17. Following
Following is hexagram 17 of the 64 in the I Ching, also known as the Book of Changes (in Chinese Suí, 隨).
To follow without testing is to wear another's direction as your own fate.
Core image
This hexagram is about following, joining, going along with something that is already in motion. That can be good and necessary. Not everyone has to lead all the time. But following here is no automatic virtue. The question is always: what receives your assent, and why?
Tension
The tension lies in the relation between suppleness and judgment. Whoever can never follow stays caught in themselves. Whoever follows too quickly loses their axis. This hexagram seeks no stubborn autonomy, but an obedience that is worthy of its object.
Distortion
Following distorts when one would rather move along than examine. Then adapting becomes a kind of laziness. One lets oneself be led by nearness, mood, or advantage, and then calls that openness.
Stance
Follow only what still gives direction after examination. Let yourself be made supple, but not soft. Good following guards your inside better than bad leadership ever can. Whoever follows rightly need not lose themselves.
Closing line
Sometimes only later does it show whether you walked with a direction or with a weight.
Plain-language entrances.
Derived addresses for this hexagram. They help search and recognition, but do not change the source meaning.
hexagram 17 volgen en afstemmen
Hexagram 17 gaat over volgen: afstemmen op wat werkelijk leiding geeft zonder jezelf kwijt te raken.
Changing lines of hexagram 17
- Line 1. At the start the choice is still open. What you follow now sets the tone for what is later hard to undo. So do not begin your assent lightly.
- Line 2. This line shows a following that is too small. One lets oneself be led by what is near, pleasant, or directly available. The larger track is lost from sight as a result.
- Line 3. Here a better following can be found, but only if the lesser is let go. You cannot take everything with you. Sometimes a truer track asks for a clear break.
- Line 4. At this point influence grows large, and with it the danger. Whoever is followed must test all the harder what they themselves follow. Otherwise authority grows on an empty core.
- Line 5. Here following coincides with trust in something truly good. That makes this line clear. No fawning is needed where the direction already proves itself.
- Line 6. When following becomes complete, it takes on something of binding. That can be strong, but also heavy. This line asks for loyalty that stays free, not for a tie that smothers.
Related hexagrams
Frequently asked questions about hexagram 17
What does hexagram 17, Following, mean in the I Ching?
To follow without testing is to wear another's direction as your own fate. This hexagram is about following, joining, going along with something that is already in motion. That can be good and necessary. Not everyone has to lead all the time. But following here is no automatic virtue. The question is always: what receives your assent, and why?
What does hexagram 17 (Following) ask of you?
The tension lies in the relation between suppleness and judgment. Whoever can never follow stays caught in themselves. Whoever follows too quickly loses their axis. This hexagram seeks no stubborn autonomy, but an obedience that is worthy of its object.
Read what is in motion in your situation.
A hexagram only takes on meaning in relation to your own question. Ask one and read what appears.