Okay, so I’ve been messing around with this I Ching thing, and today I decided to focus on Hexagram 33. It’s called “Retreat” or “Yielding” – sounds kind of passive, right? But it’s actually more strategic than that.
My Little Experiment
First, I grabbed my I Ching book and coins. I like the traditional coin toss method; it feels more… authentic, I guess. I cleared a little space on my desk, made sure the cat wouldn’t jump up and mess things up, and started tossing.
You know the drill: three coins, six tosses, heads is 3, tails is 2. You add them up for each line, and if you get a 6 or a 9, it’s a “moving line,” which means it changes to its opposite.
So, I tossed and jotted down the numbers. It took a few minutes, and honestly, my mind wandered a bit. I was thinking about work, what to have for dinner… But I tried to refocus on the question I was asking: “What’s the best approach to this tricky situation at work?”
- First toss: 2 + 3 + 2 = 7
- Second toss: 3 + 3 + 2 = 8
- Third toss: 2 + 2 + 2 = 6 (moving line!)
- Fourth toss: 3 + 3 + 3 = 9 (another moving line!)
- Fifth toss: 2 + 3 + 3 = 8
- Sixth toss: 2 + 2 + 3 = 7
I ended up with Hexagram 33, with the third and fourth lines changing. This is where it gets interesting. The changing lines add extra nuance to the reading.
Making Sense of It
I looked up Hexagram 33 in my book. The main idea is about knowing when to pull back, not in a cowardly way, but more like a strategic withdrawal. Don’t keep pushing when the odds are stacked against you. Conserve your energy, regroup, and wait for a better opportunity.
The third line (the first moving line) talked about being “tied” to something, maybe feeling stuck. But it said that by acknowledging this feeling, you could find strength. The fourth line talked about “voluntary retreat.” It’s about choosing to step back, not being forced. That felt powerful.
Then I looked at the resulting hexagram after the changes, my third and fourth lines changed from yang to yin. The resulting Hexagram 12 means ‘Standstill’. Standstill’s overall meaning is that things are stagnating. It is not a good sign. It tells me that I should stop my step forward for now.
After reading and thinking about it for a while, I started to see how it applied to my work situation. Maybe I’ve been pushing too hard on this project. Maybe it’s time to step back, let things settle, and re-evaluate my approach. It’s not giving up; it’s being smart.
So, that’s my Hexagram 33 experience. It’s not a magic answer, but it gave me a different perspective, a new way to think about things. I’m going to try to apply this “strategic retreat” idea and see what happens. I’ll keep you posted!
