Kan: The Abysmal repeated. If you are sincere, you have success in your heart, and whatever you do succeeds. Water flows on uninterrupted and reaches its goal: the image of the Abysmal. Thus the superior man walks in lasting virtue and carries on the business of teaching.

Do you feel as though you are at the rock bottom of your life, or perhaps fallen into a bottomless pit? “Kan” represents repeated water—a symbol of danger after danger. This fear may stem from external crises or from the deepest, darkest shadows within your own psyche.

Psychologically, this is a deep refinement of fear. We often freeze in pain to avoid more suffering, but Kan reminds us that “repetition of the abysmal” is about learning to survive in danger. Anxiety recurs because you haven’t yet learned to coexist with the emotion. The hexagram says “success in the heart,” telling you that when everything external is out of control, your only escape is your internal sincerity and poise. Owning your fear isn’t weakness; it’s reclaiming your flow.

Practice being like water: do not avoid the pits, but fill them. When you stop pushing away pain and instead dive deep to observe the truth, you realize these obstacles are meant to purify your soul. Hold onto the tiny light in your heart. As long as you remain honest and keep moving, no abyss can hold you forever. Water always finds a way out, and so will your heart.

Laozi said: “The highest good is like water.” Kan is nature’s demonstration of resilience. Water flows uninterrupted through the most dangerous terrain; it does not fight against rocks but flows around them. Taoism suggests that if you fall into a pit, simply be water in that pit. Do not struggle aimlessly. Quietly fill the void, and when it is full, you will naturally overflow and move on. Mastering this effortless flow is the end of all fear.