Hexagram Twenty Nine
K’an (Pro: Cun; as in Cunningham) – Without Form
You may walk upon the water while the ice is on the river. But when the ice melts the pathway has no form. With awareness you can endure the absence of known pathways until the trackless becomes familiar.
Thus you create a path upon the featureless terrain of the new, the dangerous, the unexplored and ever shifting. Let the light from the flame of your mind, beyond thoughts, be the guide now, as it has in the past.
There are many dangers in a trackless ocean if you are without skill or a compass. But for those with both, adventure and fortune lies in facing and traversing the unfathomable seas of life.
Meeting the unknown then becomes a way of life. In the trackless, one needs to return to the simple and great truths of life left us by sages, or uncovered in our own search for the truth that has no form.
Water is a great teacher regarding this. It flows on despite the terrain, filling depressions, passing over rocks, falling great heights, all without changing its innate nature. So the changeless in us can meet all change.
Key words: The trackless ocean of life appears known because we imagine latitude and longitude. Take courage to traverse the waters. Fear and doubt are the greatest dangers.
The Moving Lines.
1.In a trackless way you are always lost unless you have supreme confidence and are centred upon what lies behind change. Now you have stumbled into a pit – a situation hard to get out of.
2.Being trapped or endangered, small successes are the way out of the pit. No good comes from scrabbling to get free. Make one move at a time and test it.
3.The problem is acute. As if caught in a spider’s web, every move only accentuates the danger. When so utterly helpless, now is the time to ask for help from others, or be still and watch for opportunity.
4.The situation is difficult. There appears no way out. Do not stand on ceremony in seeking mutual aid in danger. Accept humble help from others.
5.The difficulty is not overwhelming. Doing only what is necessary is sufficient. Effort can only deepen the problem. Learn to be still. The situation will not worsen.
6. Through becoming entangled in this situation you are now rendered helpless for an extended period. Wait it out and learn from it in the freedom you eventually attain.