24 Returning - The I Ching
Chris Gabriel April 18, 2026
Judgement
Going in and out untroubled, friends come. He goes his own way, and returns after seven days.
Lines
1
Returning from nearby.
2
Returning to rest.
3
Returning and turning.
4
Returning alone on the middle path.
5
Returning the favour.
6
Missing the turn.
If you use the army on this path there will be a great defeat.
Even the King will suffer. After ten years you still won’t be forgiven.
Qabalah
Gevurah to Binah: The Path of Cheth. The Chariot.
This hexagram shows us light returning after a period of darkness; the crack of dawn and the coming of spring: The turning point. We can see it depicted in the hexagram itself, where the single light yang at the bottom breaks into the five dark yin lines. Thunder under the Earth is the natural energy which drives plants forth out of the darkness of the Earth, thus the Spring. The ideogram shows us walking in the manner of the sun, or in the matter of folded fabric - both images of repetition. No matter how dark a time or difficult a journey, the turning point comes and things change.
Judgement: Here we see the repetitive cycle shared with friends, going to the same places, even when one strays for a time, they return.
1 After only a brief darkness, returning to light. This is like making a wrong turn but catching yourself before you go too far in the wrong direction,
2 Returning to rest is going back to sleep, keeping things in place for a time: to recover and restore one's energy.
3 This is going a long distance, reaching your destination, returning home again, then doing this again and again. While the previous line was a restful return, this is a restless return. This is a long commute, or an unprepared journey. A difficult but often unavoidable situation.
4 When you are in the wrong place among the wrong people it is good to return home alone.
5 When we go on a profitable venture it is good to return home with gifts for those who helped us make the journey.
6 The timing of a return is extremely important, if we miss certain turns, we can add hours to a journey. In war, if one acts at the wrong time, they ensure they will be defeated.
While the Sun knows exactly when to return, humans do not. We constantly make mistakes that could have been solved if we only knew when to stop and when to go. With the hexagram being connected to the tarot card of the Chariot, the lines strongly call to mind driving a car. All drivers have experienced each of the situations depicted here.
When we look to the opposite hexagram on the path of Cheth, that of Excitement, we see the driving force behind the initial journey out. In excitement we can thrust ourselves into a journey, only to find ourselves far from home, and needing to turn around.
The images here are simple and mundane, but we can understand the higher meaning as “Seeing the Light”. Even after a life of sin, we can turn our lives around, not just our cars. This is a moment of “enlightenment” which will set us in a radical new direction. This is Saul on the road to Damascus blinded by the light of Christ, who converts on the spot, ending his persecution of Christians.
Therefore, let us have the wisdom to see our path clearly, and know when we have strayed from it. To know when it’s time to turn around and return.
