48. The Well

Trigrams

The Judgment

The Well. The town may be changed, but the well cannot be changed. It neither decreases nor increases. They come and go and draw from the well.

The Image

Water above wind/wood — water drawn upward by the roots of plants, or by the well bucket. The source that nourishes a community remains constant while everything around it changes.

Interpretation

The well represents an unchanging source of nourishment — physical, spiritual, or communal. Towns change, people come and go, but the well remains. You are being directed toward something fundamental and enduring, a source of truth or sustenance that does not change with fashion or circumstance. The hexagram also warns: if the rope does not reach the water, or if the jug breaks, the well is useless. Access to the source matters as much as the source itself.