Your current situation can be depicted as "Retreat" transforming into "Before Completion".
In front of you lies "Heaven" which transforms into "Fire". That means that strength and creativity are being transformed into brightness and warmth. Behind you lies "Mountain" which transforms into "Water". That means that stillness and obstruction are being transformed into danger and the unknown.
The Situation
33. Tun - Retreat Above (in front): Ch'ien - The Creative (Heaven) Below (behind): Kên - Keeping Still (Mountain)
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
The power of the dark is ascending. The light retreats to security, so that the dark cannot encroach upon it. This retreat is a matter not of man's will but of natural law. Therefore in this case withdrawal is proper; it is the correct way to behave in order not to exhaust one's forces. In the calendar this hexagram is linked with the sixth month (July-August), in which the forces of winter are already showing their influence.
The Judgement for the Current Situation
Retreat. Success. In what is small, perseverance furthers.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
Conditions are such that the hostile forces favored by the time are advancing. In this case retreat is the right course, and it is not to be confused with flight. Flight means saving oneself under any circumstances, whereas retreat is a sign of strength. We must be careful not to miss the right moment while we are in full possession of power and position. Then we shall be able to interpret the signs of the time before it is too late and to prepare for provisional retreat instead of being drawn into a desperate life-and-death struggle. Thus we do not simply abandon the field to the opponent; we make it difficult for him to advance by showing perseverance in single acts of resistance. In this way we prepare, while retreating, for the counter-movement. Understanding the laws of a constructive retreat of this sort is not easy. The meaning that lies hidden in such a time is important.
The Image for the Current Situation
Mountain under heaven: the image of Retreat. Thus the superior man keeps the inferior man at a distance, Not angrily but with reserve.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
The mountain rises up under heaven, but owing to its nature it finally comes to a stop. Heaven on the other hand retreats upward before it into the distance and remains out of reach. This symbolizes the behavior of the superior man toward a climbing inferior; he retreats into his own thoughts as the inferior man comes forward. He does not hate him, for hatred is a form of subjective involvement by which we are bound to the hated object. The superior man shows strength (heaven) in that he brings the inferior man to a standstill (mountain) by his dignified reserve.
Interpretation of the Changing Line(s)
Line 2: He holds him fast with yellow oxhide. No one can tear him loose.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
Yellow is the color of the middle. It indicates that which is correct and in line with duty. Oxhide is strong and not to be torn. While the superior men retreat and the inferior press after them, the inferior man represented here holds on so firmly and tightly to the superior man that the latter cannot shake him off. And because he is in quest of what is right and so strong in purpose, he reaches his goal. Thus the line confirms what is said in the Judgment: "In what is small"–here equivalent to "in the inferior man"–"perseverance furthers. "
Line 3: A halted retreat Is nerve-wracking and dangerous. To retain people as men- and maidservants Brings good fortune.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
When it is time to retreat it is both unpleasant and dangerous to be held back, because then one no longer has freedom of action. In such a case the only expedient is to take into one's service, so to speak, those who refuse to let one go, so that one may at least keep one's initiative and not fall helplessly under their domination. But even with this expedient the situation is far from satisfactory–for what can one hope to accomplish with such servants?
Line 5: Friendly retreat. Perseverance brings good fortune.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
It is the business of the superior man to recognize in time that the moment for retreat has come. If the right moment is chosen, the retreat can be carried out within the forms of perfect friendliness, without the necessity of disagreeable discussions. Yet, for all the observance of amenities, absolute firmness of decision is necessary if one is not to be led astray by irrelevant considerations.
The Future
64. Wei Chi - Before Completion Above (in front): Li - The Clinging (Fire) Below (behind): K'an - The Abysmal (Water)
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
This hexagram indicates a time when the transition from disorder to order is not yet completed. The change is indeed prepared for, since all the lines in the upper trigram are in relation to those in the lower. However, they are not yet in their places. While the preceding hexagram offers an analogy to autumn, which forms the transition from summer to winter, this hexagram presents a parallel to spring, which leads out of winter's stagnation into the fruitful time of summer. With this hopeful outlook the Book of Changes come to its close.
The Judgement for the Future
Before Completion. Success. But if the little fox, after nearly completing the crossing, Gets his tail in the water, There is nothing that would further.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
The conditions are difficult. The task is great and full of responsibility. It is nothing less than that of leading the world out of confusion back to order. But it is a task that promises success, because there is a goal that can unite the forces now tending in different directions. At first, however, one must move warily, like an old fox walking over ice. The caution of a fox walking over ice is proverbial in China. His ears are constantly alert to the cracking of the ice, as he carefully and circumspectly searches out the safest spots. A young fox who as yet has not acquired this caution goes ahead boldly, and it may happen that he falls in and gets his tail wet when he is almost across the water. Then of course his effort has been all in vain. Accordingly, in times "before completion," deliberation and caution are the prerequisites of success.
The Image for the Future
Fire over water: The image of the condition before transition. Thus the superior man is careful In the differentiation of things, So that each finds its place.
Comment by Richard Wilhelm:
When fire, which by nature flames upward, is above, and water, which flows downward, is below, their effects take opposite directions and remain unrelated. If we wish to achieve an effect, we must first investigate the nature of the forces in question and ascertain their proper place. If we can bring these forces to bear in the right place, they will have the desired effect and completion will be achieved. But in order to handle external forces properly, we must above all arrive at the correct standpoint ourselves, for only from this vantage can we work correctly.
33. Tun - Retreat
64. Wei Chi - Before Completion