29. The Abysmal (Water)

The two trigrams

above

☵

Water

坎 · kǎn

flowing water: rain, the clouds, springs, streams in defiles, the moon

below

☵

Water

坎 · kǎn

flowing water: rain, the clouds, springs, streams in defiles, the moon

The Judgement

The Abysmal is the sign of water repeated: a dangerous gorge within another gorge, one danger added to another. It is no accident that this hexagram reaches you at a time when you seem to come out of one difficulty only to enter another straight away: a health problem on top of a money problem, tension in the family while work is shaky. The text, though, does not speak of defeat. It says that in the midst of danger one possesses sincerity, and that precisely through it the mind becomes penetrating: whoever is honest with themselves, faced with a hard situation, sees more clearly than someone who tells themselves lies. And it adds that action carried out in keeping with this sincerity will be of high value. Danger, in short, does not take away your ability to act well; it sharpens it. The practical advice is to behave like water, which does not fight the gorge but passes through it by flowing: do not deny the difficulty, do not panic, do not flee forward. Look at things as they are, decide one step at a time, and remain the person you are even when everything around you is uphill. That is how one gets out of the gorge, and the text lets it be understood that one does get out.

The Image

The image is that of water flowing on without interruption, and by flowing reaching its goal: this is Kan repeated. The wise person, the text says, keeps constant the virtue of the heart and the integrity of conduct, and devotes themselves to the task of teaching. In danger, constancy is worth more than heroism: continuing to do the right thing every day, without lurches and without giving way, like water that does not leap over obstacles but goes round them and fills them. If you are going through a hard period, the practical advice is to hold firm to your good habits, your given word, your gestures of care towards others, and to pass on to those near you what you are learning: whoever teaches while crossing the gorge crosses it better.

First line

The first line shows someone who, in the double gorge, moreover enters a cavern within it: there will be evil. It is the person who, in an already difficult situation, slips into an even deeper trouble, through weakness, through impulse, through lack of help. If you are at the bottom, without support, and feel tempted to answer difficulty with a desperate move, a risky loan, a lie, a break-up, be careful: that is how you sink. The advice is not to move until you have understood where you are putting your feet, and to look for someone who can help you see the way out.

Second line

The second line shows someone in all the peril of the gorge who nevertheless gets a little of what they seek. It is the strong, centred person who cannot get entirely out of the difficulty, but does not sink any deeper, and finds a little breathing space. If you are struggling with a problem that does not resolve, the advice is to content yourself, for now, with small gains: a truce, a partial agreement, one day better than the last. Do not demand complete liberation in a single stroke; accumulate small improvements and you will find yourself, without noticing, much closer to the exit.

Third line

The third line shows someone who, whether they go forward or turn back, finds a gorge before them: all is peril and unrest, and their efforts would lead them into the cavern of the pit. In such a case one should not act. It is the person who thrashes about, tries every road, goes up and down without advancing a step. If you recognise yourself in this fruitless frenzy, in a crisis with your partner, in a money problem, in a moment of confusion, the advice is blunt: stop. Not every situation is solved by moving; some are solved only by waiting for the ground to settle.

Fourth line

The fourth line shows someone who comes to a feast with only a bottle of wine and a basket of rice, and dishes of plain earthenware: and with this unadorned sincerity gets their important lessons through to the one in power, as far as that person's understanding admits. In the end there will be no error. In danger, formalities fall away and only substance counts. If you have to get a difficult message through to someone above you, the advice is to do it simply and without pretension: few means, clear words, one step at a time, without expecting to be understood all at once. Sincerity opens doors that elegance does not.

Fifth line

The fifth line shows the water of the gorge not yet full, so that it cannot yet overflow and drain away; but order will soon be restored. There will be no error. It is the position of one who is strong, in the right place, and on the eve of deliverance: not much is missing before the level rises and the danger empties by itself. If you feel the situation is about to unblock, a wait coming to an end, a case closing, a convalescence progressing, the advice is not to force the ending. Make no dramatic moves right now: let the water rise to its level and find its way, and everything will become level again.

Sixth line

The sixth line shows someone bound with cords of three strands or two strands and placed in a thicket of thorns, who in three years does not learn the course to follow: there will be evil. It is the image of someone who, having reached the height of danger, remains prisoner of their own wrong choices and cannot, even with time, understand how to get out. If you have felt trapped for a long while and keep repeating the same mistakes, be careful: the danger here is not the situation, it is the inability to learn. The advice is to ask for outside help, a professional, a wise person, someone who can show you the path you cannot see on your own.

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