Hexagram 48 – Water over Wind – 10/2-10/7

Jing – The Well

Inadequacy – Resourcefulness – Wisdom .:. Codon Ring of Matter

Here lies The Well, which serves as a reminder to look deep within for the inexhaustible Wisdom from the source which takes Resourcefulness to cultivate. This hexagram is one of eight core keys at the heart of the hologram.

There are multiple images evoked because the gentle Wind can be interpreted both as Wind and as Wood. Wind as moving air under Water creates a spring or a fountain, with fresh clean water for all to enjoy. Wood under Water is a wooden bucket dipped deep in a well, drawing up water from below. It also evokes the image of a tree drawing water up from its deep roots.

For humanity the well is central to everyday life and survival. Many different groups gather around one well as a source of common survival. This is why the character for Jing is #. In China land was divided in this hash mark into 9 plots. Eight families each had a plot of land gathered around the 9th central plot where the well was located. The well provides sustenance for their common survival.

Civilizations rise and fall but the well stays fairly unchanged. There still exist wells which are similar to thousands of years ago, still providing life sustaining water to people. Although their customs, language, clothing, goods and pastimes have changed, the well has not.

The well is an image of the spiritual wisdom that we are all to model. To be grounded deep into the Earth, to draw life sustaining water for all who thirst, to not take anything for personal gain, only to offer steadily for the benefit of All. These are some of the many archetypes of the well.

When digging a well one must commit and dig deep enough to hit water. Obstacles will be reached, but one must have the steadiness to navigate obstacles and keep digging. It is better to commit to dig one deep well than many shallow attempts which be Inadequate. It takes Resourcefulness to dig a deep well and Wisdom to intuit where to dig in the first place.

How we draw water from the well is also important. One must be precise in the method of drawing water. The bucket should dip below the surface of the well, but not too deeply for it will stir the bottom and muddy the well. It should also not stray from the center or it will hit the walls and bring misfortune.

Similarly we are called to treat our sources of spiritual nourishment with the same reverence as the water giving well. There is plenty of water for all if one takes what they need and is careful not to muddy the well. There is also a metaphor in the quality of water in the well. The water in the base of the well is muddy, stirred up from the bottom like a mind agitated by lower desires. The rest of the water in the well is still and clean, which symbolizes a clear and still mind. The top shaft of the well is like the spirit which guides and holds space for a clear mind. The rails around the top of the well are healthy boundaries for safety and protection which is likened to the discipline necessary to maintain a clear mind. The ever-giving nature of the inexhaustible well sustains all who approach and tap the well with honor and correctness.

There are two wells which we are to develop in our lives, an outer well and an inner well. The outer well is a source of nourishment which sustains our spirits, a wisdom system such as the Gene Keys or the iChing. The inner well is your own inner Wisdom, which is an endless fount of nourishment. If we disrespect the outer well we muddy the water and receive Inadequate nourishment. By honoring the outer well with sincerity, we draw clear water which feeds all aspects of our nature, leading to a rarified and bounteous inner well.

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Deep in the pit of the human psyche lives a well without bottom, a vortex straight to the heart of the void. It is a portal to the unknown, and represents the depth of feminine wisdom that taps right into the heart of the mystery. To the mind this is terrifying, because the mind wants to know safety, security, solidity & reason. But these are all illusions that the mind tries to cast upon the world. But no one knows or is able to control what comes up through the emotional realm. This current of emotional energy is ever-changing and when we don’t trust it or our ability to ride these waves it creates the destabilizing shadow of Inadequacy. And nothing from the external world can take away Inadequacy, it is elusive and it erodes our sense of self assurance. This fear is something that the heart and the belly can stabilize, but it gnaws away at the mind. It leads to paranoia, an inkling that someone or something can take our power, and make us weak. This is why in the modern world we have created vast systems of control, safety and achievement in the external world. It is also why the masculine and its obsession with logic has persecuted the feminine paths to wisdom for millennia. Each being must eventually cease the search for wisdom outside of themselves and plunge to the inner depths to find their strength. For only when we turn toward the void within, and approach it honestly can we feel that it is not a cold and desolate place of chaos and nothingness, but a warm and loving presence of unity within all beings.

Repressive – Bland – This is the realm of sheep who would rather keep the wool pulled over their eyes. The fear of change and the unknown has them trade their self worth for a drop of illusory security. They bury their heads deeper into the sand when ever waves of change or challenge come.

Reactive – Unscrupulous – These people use fear and rage to feed the Inadequacy of others. They hide behind the structures of society and reinforce the shadows grip on the whole.

Deep in the pit of the well comes the seed of the gift, Resourcefulness. Unmet feelings fester in the pit of the stomach. They generate great anxiety, and a sense of instability, until one is ready to face their fears. Once we turn toward the depths of our own being and commit to feel the feelings that lurk there, we finally gain the unshakable inner strength to persevere through any obstacle, any shadow, any monster that may lie submerged in our primal fear. Once we experience the magic of allowing our fears to be felt fully by the heart, trust is born and we surrender to the wisdom of the water. A trust in the flow of life spawns a revolution (49) in the way our whole being moves through life. The unconscious aversions that make us feel powerless in life are seen as illusions, making mountains out of molehills. Instead, once we tap into the power to feel deeply without it rocking our boat, we recognize our immense power and intuitive clarity to navigate the dark waters in the deep well. This is the journey we must all take as our emotional body matures. This happens from 8-14 in our puberty years when our bodies and minds are changing rapidly. At this tender age, if parents allow their children to learn to trust in the wild torrents of emotion without acting them all out, the children have the opportunity to develop deep and vibrant emotional character, which will serve them for all their lives. This connection to the deepest part of ourselves will transform the world. A new way will enter the world connected to the timeless ethos of service to the whole. It will transform our personal interactions, our social systems and even effect the wide reaching economic systems, as it pivots to honor systems which serve the whole of humanity and the world.

At the highest level, the inherent wisdom beyond language and logic moves from the void and permeates ones whole being. This process dissolves the fabric of their self identity, and all that is left is the wisdom of the whole. The path of Knowledge grows and achieves, whereas Wisdom already exists in its fullness. It just doesn’t use the same means to communicate so it is often overlooked, misunderstood or persecuted. There is a great paradox in the Wisdom path. Wisdom is wise because it doesn’t seek for Wisdom, you are powerful because you don’t care about power, you are fearless because you don’t actually exist. Wisdom lives not in the mind, but deep in the physical body. There is more wisdom in the cells of your fingertip than in the whole brain. More wisdom in the spiral of a snail’s shell than in the thoughts of man. Wisdom lives in the water of all life and unifies everything beyond the illusion of separateness. The miracle of the physical world, genetics, the body and the watery nature of emotional wisdom.

Keys of the iChing .:. Jesse Chesnutt