Okay, so I’ve been messing around with the I Ching lately, and I wanted to share my experience with hexagram 53. It’s called “Development” or “Gradual Progress,” and it seemed pretty relevant to some stuff I’m working on.
Getting Started
First, I grabbed my three coins. I’ve got these old Chinese coins I use, but any coins will do. The important thing is to have a clear “heads” and “tails” side.
Then, I started flipping. Six times, you know? Each flip gives you a line for the hexagram. Heads is 3, tails is 2. Add ’em up for each flip, and that tells you if the line is solid (yang) or broken (yin), and if it’s changing or not.
Building the Hexagram
- First flip: Heads, heads, tails. That’s 3 + 3 + 2 = 8. A broken, changing line.
- Second flip: Tails, tails, tails. That’s 2 + 2 + 2 = 6. Another broken, changing line.
- Third flip: Heads, heads, heads. That’s 3 + 3 + 3 = 9. A solid, changing line.
- Fourth flip: Heads, tails, tails. That’s 3 + 2 + 2 = 7. A solid line.
- Fifth flip: Heads, heads, tails. That’s another 8. A broken, changing line.
- Sixth flip: Tails, tails, heads, That is 2 + 2 +3 =7. A solid line.
So, I drew out the lines from bottom to top, just like you’re supposed to. I ended up with a broken line, another broken line, then a solid one, then another solid, broken, and a soild on top. That’s hexagram 53!
Making Sense of It
I looked up the hexagram in a couple of my I Ching books. The basic idea is slow and steady progress, like a tree growing on a mountain. It’s not about rushing things, but about taking the right steps at the right time.
Because I had changing lines, I also got a second hexagram, which shows where things might be headed. Changing lines is like adding a bit of extra info, advice for how do this step by step.
The whole process, from flipping the coins to reading about the hexagram, it’s kind of meditative. It helped me clear my head and think about my projects in a new way. I’m not saying it’s magic, but it definitely gives me a different perspective, you know?
I am still learning it, but I enjoy the progress.
