Hexagram 25 of 64
無妄
Innocence
Wú Wàng
Upper Trigram
乾
Heaven
Creative, Strong
Sky · Father
Lower Trigram
震
Thunder
Arousing, Movement
Thunder · Eldest Son
The Judgment
Innocence. Supreme success. Perseverance furthers. If someone is not as they should be, they have misfortune, and it does not further them to undertake anything.
Innocence is alignment with heaven — acting from the deepest truth of one's nature without calculation or ulterior motive. Where genuine innocence guides, all things prosper. Where it is absent, even good actions fail.
The Image
Under heaven, thunder rolls — all things attain the natural state of Innocence. Thus the kings of old, rich in virtue and in harmony with the time, fostered and nourished all beings.
Thunder announces heaven's creative decree. Nurturing all life in alignment with that decree is the sovereign's highest calling.
The Six Lines
Line 1
Innocent behavior brings good fortune.
Pure, uncontived action aligned with one's deepest nature invites nothing but good.
Line 2
If one does not count on the harvest while plowing, nor on the use of the ground while clearing it — it furthers to undertake something.
Act for the sake of right action, not outcome. This is the paradox at the heart of innocence: do the work without attachment to the fruit.
Line 3
Undeserved misfortune. The cow that was tethered by someone is the wandering man's gain and the citizen's loss.
Sometimes the innocent suffer through no fault of their own. This is the nature of reality. It does not mean the universe is unjust.
Line 4
If a man can be persevering, misfortune does not come to him.
Holding to inner truth with consistency insulates one from the vicissitudes of external fortune.
Line 5
Use no medicine in an illness incurred through no fault of your own. It will pass of itself.
Not all suffering requires intervention. Sometimes the wisest response is patience and trust in natural recovery.
Line 6
Innocent action brings misfortune. Nothing furthers.
When the time itself is wrong, even innocent action can lead to harm. Reading the moment correctly is part of true innocence.
For contemplation and self-reflection only. Not a substitute for professional advice.