45
Hexagram 45, Cui: “Gathering Together,” “Reunion.” It is about bringing people and resources together around a shared center.
The image of the hexagram
Below is the Kun trigram (earth), above is Dui (lake). A lake over earth: water collects in a hollow — people flock to one place.
General meaning
The answer is favorable if there is something to gather around. Cui describes coming together — a team, a family, a community — and stresses the need for a center: a person, a goal or a shared cause. The classic text mentions a great offering: a gathering requires expense and ritual; it will not hold together on bare enthusiasm.
In love and at work
In relationships: joining lives, shared plans, your circles getting to know each other; a good sign for a couple. At work: assemble a team, pool resources, push through a joint decision. For acting alone, the hexagram is weak.
What to do
Gather people around a clearly named goal and don’t skimp on the gathering. The center matters more than the numbers.