Hexagram 48 changing to 39: The Well to Obstruction

Where it starts: 48 The Well

The well that does not move while the town changes around it: the inexhaustible source, and the care it needs to reach. Wind below, water above: wood reaching down into water, the pole and bucket drawing from the well. The Well is the hexagram of the source: what nourishes everyone, stays where it is, and can be neither increased nor diminished. The tradition's judgement is that the town may be moved but the well cannot, that it neither decreases nor increases, and that if the rope is too short or the jug breaks, there is misfortune. The source is constant; the reaching is the difficulty. The reading says there is something deep and reliable here, in a person, a tradition, a practice, and asks whether you are drawing from it properly, with a clean well, a long enough rope and an unbroken jug.

Where it goes: 39 Obstruction

Water on the mountain, a dangerous ravine ahead: the obstacle is real, and the way is to turn and seek help. Mountain below, water above: a steep mountain with a treacherous stream at its top, an obstacle that cannot be walked through. Obstruction differs from Difficulty at the Beginning: this obstacle is outside you, in the terrain, and it is not passable by persistence alone. The tradition's judgement gives directions: the southwest furthers, the northeast does not, it furthers to see the great person, and persistence brings good fortune. The southwest is the open plain; the reading says to turn toward the easy ground, to seek allies and advice, and above all to turn inward and examine oneself, which the image names as the response to obstruction.

The lines that move

1. Line 2

   At the well hole one shoots fishes. The jug is broken and leaks.

   Good water used for trivial things, and the means of drawing it neglected. Talent wasted on small pursuits, tools left to break. The line is about ability squandered for lack of anyone to draw it out properly. Do not waste the source on trivia while the jug leaks; find a proper use.

What is changing. The situation of The Well is moving toward Obstruction. Keep the well clean and the rope long; the source is constant, the access is your work. As the change completes: Turn toward the open ground, seek help, and use the block to examine yourself.

love and relationships

Now: There is a deep source here, in the relationship or in one of you, and the question is whether it is being reached. Clean the well: clear the mud of old grievances. Lengthen the rope: give the time and attention it takes to draw. The source is not the problem. Then: An obstacle between you that cannot be bulldozed. Stop pushing, look at your own part in it, and bring in help or perspective from outside. The lines repeatedly favour turning back to gather allies over going forward alone.

career

Now: Something reliable and nourishing at the centre of the work, or of you. The reading asks you to maintain access to it: keep skills clear, keep the means of drawing on knowledge in good repair, and share the water. A well no one drinks from is the waste the lines describe. Then: A real block. Do not attack it head-on. Turn to easier ground, seek advice from someone experienced, and use the pause to work on yourself. The reading treats the obstruction as an occasion for growth rather than a failure.

money

Now: A steady source of income or value that does not fluctuate with the news. Maintain it, do not neglect it for something showier, and make sure the means of drawing on it are sound. The jug must not break at the top. Then: Blocked. Move toward the easier, more open option rather than the difficult one, take advice, and do not throw resources at the obstacle. Persistence is favoured, force is not.

decisions

Now: Choose the option that keeps you connected to a constant source rather than the one that moves the town. Ask whether your rope is long enough and your jug whole before you decide you are at a dry well. Then: Choose the option that goes around, not through: the open plain, not the ravine. Bring in help. If a decision can wait until you have examined your own role in the block, let it.