ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author explores the processes of change and balance as reflected in the hexagrams for the contemporary reader. The Well is one of the most important and challenging of the hexagrams in the I Ching. The Well and its water outlive any one individual or generation; for this reason it is an apt symbol for the Tao, but the Tao, the Way, lies beyond any symbol or explanation. We can grasp facets of it from the image, but they can only be hints. The I Ching is one such 'well' and there are many others, but they are just the 'bricks and mortar' that we employ to contain a portion of that which is ultimately uncontainable. The bucket is the vessel we use to draw an even smaller portion up to nourish ourselves and others; it may be a symbol of consciousness, of intention, of desire.
