Gu (蠱) ䷑ is the hexagram for corrections, for work on the decayed and spoiled. Its outer/upper trigram is mountain and its inner/lower trigram is wind: above mountain, below wind.
Imagine the wind blows against the base of a mountain, there’s no place for the wind to go nor penetrate, it will start to circulate and form a tornado, thereby destroying everything that’s in its path. At the base of the mountain, we will see trees getting knocked down, dwelling places are ruined. When this happens, there’s nothing left to be done, except to repair what’s been damaged and rebuild what’s once there. This time around, we need to work carefully to avoid weaknesses, vulnerabilities, and always have a contingency plan in place.
Gu (蠱) also symbolises chaos. There are all sorts of possibilities and outcomes under the current circumstance. Unfortunately both parties involved in the situation are passive, negative and stubborn, there’re strong conflicts. It’s not going to be easy for us to turn things around nor take the proactive approach. In such case, the best option is to preserve our energy and strength for better things, avoid being “swayed” or played by the other party. Because no matter what we do or sacrifice for the other party, we will likely not get the results we’re hoping for from them.
This, however, doesn’t mean that we should just lay flat on the couch and do nothing, we have to actively observe the situations – for they’re constantly changing – and keep progressing forward whenever there’s a chance. Just be cautious before making any moves, do the research and check the facts first, hold strong boundaries, stand ground firmly and in the meantime, be flexible when it comes to finding solutions.
Inner Orbit 