Your current situation can be depicted as "Oppression (Exhaustion)" transforming into "Treading (Conduct)".
In front of you lies "Lake" which transforms into "Heaven". That means that joy, pleasure, and attraction are being transformed into strength and creativity. Behind you lies "Water" which transforms into "Lake". That means that danger and the unknown are being transformed into joy, pleasure, and attraction.
The Situation
47. K'un - Oppression (Exhaustion) Above (in front): Tui - The Joyous (Lake) Below (behind): K'an - The Abysmal (Water)
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
The lake is above, water below; the lake is empty, dried up. Exhaustion is expressed in yet another way: at the top, a dark line is holding down two light lines; below, a light line is hemmed in between two dark ones. The upper trigram belongs to the principle of darkness, the lower to the principle of light. Thus everywhere superior men are oppressed and held in restraint by inferior men.
The Judgement for the Current Situation
Oppression. Success. Perseverance. The great man brings about good fortune. No blame. When one has something to say, It is not believed.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
Times of adversity are the reverse of times of success, but they can lead to success if they befall the right man. When a strong man meets with adversity, he remains cheerful despite all danger, and this cheerfulness is the source of later successes; it is that stability which is stronger than fate. He who lets his spirit be broken by exhaustion certainly has no success. But if adversity only bends a man, it creates in him a power to react that is bound in time to manifest itself. No inferior man is capable of this. Only the great man brings about good fortune and remains blameless. It is true that for the time being outward influence is denied him, because his words have no effect. Therefore in times of adversity it is important to be strong within and sparing of words.
The Image for the Current Situation
There is no water in the lake: The image of Exhaustion. Thus the superior man stakes his life On following his will.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
When the water has flowed out below, the lake must dry up and become exhausted. That is fate. This symbolizes an adverse fate in human life. In such times there is nothing a man can do but acquiesce in his fate and remain true to himself. This concerns the deepest stratum of his being, for this alone is superior to all external fate.
Interpretation of the Changing Line(s)
Line 1: One sits oppressed under a bare tree And strays into a gloomy valley. For three years one sees nothing.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
When adversity befalls a man, it is important above all things for him to be strong and to overcome the trouble inwardly. If he is weak, the trouble overwhelms him. Instead of proceeding on his way, he remains sitting under a bare tree and falls ever more deeply into gloom and melancholy. This makes the situation only more and more hopeless. Such an attitude comes from an inner delusion that he must by all means overcome.
Line 6: He is oppressed by creeping vines. He moves uncertainly and says, "Movement brings remorse." If one feels remorse over this and makes a start, Good fortune comes.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
A man is oppressed by bonds that can easily be broken. The distress is drawing to an end. But he is still irresolute; he is still influenced by the previous condition and fears that he may have cause for regret if he makes a move. But as soon as he grasps the situation, changes this mental attitude, and makes a firm decision, he masters the oppression.
The Future
10. Lu - Treading (Conduct) Above (in front): Ch'ien - The Creative (Heaven) Below (behind): Tui - The Joyous (Lake)
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
The name of the hexagram means on the one hand the right way of conducting oneself. Heaven, the father, is above, and the lake, the youngest daughter, is below. This shows the difference between high and low, upon which composure, correct social conduct, depends. On the other hand the word for the name of the hexagram, TREADING, means literally treading upon something. The small and cheerful [Tui] treads upon the large and strong [Ch'ien]. The direction of movement of the two primary trigrams is upward. The fact that the strong treads on the weak is not mentioned in the Book of Changes, because it is taken for granted. For the weak to take a stand against the strong is not dangerous here, because it happened in good humor [Tui] and without presumption, so that the strong man is not irritated but takes it all in good part.
The Judgement for the Future
Treading. Treading upon the tail of the tiger. It does not bite the man. Success.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
The situation is really difficult. That which is strongest and that which is weakest are close together. The weak follows behind the strong and worries it. The strong, however, acquiesces and does not hurt the weak, because the contact is in good humor and harmless. In terms of a human situation, one is handling wild, intractable people. In such a case one's purpose will be achieved if one behaves with decorum. Pleasant manners succeed even with irritable people.
The Image for the Future
Heaven above, the lake below: The image of Treading. Thus the superior man discriminates between high and low, And thereby fortifies the thinking of the people.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
Heaven and the lake show a difference of elevation that inheres in the natures of the two, hence no envy arises. Among mankind also there are necessarily differences of elevation; it is impossible to bring about universal equality. But it is important that differences in social rank should not be arbitrary and unjust, for if this occurs, envy and class struggle are the inevitable consequences. If, on the other hand, external differences in rank correspond with differences in inner worth, and if inner worth forms the criterion of external rank, people acquiesce and order reigns in society.
47. K'un - Oppression (Exhaustion)
10. Lu - Treading (Conduct)