Lake above – Water below
The Chinese name of this hexagram is Kun which means hardship, difficult situations, poverty, exhaustion. Other titles for this hexagram are: Oppression, Adversity, Confined. Kun carries teachings about times when real oppression comes into our lives through outside forces. We may be prey to self-defeating or self-indulgent thoughts, most especially when exhausted. As one struggles, perhaps tired, lacking what is needed, or similarly oppressed by circumstances, the ancient diviners tend to point out that a gloomy outlook does not help and tends to make things worse.
Breaking down the symbolism of the 3-line trigrams helps with understanding the ancient teachings:
When trigram Water is below (the bottom 3 lines in image below right), it references the inner realm of the person or situation. Water is always adapting because it has no form of its own and it retains its individualistic journey of flowing wherever gravity and openings allow it to. Since Water’s natural flow in downward, the energy to meet with others and communicate is not able to move upward and outward. There is no way to reach up to Lake for assistance. Rather, the energy is flowing downward, confining it within the inner realm of you or the situation, to be dealt with at that level.
Trigram Lake is on top of trigram Water as seen in the top 3 lines of the hexagram image (below right). Lake represents joyous exchange and communications with others. Lake is also known as Marsh, symbolic of a defined space where people meet to have times of interchange. Lake, being water, drains downward (which empties the lake dry because a lake has defined border and is therefore finite). Water drains away, one’s energy is exhausted and their mood is low.
The ancient ideograph is on the left portion of the image below. An image of a tree is within an image of an open mouth, signifying an enclosure. The Lake has dried up and Wood (tree) being confined without water gets exhausted.
In summary: It is easy to lay aside joy and want to give up when circumstances are difficult and confining. The ancient voices remind us that anything can be a confining situation, having too much may be as exhausting as having too little. When the Lake has been drained, you can no longer take action to hold on to joy or fulfillment from things which are outside of yourself. Having Water as the inner circumstance means, although you are temporarily confined to depending on your own resources, there is an opportunity to access a limitless supply of creativity. Success in moving through what is described by this hexagram lies in sustaining oneself, looking for solutions, adapting to the present circumstances and continuing with what you are called to do despite outer circumstances.
Following are a few ideas for interpretations of each line:
Line 1 – In a case where you seem to be stuck in gloom and clearly nothing can move or grow, it isn’t helpful to insist nothing is wrong or to give in to despair. Some of the oppression may be self-inflicted or illusions. One may gain wisdom or enlightenment by facing the truth of the situation.
Line 2 – It does not matter how little or much you have in the material realm; depression can set in with just as much reality. Sacrifice (meaning to “make sacred”) may be asked for at this point as you give up false dependencies and take whatever positive actions you can while you wait for something better.
Line 3 – It is possible that ego, illusion or indulgence has misled you within the current situation, making continuing this path untenable. You need to return to your own home, your true self, your own path for security and support.
Line 4 – Even though this situation is difficult, there is an end in sight. Your progress may be slowed by factors such as self-indulgence, but it is better than no progress at all.
Line 5 – In a time of hardship, it may seem your spirit is broken by those around you or other forces you cannot identify. Go back to your intuition or spiritual connection and allow ego-filled needs to drop away. The situation may not change immediately, but by gently moving toward the way out, it can at least be accomplished on your own terms.
Line 6 – Although there may be discomfort, leaving your situation may not seem possible. If it is within your mind that this is true, then it becomes your truth. Open yourself to the possibility that there is something which could be changed. Perhaps some illusion or belief that traps you in past pain needs to be released. You may find freedom in meeting someone halfway.