Traditional Reading of I Ching Hexagram 48, The Well

I Ching Hexagram 48

The hexagram 48 of the I Ching, The Well, is the reversal of the preceding one, oppression, 27, both in its form and in its meaning. The presence of Wood beneath Water depicts the nourishing process of the roots of plants. The image of a bucket in a well provides an example of just such a case in which Wood goes into Water to collect it. This is the image of a nourishing source which can give life to men, animals and plants. The difficulty here does not concern the possibility of this source, but our ability of recognizing it and accepting to deepen into something entirely different from our daily preoccupations and which is not affected by the passage of time.

Quick guide for interpretation

We can count on what is essential because it never changes.

I Ching Hexagram 47