The Power of 4th Lines
The 4th line is the second floor of the house in the hexagram structure as we move from the Personal to the Transpersonal. If the first line sets the foundation, the 4th line externalizes it and tells the world. It doesn’t mean they’ve necessarily investigated it for themselves — they know how to deliver it. They know how to get it across.
The power of the 4th line is in their ability to communicate and spread information to others, specifically those that they know. They are the Original Influencers™; you can’t help but be infected by them if they’re on your fractal (by the way, that can literally be spreading viruses or disease). They truly have the power to transform others through personal interaction.
4th lines are incredibly fixed on their specific thing. But they can be broken — and being broken is not a good thing for them. Not in the way 3rd lines are designed to be broken again and again. When the 4th line continuously meets resistance from others, when they are constantly challenged on their fixedness, they will abdicate. It’s just too exhausting. Because if they cannot influence you, they cannot fulfil their role!
They are not here to adapt to the other. Externalization is a one-way street. They are here to move down that singular fixed track with whatever their thing is. But the secret is you can allow them to influence you even if you don’t agree them. That is how you maintain the bond with a 4th line.
People is their bread and butter, thus trust is paramount to their relationships. They bond through being your confidante or not, sharing all kinds of secrets with each other they could never tell a stranger. Friendship is the baseline for any 4th line connection — it could always shift into an opportunity which benefits both parties, whether that’s work, love, or otherwise. But it comes through friendliness first. Meanness, by the way, is the counter expression of 4th line kindness, which can switch on by default when their trust is broken.
Being an opportunist means being resourceful. The more connections they have in their network and sphere of influence, the more access to resources they have. Losing a connection can be traumatic for the 4th line — above all else, it wants stability in its network and friends. Without this solid safety net, the 4th line can feel very vulnerable (and is).
The power of the 4th line is to be rigid in their uniqueness. Rigidity is not a bad thing. It is incredibly solid and compelling — they are the Prophets after all, they can carry the mystery of God to those who want to hear about it. But they have to want to hear about it. Advice from a 4th line is priceless when correct for both people.
Investing in the right people as a 4th line is a major theme for their life. Otherwise, burnout and fatigue become unavoidable. Discernment is thus their learning ground. They need those people who are open to being influenced by them. Then their mutation can be carried far and wide. At least as far as their network extends.