23. Splitting Apart

The two trigrams

above

☶

The Mountain

艮 · gèn

a hill or mountain

below

☷

Earth

坤 · kūn

the earth

The Judgement

Splitting Apart is the hexagram of a moment when things are crumbling from below: five yielding lines have pushed the only remaining firm line upward, like late autumn that has by now used up the beauty of summer. The text is blunt: it is not advantageous to move in any direction whatever. If these days you feel the ground giving way beneath your feet, that at the office people of worth are leaving one after another, that in a relationship trust is wearing away bit by bit, that money goes out faster than it comes in, this hexagram does not promise you an immediate solution. It does tell you something important: the force working against you right now is bigger than you, and confronting it head-on would mean wasting your last energies. The season, however, passes. The practical advice is to wait without being swept away: do not sign, do not invest, do not throw yourself into confrontations, do not make final decisions while everything is shifting. Protect the essentials, your health, the real bonds, the little you have set aside, and let the cycle run its course. Whoever stays firm and quiet while others crumble will be the only one still standing when the change comes, and come it will.

The Image

The image is that of the mountain resting on the earth: it looks high and solid, but all its weight rests on what lies beneath. If the earth is thick, the mountain keeps its height; if it gives way, the mountain collapses. Those above, the text says, seek to strengthen those below them to secure the peace and stability of their own position. If you carry responsibility, in a company, in a family, in a group, do not neglect the foundations: the people who work for you, those who support you every day, those who make no noise. The practical advice is to invest now in the wellbeing of those at the base, with listening, recognition and fair conditions: it is the only real insurance against splitting apart.

First line

The first line shows someone overturning the couch by starting with its legs: the attack begins from below, from what is least visible, and aims at the destruction of all firmness. There will be evil. It is the signal of the first give-way: a small dishonesty tolerated, a rumour left to circulate, spending out of control, a habit that eats into your health. Be careful: whoever wants to undermine your stability always starts where you are not looking. The advice is to take the small signs seriously and not to dismiss them as nothing.

Second line

The second line shows someone overturning the couch by reaching its frame: the damage has climbed from the legs to the frame, and still aims at the destruction of all firmness. There will be evil. The commentary adds a detail that explains a lot: the one under attack has no allies yet. If you feel the situation getting worse and no one standing beside you, this is not the time to fight alone. The practical advice is to seek support before the damage reaches the heart of things: an adviser, a relative, a trusted colleague, someone to share the weight with.

Third line

The third line shows someone among the overthrowers who nevertheless commits no error. It is the person who, by position, by environment, by circumstance, is on the wrong side, and yet has a bond with the one above and remains faithful to them. If you find yourself in a group rowing against a just person, an ostracised colleague, a relative pushed into a corner, a principle everyone betrays, the advice is not to be dragged along by the pack. You can keep your place without sharing in the ruin the others are preparing: loyalty, even silent, saves you.

Fourth line

The fourth line shows the couch already overturned and the damage reaching the one who lay upon it: the danger is no longer to the structure, but to the person. There will be evil. It is the moment when a situation that was falling apart touches you directly: your position, your health, your name. There is no more time to dwell on the causes: calamity is very close at hand. The advice is to think only of protecting what truly matters, not to expose yourself further, and not to react with rash gestures that would give others the excuse to finish the job.

Fifth line

The fifth line changes register: it shows someone leading the others like a string of fishes threaded one behind the other, and obtaining for them the favour that falls to those who live in the palace. Advantage in every direction. It is the person who, though belonging to the group that was doing the splitting, chooses to bring it back towards the one above, with loyalty and without jealousy. If you have influence over those around you, colleagues, siblings, friends, the advice is to use it to reunite rather than to divide: bring them with you to the side of what is right, and all will benefit.

Sixth line

The sixth line shows a great fruit left on the tree, uneaten: the person of worth finds the people again as a chariot carrying them, while the small men, by their own course, overthrow their own dwellings. It is the end of Splitting Apart, and it already holds the seed of return: whoever has held out without compromising survives and regains vigour, whoever worked at the ruin ends up without a roof. If you have come through a period of losses while keeping faith with yourself, this line tells you your time is about to return. The advice is to stay whole a little longer: the intact fruit is the one that will give the seeds.

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