Hexagram 48 changing to 57: The Well to The Gentle

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: 57 The Gentle

Wind repeated: gentle, persistent penetration, which reaches where force cannot, provided it has a direction. Wind below, wind above: the gentle doubled, wind following wind. The Gentle describes influence that works by persistence rather than by force: the wind that shapes the rock over years, the idea that spreads by being repeated calmly. The tradition's judgement is modest and clear: success through what is small, it furthers to have somewhere to go, it furthers to see the great person. Gentleness needs a goal or it dissipates; it needs a leader or it wanders. The image is of commands repeated until they are understood. The reading says the situation calls for patient, unhurried, repeated influence, and it warns that gentleness without direction becomes mere yielding.

The lines that move

1. Line 6

   One draws from the well without hindrance. It is dependable. Supreme good fortune.

   The well fully open, uncovered, dependable, serving everyone without limit. The source that gives freely and is trusted. The line is the hexagram's completion and among the most fortunate in the book. Give freely and dependably; the open well is supreme good fortune.

What is changing. The situation of The Well is moving toward The Gentle. Keep the well clean and the rope long; the source is constant, the access is your work. As the change completes: Influence gently and repeatedly, toward a clear goal, under good guidance.

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: Influence by patience: the same gentle thing, said and done again, until it reaches. Not pressure, not silence. The reading favours it and asks for a direction; gentleness that does not know what it wants becomes drifting.

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: Persuasion by repetition and calm: the proposal made again, clarified, brought back. The reading supports gentle persistence toward a clear goal, and the guidance of someone senior. Force will not work here; neither will passivity.

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: Small, patient, repeated gains rather than a single stroke. Keep the objective clear and keep at it. The reading warns against gentleness so complete it has no aim.

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 can be pursued patiently and repeatedly toward a definite end. The reading favours the gradual approach over the decisive one, and it insists on knowing where you are going.