelity to truth, to need, and to the health of the whole system.

Action Guidance

Career & Business

• Audit your influence: map who depends on your decisions, output, or approval. Recognize the weight of that dependency and the ethical obligation it creates.
• Nourish the nourisher: schedule regular renewal — sabbaticals, peer mentorship, external review, learning time. You cannot give what you do not have.
• Set boundaries on extraction: distinguish between legitimate need and learned helplessness. Teach others to fish; do not become the permanent fish supplier.
• Document and delegate: make your knowledge transferable. A true source empowers others to become sources themselves.
• Check for hidden motives: are you nourishing to serve, or to be needed? The former is sustainable; the latter is a trap.
• Embrace accountability: invite feedback on the quality and impact of what you provide. Blind spots at the top are the most dangerous.

Love & Relationships

• Recognize asymmetry: if you are the primary emotional, financial, or logistical provider, acknowledge that imbalance and its risks (burnout, resentment, control).
• Nourish from fullness: ensure your own emotional and physical needs are met. Martyrdom erodes intimacy.
• Encourage autonomy: true care helps the other grow in capacity and confidence, not dependence.
• Communicate limits: being a source does not mean being infinite. Honest boundaries preserve the relationship.
• Model self-care: your partner or children learn nourishment patterns from watching you. Show them how to sustain themselves.

Health & Inner Work

• Protect the reservoir: sleep, nutrition, movement, and solitude are non-negotiable if you nourish others. Depletion is contagious.
• Practice discernment: not every request is yours to fulfill. Saying no is an act of systemic care.
• Seek your own sources: therapy, spiritual practice, nature, art — find what replenishes you and make it sacred.
• Monitor for compassion fatigue: if you feel numb, cynical, or resentful, that is a signal to pause and restore.
• Cultivate inner authority: nourish from principle and presence, not from scripts or external validation.

Finance & Strategy

• Steward, don't hoard: capital, knowledge, or network — if you control a resource others need, use it wisely and transparently.
• Invest in resilience: diversify your own income and knowledge streams so you are not a single point of failure.
• Build succession: train others, share frameworks, create systems that outlast your direct involvement.
• Monitor for dependency: if clients, employees, or partners cannot function without you, the system is fragile. Strengthen their capacity.
• Align incentives: ensure that what you provide genuinely serves the recipient's growth, not just your revenue or ego.

Timing, Signals, and Readiness

How do you know if you are ready to be a source? Look for these markers: (1) you have been nourished well yourself and understand the process intimately; (2) you have surplus — time, energy, knowledge, resources — that can be given without depletion; (3) you have developed discernment and can distinguish true need from manipulation; and (4) you are willing to be accountable for the impact of what you provide. When these are present, stepping into the role of source is appropriate and timely.

If you feel pressured, resentful, or unclear about your own needs, you are not yet ready to be a primary source. If you feel grounded, generous, and clear-eyed about both the gift and the risk, you are in the right position. The oracle's mention of "crossing the great water" suggests that once you are truly ready, even large-scale challenges become navigable — your clarity and integrity act as a vessel.

When This Line Moves

A moving sixth line often signals a transition in your role as provider or influencer. It may indicate that you are being called to step more fully into a position of responsibility, or conversely, that it is time to delegate, step back, or transform how you nourish others. The change hexagram you receive will clarify the direction: whether you are moving toward greater stewardship, shared leadership, or a necessary release of control.

Practical takeaway: do not cling to being the source if the system is ready to self-sustain. Do not abdicate if the need is genuine and you are equipped. The movement asks you to reassess the health of the nourishment dynamic — is it still serving growth, or has it become stagnant, extractive, or codependent? Adjust accordingly, with both courage and care.

Concise Summary

Hexagram 27.6 is the position of the wellspring. It asks you to recognize the gravity of being a source of nourishment for others and to meet that responsibility with vigilance, integrity, and self-renewal. "Danger, but good fortune" means that influence is inherently risky, yet when wielded with clarity and care, it becomes a force for profound good. Nourish from abundance, teach autonomy, guard your own sources, and remain accountable. When you do, even the great waters can be crossed.