ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author explores the processes of change and balance as reflected in the hexagrams for the contemporary reader. Kan represents water in its boundless flowing state, while Tui stands for water in its gathered and limited form, the Lake. The nature of Kan – its inherent tendency – is to sink, to become groundwater; thus, it will fill the Lake. The nuclear trigrams also reflect this focus: while the limitless and ever-renewing energy of Chen, the Arousing, surges upwards, Ken, the sign of Keeping Still, remains quietly in place, as does the Mountain that Ken symbolizes, and serves to limit Chen's primal energy. The Chinese have always needed to find ways to manage their vast country and its widely dispersed population. All activities –social, agricultural or ritual–were highly regulated; there was 'a time for everything' and culture flourished.
