ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author explores the processes of change and balance as reflected in the hexagrams for the contemporary reader. The Mountain and the Abyss: these are the obstructions confronting us. In addition, the image of water on the mountain reminds us of the way cloud and mist can shroud high peaks, lifting or dropping without warning, giving us a brief glimpse of the path or our location and then plunging us again into a world of vapour and illusion. The mountain and the abyss represent substantial challenges or hurdles; they are neither imaginary nor superficial. Every journey is a pilgrimage of sorts, the experience, challenges and meaning of which will be personal and individual. Personal drives or desires can threaten to overwhelm the sense of a shared undertaking that can only thrive when each person is allowed to contribute out of their own gifts.
