Kun (Oppression) shows a lake without water (Dui over Kan). Dryness, drought, exhaustion. It is one of the hardest situations: You have no resources, no help, and nobody believes you ('Words are not believed'). But: This is not a punishment, it is a test ('The dark night of character'). This is where it shows who has backbone. When the outside is hopeless, the strength has to come from within. You have to stay silent and endure. Complaining doesn't help. Talking doesn't help. Only 'being' helps.

ExhaustionDrought

Oppression. Success. Persistence. The great man creates good fortune. No fault. Whatever one has to say is not believed.

Trial

Kun is the desert that hardens character. Whoever holds out here is invincible afterward.

Operative Resources

Resilience. The ability to keep going even without external validation.

System Blocks

Victim role – Complaining about the injustice of life instead of holding out.

System-Hacks

Stay silent and sit it out.

Silence: Don't talk about your problems today.
Fasting: Cut back on consumption to feel your independence.

Image

The lake holds no water: the image of Exhaustion. So the noble one puts his life on the line to realize his will.

Shadow Challenge

Shadow: Bitterness – Giving up, melancholy, or wearing yourself out in useless discussions.

Strategy

Be silent. Save your words. Endure the situation with dignity. Trust that this is only a phase. Find the source within yourself.

The Lines

Beginning: Dejection (Isolation)One sits beset under a bare tree and ends up in a dark valley. One sees nothing for three years. Retreat into darkness.
Level 2: Empty Abundance (Crisis of Meaning)One is beset in the midst of wine and food. Then the man with the scarlet knee guards arrives. It is beneficial to make offerings. You have enough in material terms but are empty inside. Help is on its way.
Level 3: The Wrong Thing (Despair)One lets oneself be beset by stones and leans on thornbushes and thistles. One goes into one's house and does not see one's wife. Misfortune. You cling to the wrong thing and lose what you love most.
Level 4: Late Help (Patience)He comes very slowly, beset in a golden coach. Shame, but one reaches the goal. Help comes, but very hesitantly.
Level 5: Liberation (Endurance)Nose and feet chopped off. One is beset by the man with the purple knee guards. Joy comes gently. You are treated unfairly/held back, but slowly get free.
Conclusion: Self-Sabotage (Self-Liberation)He is beset by creepers. He says: Moving brings regret. If one feels regret and sets out, good fortune comes. You think you are trapped, but you no longer are. Free yourself!

Reflection Journal

What still carries me when all outer supports break away?