Kan :: Pit

Bound captives: repeated entrapment :: Taking appropriate action brings growth

坎

䷜

6 :: first

Falling into a pit. Entrapment. Disaster.

You are trapped and cannot escape by your own efforts. This line represents the bottom of a very deep and dark pit.

9 :: second

Deep pit. Seek only small gains.

The situation is restricted to very limited progress. It is important to calm down, reassess the situation, and be realistic. There may be a way out of the trap you are in, but a realistic assessment is required.

6 :: third

Hitting the bottom of a deep pit. Steep sides. Entrapment. Abysmal.

You are struggling against immeasurable odds. Escape efforts only dig you in deeper. You must stop struggling in order to understand your situation. Don't make circumstances worse than they already are.

9 :: fourth

A _zun_ and _gui¹_ vessel. Offered through a window. No harm.

There is a chance to survive; you may even be released. You will be vindicated if you hold to your principles. You are entrapped (in a cell or pit), but given fair treatment by your captors -- there is hope for a peace treaty.

9 :: fifth

The pit is not filled. Insufficient soil. No harm.

You are released from extreme limitations but not at all safe. There is still no security.

6 :: top

Bound by thick black cords. Surrounded by thorns. Three-year imprisonment.

You missed the chance to be free and then lose all your resources. Compromise is no longer possible. The prison you are in is built of your own struggle.

Image

Kan is a pit used on Zhou battlefields to imprison defeated enemies who refused to surrender. Kan is a double entrapment-one is the actual external cell, the other is an uncompromising righteousness. The suffering in this situation is created by a very bitter combination of misfortune and belligerence, hopelessness and idealism. At best, Kan is how repeated adversity contains an opportunity to have a true look into your own heart.

Kan is also associated with the winter solstice, the darkest day of the year.

Auspices

You are repeatedly trapped and struggling. You must stoically accept restraint.

If you accept that you are in a sinkhole, find the message in it, and develop patience; things go well.

Good for profound personal growth, self-reflection, and solitary retreat.

Bad for making your case, productivity, and getting your way.

Comment

Kan is about being in an abyss -- isolated due to idealistic principles and a loss of personal freedom. It is about bad situations that are made worse by overreact-ing. Sometimes life just makes us "eat bitter." The advice here is to chew well.

Things change, winners become losers and losers become winners. According to the Zhouyi power always lies with those who can adapt to change. When Kan is divined, you must summon your innermost power and make a profoundly practical and spiritually dynamic move.

Let go and make your prison cell into your hermitage.

Other Correspondences

Business: Quitting your job, closing shop, and selling your business.

Disharmonies: Kidney failure, heart failure, blindness, and nervous breakdown.

Prognosis: Poor. The patient will be long-suffering and reject treatment. There is both a strong likelihood of fatality and a marginal chance of miraculous recovery.