Okay, so I decided to try out the I Ching the other day. Things have been a bit messy lately, especially with a situation at work, felt like I was hitting a wall and arguing in circles with a colleague. Just couldn’t seem to get on the same page, you know? Felt stuck.
My First Try
I’d heard about the I Ching before, sounded kinda mystical, maybe helpful. Didn’t have any of those yarrow sticks, so I just used three old coins I found in a jar. Read somewhere online how to do it. Basically, you toss the coins six times, write down the results, and that gives you a hexagram.
So, I sat down, tried to clear my head, which is harder than it sounds. Focused on this whole work disagreement thing. Asked something like, “What should I do about this constant arguing with Dave?” Threw the coins, marked down heads or tails, did the whole thing six times. It felt a bit weird, honestly, just tossing coins hoping for an answer.
Getting the Result
After the six tosses, I looked up the pattern I got. Turned out it was Hexagram number 6. I looked it up – apparently, it’s called ‘Song’ or ‘Dispute’. Seriously? Dispute? I asked about a dispute and got the ‘Dispute’ hexagram. Felt like the universe was either messing with me or being incredibly blunt.
My first thought was, “Great, just what I needed.” More conflict. But then I read a bit more about it, just some basic stuff I found online. It talked about conflict, yeah, but also about knowing when to stop pushing. It mentioned something about how going head-to-head endlessly doesn’t really solve anything. It suggested being cautious, maybe finding a middle ground, or even stepping back if the fight isn’t worth it.
What I Did Next
It actually made me pause and think. Was this argument with Dave really getting us anywhere? Probably not. We were just digging our heels in deeper. The hexagram mentioned something about seeking someone wise or impartial for help, like a mediator.
So, instead of prepping my next counter-argument for Dave, I actually took a step back. I thought about maybe involving our manager, not to complain, but to help us find some common ground or clarify things. It wasn’t about ‘winning’ anymore. The coin toss thing, weird as it was, sort of snapped me out of that confrontational mindset.
I haven’t resolved everything with Dave yet, but I decided not to engage in the usual back-and-forth. I’m trying a different approach, focusing on the actual work task and suggesting we loop in our manager for guidance on the points we disagree on. It feels less stressful, even if it’s not magically fixed.
So yeah, that was my experience with I Ching number 6. Didn’t expect much, got a weirdly specific answer, and it actually made me reconsider how I was handling things. Still feels a bit strange, but maybe there’s something to it after all. Or maybe I just needed anything to make me stop and think. Who knows?
