Interpreting Hexagrams

To the layman, the I-Ching hexagrams look like a stack of 6 lines in varying combinations of solid and broken lines:

Hexagram 38: Alienation

This is Hexagram 38 - Alienation. One of the 64 hexagrams in the I-Ching. These 6 lines should be looked at as two groups of 3 lines. One 3 line group on the bottom, and another on top. These 3 line groups are called trigrams. The lines themselves are yin yang lines. These yin yang lines (broken and solid lines respectively) taken in combination, are actually describing energy flow. Hexagrams are read from bottom to top, and energy naturally flows from yang (solid) to yin (broken). It is harmonious when energy flow aligns with reading order of the lines from bottom to top.

The bottom 3 lines are the Lake trigram, and the top 3 lines are the Fire trigram.

In the Lake trigram, the energy flows from the stable, grounded base of the two solid yang lines upwards towards the open, receptive yin line at the top. This upward movement of energy can be interpreted as a rising sense of joy, pleasure, and emotional fulfillment.

For Fire, the two solid yang lines can be seen as channels or conduits, directing and focusing the vibrant, assertive energy inward towards the receptive yin center. The yin line at the core becomes a focal point, a crucible where the yang energy is transformed, refined, and given purpose.

Each of the 8 Trigrams have their own meanings, and when stacked together in combination, they compose a Hexagram. Hexagram 38, Fire above Lake means Opposition or Alienation. Which makes sense - the Fire trigram's energy is focused inward, while the Lake trigram's energy is flowing outward. This opposition in energy flow can indicate a lack of harmony or alignment between the two forces, leading to a sense of disconnection or alienation.

So I've just taken you step by step through how to understand the I-Ching, from the base Trigrams to the composed Hexagram. If you buy a book on the I-Ching, it will have translated couplets of the original interpretations by old masters of this energy flow. Now that you understand how it's done you can blend your own interpretation with the ancient treatises, and arrive at your own understanding.