Hexagram The Well - 48.3.5 - 7 (twice) & 48.5 - 46

[Pure_Heart]

This is an ongoing situation that I have referenced previously in terms of the context to my questions, however it feels to me (and appears within my readings) that a change may be on the horizon.

I have received 48 on three occasions over the last two days, to carefully worded and pertinent questions regarding this situation. I have researched the threads and still can’t put my finger on what message I Ching is conveying and therefore would like to receive the objective thoughts and opinions of others please

Context - A complicated romantic relationship that ended 18 months ago - nothing inherently wrong at the time although X has some very dire past personal hurt with love and relationships - X ended things with no real explanation, now there hasn’t been any direct communication between us for 10 months and I am blocked everywhere electronically - no major argument or fight - I was loving and kind throughout, and showed that I was open to communication and that I wanted to maintain that between us.

Q1 - please describe the potential of a romantic relationship between myself and her
*note I am male

48 The Well
Line 3

'Well is dredged, no drinking.
This makes my heart ache.
It can be used to draw water,
With the king's clear vision,
People together accept its blessing.'

Line 5

'The well: clear, cold spring water to drink.'

7 Army

Initial thoughts and feelings on this casting were there is a source of good nourishment here but do I have the means to bring it to fruition.
Line 3 The Well or nourishment between us isn’t being used and I am upset about that, everyone can see that this is a good source of nourishment but it is going to waste.
Line 5 reiterates again that a good, even pure source of nourishment is available but I must walk my talk and do something about it.
7 Army - when there is a cause worth fighting for the ruler raises an army, is this telling me to bring all my resources together and fight for this relationship.

The reading confuses me as I am blocked everywhere electronically by her, being the logical person that I am this tells me (the blocking) that she doesn’t want to communicate with me, so how can I raise my army even though I know there is an abundant source of nourishment between us, approaching her directly petrifies me because I am blocked and respectfully will not do that.

I meditated on this for the rest of the day although I asked questions on other topics in between. The following day, with no definitive understanding of the above reading I asked…….

Q 2 - Please describe her conscious thoughts regarding the potential for the relationship between us

48 The Well

Line 3

'Well is dredged, no drinking.
This makes my heart ache.
It can be used to draw water,
With the king's clear vision,
People together accept its blessing.'

Line 5

'The well: clear, cold spring water to drink.'

7 Army

Apart from the duplication and synchronicity of the reading,(which I have multiple more profound instances of outside of the I Ching), receiving this the second time brought forth the thoughts and feelings that the I Ching has answered on the potential, and to receive this as a response to her thoughts on the matter tells me that she is aware of the source of nourishment between us, and it is for her to do something about it, and not me?

Meditating for several hours on this I asked a further question to try and gauge if I can positively influence the situation.

Q 3 - Please describe what I could do to improve communication between us

48 The Well

Line 5

'The well: clear, cold spring water to drink.'

46 Pushing Upward

The good, pure source of nourishment is there again, is line 5 telling me to walk my talk and push upward in a step by step ascent. Or am I being told that I am the source of nourishment and that she realises this and is staring to ascend??

Perhaps others may see all of this in a different and more objective perspective, all thoughts are welcome

 

[Hermeneus]

Q1 - 48.3.5 to 7

Line 3 The Well or nourishment between us isn’t being used and I am upset about that, everyone can see that this is a good source of nourishment but it is going to waste.
Line 5 reiterates again that a good, even pure source of nourishment is available but I must walk my talk and do something about it.
7 Army - when there is a cause worth fighting for the ruler raises an army, is this telling me to bring all my resources together and fight for this relationship.

The reading confuses me as I am blocked everywhere electronically by her, being the logical person that I am this tells me (the blocking) that she doesn’t want to communicate with me, so how can I raise my army even though I know there is an abundant source of nourishment between us, approaching her directly petrifies me because I am blocked and respectfully will not do that.

Hello, Pure_Heart. I'm not really experienced in offering my take on the lines, however I did find myself in a very similar situation 7 years ago and consistently got hexagram 48 as an advice. At that time, I got line 3 and 5 consistently when asking about what to do or what was the potential. In my case, it meant the other person never really got in touch again; instead, the answer urged me to reflect upon myself and recognize that I was indeed a good partner, but the other person opted not to accept having a relationship with me. Another aspect of the Well is that it's unmoving, but instead communities are created around it -- that's civilization, people are drawn to the well and build life around it, so it must be taken care of.
The relating Hexagram, the Army, seems to be reiterating this, the need to organize around a person of authority, but spontaneously, in the sense that they are attracted instead of ordered or convinced by force to join. They gather around a cause and the righteous prince. In this sense, I don't think it's telling you to act directly towards trying to contact her or anything (since she's blocked you), but instead asks you to tend to your own life knowing that yes, you did everything in the right way. Unfortunately, being a good source of nourishment does not always mean that that water will be drawn, which is a pity. The reading suggests that you should recognize yourself as the source and take care of it.​

Q 2 - Please describe her conscious thoughts regarding the potential for the relationship between us

48 The Well

Line 3

'Well is dredged, no drinking.
This makes my heart ache.
It can be used to draw water,
With the king's clear vision,
People together accept its blessing.'

Line 5

'The well: clear, cold spring water to drink.'

7 Army

Apart from the duplication and synchronicity of the reading,(which I have multiple more profound instances of outside of the I Ching), receiving this the second time brought forth the thoughts and feelings that the I Ching has answered on the potential, and to receive this as a response to her thoughts on the matter tells me that she is aware of the source of nourishment between us, and it is for her to do something about it, and not me?

During my time lurking, there was always a warning not to ask question regarding what the other person might be thinking or feeling, since the answers would always pertain the caster. In this case, it seems to be reiterating the first answer. You said she had a traumatic past and ghosted you; perhaps it's showing you that indeed it's a potential for a relationship, she may even recognize it, but won't drink from it. The oracle recognizes this; your relationship has great potential to be nourishing, but the well can't force people to nourish themselves with its water, it must me drawn from it by the people.

Like I said, I got this selfsame results in a very similar situation. For me it meant that while the other person did indeed recognize the potential, she chose not to pursue it. As a clinical psychologist, it's not that uncommon for people to do just that, often because they're afraid or because they believe a relationship worth pursuing has nothing to do with love, but something else, and thus end up fleeing from a potential source of fulfillment.​

Q 3 - Please describe what I could do to improve communication between us

48 The Well

Line 5

'The well: clear, cold spring water to drink.'

46 Pushing Upward

Echoing the other readings, I think it's repeating that you already have what it takes, but communication is a two way street. It depends on the other person as well. I don't know if it's any help, but my take is that it's saying two things: you did what you could do in terms to improve communication, BUT the ball is in her court, she must decide to resume communication -- and if she does, everybody would benefit. Whenever I was asked to reflect on the well, it always meant to be there, like the well, andn take care of my source, because that meant that people would gather around me. I hope it helped a little bit...​

 

[Pure_Heart]

Thank you Hermeneus for your thoughts and feelings with these oracles.

Your interpretation does resonate and specifically your understanding of the lines. I agree totally that the ball is in her court, she is the one that needs to take action, if any action be taken.

I’ve been thinking more on the significance of 7 The Army as the secondary hexagram and reading up more on it. I have always come to see hexagram 7 as the place between (6) Conflict and (8) Union, and this paragraph from HB’s interpretation of 7 is resonating also;

Balancing the drive to 'get it done' with a measured, disciplined approach allows you to achieve your objective effectively and with less 'collateral damage': good fortune, without mistake.

As is Wilhelm’s judgement - The army needs perseverance and a strong man. Good fortune without blame.

 

[Hermeneus]

Thank you Hermeneus for your thoughts and feelings with these oracles.

Your interpretation does resonate and specifically your understanding of the lines. I agree totally that the ball is in her court, she is the one that needs to take action, if any action be taken.

I’ve been thinking more on the significance of 7 The Army as the secondary hexagram and reading up more on it. I have always come to see hexagram 7 as the place between (6) Conflict and (8) Union, and this paragraph from HB’s interpretation of 7 is resonating also;

Balancing the drive to 'get it done' with a measured, disciplined approach allows you to achieve your objective effectively and with less 'collateral damage': good fortune, without mistake.

As is Wilhelm’s judgement - The army needs perseverance and a strong man. Good fortune without blame.

Hexagram 7 as a relating Hexagram has always come up whenever the situation required me to muster my strength, the idea of gathering forces in the sense of recruiting militia in Ancient times, since there were basically no standing armies like we know today. This gathering requires discipline, as the one who leads the army must use its strength righteously, in accordance to the Mandate. It talks as well as multitudes, crowds that gather and how to organize it in a cohesive whole.

This relationship between this leader and the masses around him, I think, it's best summarized in Chu Hsi commentary of the image: "As the water is not outside the earth, so soldiers are not outside the people. Therefore if a ruler is able to nourish the people, he can get the multitudes for his armies." It reminds me of the original reading, the Well, where it can nourish the people, provided the well it well taken care of. People gather around it, forming a community, civilization. Perhaps it's reminding you that, yes, you are a loving person and, yes, you can find community; however, it's a natural process as people gather around us naturally. We just have to recognize and care for it; even more importantly: instead of doing, allowing this community to form may be the advice.