The Ken trigram is usually translated as "Mountain", but from a western context corresponds to the Earth Element. It is the lowest of the four terrestrial trigrams.
This trigram represents immovable solid power, and has the quality of stubbornness and stuckness. Because of its strong line at the top, it is called the “youngest son”. Its quality is attachment. Its key spiritual concept is “Solid”.
In I Ching divination, Ken/Mountain/Earth-element tends to "slow" the elemental force of the other trigram paired to it, reducing its intensity, movement or force. Hexagrams with this trigram tend to represent situations that have either a positive or negative quality of slowing things down or cutting off force, generally suggesting patience, slowness or caution.
