So, today I messed around with this “hexagram 12” thing. It’s from that old Chinese book, the I Ching, or whatever it’s called. You know, the one with all those lines that are supposed to tell you about life and stuff?
First, I looked up what the heck hexagram 12 even means. Turns out it’s called “Standstill” or “Obstruction.” Sounds like a real party, right? Apparently, it’s all about things being blocked, not flowing, like when your boss hates all your ideas.
Then I got this idea to actually try making the hexagram myself. I mean, how hard could it be? It’s just six lines, some broken, some solid. I grabbed a notebook and a pen and started drawing.
Okay, so the pattern for this one is solid, solid, solid on the top, and then broken, broken, broken on the bottom. Like this:
- (three solid lines)
- (three broken lines)
I drew it out a bunch of times, trying to get the lines to look kind of even and not like a toddler’s scribbles. It was kind of meditative, actually. Just focusing on these simple lines, over and over. Maybe there’s something to this whole I Ching thing after all.
After I drew it for a while, I started thinking about the meaning again. “Standstill.” I thought about times in my life when I felt stuck, like I was banging my head against a wall. Job hunting after college, that was a big one. Or that time I tried to learn how to play the guitar… yikes.
But then I realized something. Even when things are “blocked,” it doesn’t mean they’re blocked forever, does it? It’s like a traffic jam. Annoying as hell, but eventually, it clears up. Or you can find some back roads to go around.
So, I decided to write down some of the things that are making me feel “stuck” right now. Just seeing them on paper, it made them feel a little less scary, you know? And then I started brainstorming some ways to get “unstuck.” Small steps, nothing crazy. Like for example, “Send out five resumes today” instead of “Get a dream job immediately”.
Honestly, I don’t know if this whole hexagram thing is for real or not. But I have to admit, the process of drawing it, thinking about its meaning, and then connecting it to my own life, that was kind of helpful. Maybe I’ll try another one tomorrow. Or maybe I’ll just watch some cat videos. We’ll see.
