Your current situation can be depicted as "Opposition" transforming into "The Power of the Great".
In front of you lies "Fire" which transforms into "Thunder". That means that brightness and warmth are being transformed into movement, initiative, and action. Behind you lies "Lake" which transforms into "Heaven". That means that joy, pleasure, and attraction are being transformed into strength and creativity.
The Situation
38. K'uei - Opposition Above (in front): Li - The Clinging (Fire) Below (behind): Tui - The Joyous (Lake)
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
This hexagram is composed of the trigram Li above, i. e. , flame, which burns upward, and Tui below, i. e. , the lake, which seeps downward. These two movements are in direct contrast. Furthermore, Li is the second daughter and Tui the youngest daughter, and although they live in the same house they belong to different men; hence their wills are not the same but are divergently directed.
The Judgement for the Current Situation
Opposition. In small matters, good fortune.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
When people live in opposition and estrangement they cannot carry out a great undertaking in common; their points of view diverge too widely. In such circumstances one should above all not proceed brusquely, for that would only increase the existing opposition; instead, one should limit oneself to producing gradual effects in small matters. Here success can still be expected, because the situation is such that the opposition does not preclude all agreement. In general, opposition appears as an obstruction, but when it represents polarity within a comprehensive whole, it has also its useful and important functions. The oppositions of heaven and earth, spirit and nature, man and woman, when reconciled, bring about the creation and reproduction of life. In the world of visible things, the principle of opposites makes possible the differentiation by categories through which order is brought into the world.
The Image for the Current Situation
Above fire; below, the lake: The image of Opposition. Thus amid all fellowship The superior man retains his individuality.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
The two elements, fire and water, never mingle but even when in contact retain their own natures. So the cultured man is never led into baseness or vulgarity through intercourse or community of interests with persons of another sort; regardless of all commingling, he will always preserve his individuality.
Interpretation of the Changing Line(s)
Line 3: One sees the wagon dragged back, The oxen halted, A man's hair and nose cut off. Not a good beginning, but a good end.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
Often it seems to a man as though everything were conspiring against him. He sees himself checked and hindered in his progress, insulted and dishonored. However, he must not let himself be misled; despite this opposition, he must cleave to the man with whom he knows he belongs. Thus, notwithstanding the bad beginning, the matter will end well.
Line 6: Isolated through opposition, One sees one's companion as a pig covered with dirt, As a wagon full of devils. First one draws a bow against him, Then one lays the bow aside. He is not a robber; he will woo at the right time. As one goes, rain falls; then good fortune comes.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
Here the isolation is due to misunderstanding; it is brought about not by outer circumstances but by inner conditions. A man misjudges his best friends, taking them to be as unclean as a dirty pig in and as dangerous as a wagon full of devils. He adopts an attitude of defense. But in the end, realizing his mistake, he lays aside the bow, perceiving that the other is approaching with the best intentions for the purpose of close union. Thus the tension is relieved. The union resolves the tension, just as falling rain relieves the sultriness preceding a thunderstorm. All goes well, for just when opposition reaches its climax it changes over to its antithesis.
The Future
34. Ta Chuang - The Power of the Great Above (in front): Chên - The Arousing (Thunder) Below (behind): Ch'ien - The Creative (Heaven)
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
The great lines, that is, the light, strong lines, are powerful. Four light lines have entered the hexagram from below and are about to ascend higher. The upper trigram is Chên, the Arousing; the lower is Ch'ien, the Creative. Ch'ien is strong, Chên produces movement. The union of movement and strength gives the meaning of THE POWER OF THE GREAT. The hexagram is linked with the second month (March-April).
The Judgement for the Future
The Power of the Great. Perseverance furthers.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
The hexagram points to a time when inner worth mounts with great force and comes to power. But its strength has already passed beyond the median line, hence there is danger that one may rely entirely on one's own power and forget to ask what is right. There is danger too that, being intent on movement, we may not wait for the right time. Therefore the added statement that perseverance furthers. For that is truly great power which does not degenerate into mere force but remains inwardly united with the fundamental principles of right and of justice. When we understand this point–namely, that greatness and justice must be indissolubly united–we understand the true meaning of all that happens in heaven and on earth.
The Image for the Future
Thunder in heaven above: The image of The Power of the Great. Thus the superior man does not tread upon paths That do not accord with established order.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
Thunder–electrical energy–mounts upward in the spring. The direction of this movement is in harmony with that of the movement of heaven. It is therefore a movement in accord with heaven, producing great power. However, true greatness depends on being in harmony with what is right. Therefore in times of great power the superior man avoids doing anything that is not in harmony with the established order.
38. K'uei - Opposition
34. Ta Chuang - The Power of the Great