My recent dive into I Ching 29, Kǎn
Alright, let’s talk about my experience with I Ching hexagram 29, Kǎn, the Abysmal, or just Water doubled up. I decided to consult the I Ching a few days back because I felt like I was walking in circles, hitting the same snag over and over again in a project. Just felt stuck, you know? Like being in a bit of a rut, maybe even a dangerous spot if I didn’t pay attention.
So, I got out my coins, did the throws, the whole ritual. I find focusing on the process helps clear my head. When I worked out the hexagram and saw it was 29, Kǎn, my immediate gut reaction was a little bit of dread. This one’s known for representing danger, pitfalls, deep water. Not exactly the easy-breezy answer I might have hoped for!
First thing I did was just sit with that feeling for a bit. Okay, danger. Pitfall. Deep water. What does that actually feel like in my current situation? I didn’t jump straight into complex interpretations. I tried to connect the imagery to my project problem. Where was the ‘deep water’? Where was the potential ‘pitfall’?
Then, I grabbed the book I usually use – nothing fancy, just one I’m comfortable with – and read through the core meaning and the line texts associated with Kǎn. The recurring theme seemed to be about navigating danger, not necessarily avoiding it altogether. It talked about sincerity, about repetition, about learning through practice.
Here’s what I started doing based on that:
- I stopped trying to find a quick fix or a way around the problem. The hexagram felt like it was telling me I had to go through it, carefully.
- I focused on being really honest, sincere as the text suggests, about what the actual block was. No more glossing over the difficult parts.
- I thought about the ‘repetition’ aspect. Kǎn is water doubled. It suggests learning through repeated experience, like practicing something until it becomes second nature. So, I decided to break down the tricky part of the project into smaller bits and just work through them methodically, step-by-step, even if it felt repetitive.
- The imagery of water flowing also stuck with me. It finds its way, adapts, keeps moving. So I tried to adopt a bit more of a flexible mindset instead of being rigid about how things should go.
It wasn’t about a sudden epiphany. It was more about shifting my approach. Instead of fighting the ‘danger’ or the difficulty, I tried to learn how to operate within it. Like learning to swim in deep water rather than just wishing you were on dry land.
So, where am I now? Well, the project hurdle isn’t completely gone, but I’m making progress. It feels less like hitting a brick wall and more like navigating a tricky current. I’m definitely being more careful, more deliberate. The key thing I took away was that dealing with Kǎn, for me, was about consistent effort and honesty within the challenging situation itself. It’s about getting used to the depths, learning the flow, and keeping your head above water through practice and sincerity. It’s a tough one, for sure, but the process felt grounding in its own way.
