Hexagram 59.2 — Dispersion (Second Line)

Original Text & Translation

「涣奔其机，悔亡。」 — In dispersion, hasten to your support; regret vanishes.

The character 机 (ji) refers to a table, altar, or foundational structure — something solid that can bear weight. When external conditions scatter your attention, resources, or emotional coherence, the wisdom is to move quickly back to what grounds you. This might be a mentor, a proven method, a physical space, a relationship anchor, or a core principle. The line promises that regret — the anxiety of dissolution — disappears when you reconnect with your structural base.

Core Meaning

The second line occupies the central position of the lower trigram, a place of receptivity and responsiveness. In Hexagram 59, where energies naturally scatter and dissolve rigid structures, this line teaches the art of selective anchoring. You cannot hold everything together when dispersion is the dominant force; attempting to do so exhausts you and multiplies regret.

Instead, this line asks: what is your "table"? What structure, person, or practice has proven reliable? The counsel is to move toward it without hesitation or pride. This is not about clinging or dependency — it is about recognizing that coherence requires a center of gravity. When you return to your support, scattered pieces can reorganize around something real rather than dissolving into chaos.

Practically, this line separates panic from poise. Panic tries to control all the dispersing elements at once. Poise identifies the one anchor that matters and moves decisively toward it, trusting that clarity will follow.

Symbolism & Imagery

The image of hastening to one's table evokes a ritual space or family altar — a place where offerings are made, where continuity is honored, where the essential is separated from the expendable. In times of dispersion, this symbolizes the return to first principles, to the people and practices that have carried you through previous storms.

Wind over water — the trigram structure of Hexagram 59 — shows how surface agitation can obscure deeper currents. The second line teaches that you do not calm the wind by arguing with it; you dive beneath the surface to where the water is still. Your "support" is that deeper layer: the bedrock commitments, the tested relationships, the non-negotiable routines that remain stable even when everything else is in flux.

This imagery also addresses the ego's resistance to retreat. Modern culture often frames withdrawal as weakness, but the I Ching consistently honors strategic return. The second line of Dispersion shows that moving toward support is an act of intelligence, not surrender. It is the difference between being swept away and choosing your ground.

Action Guidance

Career & Business

• Identify your operational anchor: What process, team member, or client relationship has been consistently reliable? Prioritize contact and collaboration with that anchor over scattered opportunities.
• Consolidate projects: If you are stretched across too many initiatives, return focus to the one with the strongest foundation. Let peripheral efforts pause or dissolve.
• Seek mentorship actively: If dispersion comes from uncertainty or overwhelm, schedule time with a trusted advisor. Their perspective is your "table" — a stable frame of reference.
• Simplify communication: Return to core messaging. Strip away the experimental, the trendy, the complex. Speak from your established expertise.
• Audit for drift: Are you chasing too many trends or platforms? Return to the channel or method that has historically delivered results.
• Protect core operations: If external turbulence (market shifts, team changes, tech disruptions) is scattering attention, double down on the workflows and relationships that keep revenue or delivery stable.

Love & Relationships

• Return to shared rituals: If emotional distance or busyness has scattered intimacy, reinstate a simple, recurring practice — weekly dinners, morning coffee together, evening walks.
• Name your anchor: In conflict or confusion, identify the one quality or memory that grounds the relationship. Speak it aloud: "What I know is true is that we both want…"
• Reach out to your support person: If you are the one feeling dispersed, do not isolate. Go to the friend, family member, or partner who has reliably held space for you.
• Simplify expectations: Let go of the need to solve everything at once. Focus on one act of reconnection — a sincere conversation, a small gesture of care.
• Avoid new entanglements: If your emotional field is already scattered, adding new relationships or commitments will increase regret. Tend what is already rooted.

Health & Inner Work

• Return to foundational practices: If your routine has fragmented, go back to the one habit that always stabilizes you — whether that is morning meditation, a specific exercise, or a sleep protocol.
• Seek grounding modalities: Practices that emphasize structure and support — restorative yoga, breathwork with a teacher, somatic therapy, or guided sessions — act as your "table."
• Limit inputs: Dispersion often comes from information overload. Pause new books, podcasts, or courses. Return to a single trusted source or teacher.
• Physical anchoring: Spend time in a place that feels inherently supportive — a favorite park, a quiet room, a trusted practitioner's office. Let the environment do some of the work.
• Journal to center: Write to identify what is essential versus what is noise. Ask: "What is my table right now? What one thing can I return to?"

Finance & Strategy

• Consolidate positions: If your portfolio or business model has become too complex, return capital and attention to your highest-conviction positions or revenue streams.
• Revisit your investment thesis: In volatile or confusing markets, go back to the original principles that guided your strategy. Let those principles be your anchor.
• Pause new ventures: Resist the urge to diversify further when dispersion is active. Strengthen what is already working before expanding.
• Consult your advisor: If financial anxiety is scattering your decision-making, schedule a session with a trusted planner or mentor. Their clarity is your support structure.
• Liquidity as foundation: Ensure you have accessible reserves. Cash or near-cash positions act as your "table" — the stable base you can return to if markets disperse further.
• Cut low-conviction bets: Release speculative positions that are draining attention without delivering clarity or results.

Timing, Signals, and Readiness

This line often appears when you are already feeling the effects of dispersion — scattered focus, emotional fragmentation, decision fatigue, or a sense that things are slipping through your fingers. The timing counsel is immediate: do not wait for conditions to worsen. Move now toward your support.

The signal that you have found your "table" is a felt sense of relief and clarity. Regret vanishes not because problems disappear, but because you are no longer trying to hold everything at once. You have a ground to stand on, and from that ground, next steps become visible.

If you are unsure what your support is, ask: "What has held me before?" Look to past moments of crisis or confusion. The person, practice, or principle that stabilized you then is likely your anchor now. Trust pattern over novelty.

When This Line Moves

A moving second line in Hexagram 59 signals a transition from dispersion toward renewed coherence, but only if you act on the counsel to return to support. The movement suggests that your intelligent retreat will create the conditions for reorganization. What felt scattered will begin to settle once you have re-established your center.

The resulting hexagram (determined by your specific casting method) will show the new configuration that emerges after you have anchored yourself. Study that hexagram to understand what kind of coherence is forming and how to work with it skillfully.

Practical takeaway: the line's movement is a confirmation that your instinct to consolidate is correct. Do not second-guess the return to simplicity. The regret you fear will indeed vanish, and from that stable base, you will see which scattered elements are worth reclaiming and which are better left dissolved.

Concise Summary

Hexagram 59.2 teaches the art of intelligent return when dispersion threatens coherence. The oracle counsels swift movement toward your foundational support — the person, practice, principle, or structure that has proven stable. Regret vanishes not through control but through centering. By anchoring yourself in what is reliable, you allow scattered energies to reorganize naturally, and clarity emerges from simplicity rather than struggle.