No energy. Cold and dark. The air itself becomes thick and opaque, preventing the flow of light and warmth.

Love has been lost.

People are lethargic, expression is impaired and communication breaks down. Culture is diminished and we become lonely.

In spite of the wintry outlook an inner warmth is preserved so that one is capable of not only surviving to the next spring but maintaining one's integrity through the ordeal.

The hexagram also means concealment, which suggests a strategy for coping with adversity, by hiding or keeping a low profile until a more favourable time.

The hexagram may simply be relating darkness, or to a sunset, to the end of the day or being tired at the end of a day.

Be aware of adverse conditions affecting you.

It may be that you are contributing to the adversity through an activity of your own and ceasing that activity may lighten the situation.

But it could also be that you simply have to endure the adversity, in which case you need to have a long-term perspective, perhaps taking thought of how to assist the recovery when it does come.

You can rely on an inner warmth to get you through.