易I CHING · THE BOOK OF CHANGES

Hexagram 59 of 64 · King Wen sequence

Dispersion

涣 · huàn

Above
Wind
Below
Water

Wind above water: ice dispersing, rigidity dissolving — and the king approaching his temple, because dissolution needs a centre.

Wind over water breaks the winter ice: Dispersion is the hexagram of dissolution — rigidity melting, cold structures giving way. Its counsel is about what dissolution requires: a centre. The old text is precise — the king approaches his temple; the helpers are gathered; the crossing is made with horses strong enough.

Dissolution of the frozen is healthy (what has been rigid should melt) and dangerous (if nothing holds, the melt becomes the flood). The work: name the centre people can gather around while the ice goes.

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