Innocence

无妄，往吉。

Without contrivance, going forward is favorable.

Line 1 carries the first uncontrived movement. When its firm base turns yielding, the lower Thunder becomes Earth and the result is Hexagram 12, Heaven separated from Earth.

不耕穫，不菑畬，則利有攸往。

Without plowing, there is harvest; without clearing a first-year field, there is a mature field. Then proceeding is beneficial.

The traditional reading takes the agricultural image as work without calculating its reward in advance. Changing Line 2 turns lower Thunder into Lake and produces Hexagram 10, Heaven above Lake.

无妄之災，或繫之牛，行人之得，邑人之災。

An undeserved disaster: a tethered ox is taken by a passerby. The traveler gains, while the people of the settlement suffer.

At Line 3, gain and loss fall on different people without matching intention. The line turns firm, lower Thunder becomes Fire, and the result is Hexagram 13, Fire below Heaven.

可貞，无咎。

Constancy is possible. No fault.

Line 4 begins outer Heaven as a firm line. Its change opens the bottom of that trigram into Wind, producing Hexagram 42, Increase above the same inner Thunder.

无妄之疾，勿藥有喜。

An undeserved illness. Here the ancient text counsels against medicine; there is cause for joy.

An unbidden ailment reaches Line 5, the center of outer Heaven. In the traditional reading, it is not caused by wrongdoing and passes without intervention. Changing Line 5 makes Fire above Thunder, Hexagram 21. The medical phrase is a received image, not health guidance.

无妄，行有眚，无攸利。

Though free of wrongdoing, going forward brings trouble. Nothing is beneficial.

At the top line, unforced movement has gone past its span. The firm top yields, Heaven becomes Lake, and Hexagram 17 joins that Lake to Thunder as Following.