Okay, so I decided to mess around with the I Ching the other day. Things felt… weirdly settled? Like a project I’d been wrestling with for ages had finally clicked into place. Almost too perfectly, if you know what I mean. Felt like I needed some perspective.
I got out my three coins, the usual routine. Did the whole six throws thing, marking down the lines, yin, yang, changing lines, the whole bit. Didn’t take long. And what came up? Hexagram 63, Ji Ji. They call it “After Completion.”
First thought? Relief. Yeah, ‘After Completion’ sounded about right. Matched exactly how I felt about wrapping up that big task. Everything seemed sorted, all the pieces in their spots. Water over Fire, the image is apparently. Seemed stable, everything in its natural order.
Looking Closer Though
But then I sat with it for a bit. Completion is great, sure. But 63 is kinda known for being tricky. It’s like reaching the peak of the mountain. Awesome view, yeah, but the only way from the top is down, or at least, you gotta be careful not to slip on the way back.
The hexagram itself looks perfectly balanced. Yin and yang lines alternating nicely, except for the positions feeling… off. Like the strong lines are in the weak spots and vice versa. It screams ‘perfect now, but fragile’. It suggests that right after things are perfectly arranged is when you need to be the most careful. Complacency is the enemy here.
What I Did About It
So, instead of just kicking back and celebrating the ‘completion’ of my project, I took it as a nudge. A reminder.
- I went back over the final details. Stuff I’d normally gloss over assuming it was fine. Checked the numbers one last time.
- I made sure communication was crystal clear. Sent follow-up emails to confirm everyone was on the same page about the next steps (or lack thereof). Didn’t want any assumptions causing trouble later.
- I basically resisted the urge to just relax. Kept a little bit of that ‘project mode’ energy going, looking out for small things that might unravel the neat package.
It wasn’t about expecting disaster. It was more like… checking the tire pressure on a brand new car. It’s probably fine, but it’s smart to check anyway before you drive off.
The Takeaway
And yeah, found a couple of small loose ends. Nothing major, but things that definitely would have become annoying little problems down the line if I’d just declared ‘mission accomplished’ and walked away. Tiny ambiguities in the documentation, a stakeholder who hadn’t actually confirmed receipt of the final files.
So, Hexagram 63 for me wasn’t really about the big ‘ta-da!’ finish. It was about the quiet vigilance needed after the finish line. It’s a reminder that order needs maintenance. You reach the goal, great. Now, the work changes to keeping things stable. It’s less glamorous, maybe, but just as important. Good lesson to keep in mind.
