Alright, so here’s the deal with my “i ching 12” experiment. Been messing around with the I Ching for a while, you know, tossing coins, reading the hexagrams, the whole shebang. But I wanted to see if I could push it a bit, try something different.
Basically, I decided to do a 12-day deep dive, focusing on a single question each day. Nothing earth-shattering, just everyday stuff. Like, “Should I take that freelance gig?” or “Is it a good day to start that new project?”.
Day 1: The Setup
First things first, I needed a system. I grabbed my usual I Ching book, the one with Wilhelm’s translation. Then, I made a little notebook just for this experiment. I wrote down my main question: “How can I improve my daily productivity?” I tossed the coins six times, recorded the lines, and got my first hexagram. I think it was something about gentle penetration, or something along those lines. I noted down the interpretation, thinking it was all about being persistent but not forceful.
Day 2-11: The Grind
Each morning, the routine was the same. I’d wake up, meditate for like 10 minutes (trying to clear my head, you know), then I’d formulate a question based on the previous day’s reading and my current situation. Some questions were related to work, some were about my relationships, and others were just random thoughts swirling in my head.
- Toss the coins.
- Record the lines.
- Look up the hexagram.
- Write down my interpretation and how it might apply to my day.
It was actually pretty time-consuming, maybe like half an hour each morning.
Day 5: the crazy day
i have to say day 5 was crazy, because the hexagram was telling me to stop and do nothing, so i did stop all activity and do nothing at all for the whole day.
Day 12: The Wrap-Up
Okay, so 12 days later, I’m sitting here looking back at my notebook. What did I learn? Honestly, it’s hard to say for sure.
The I Ching didn’t magically solve all my problems. It didn’t give me a winning lottery number or tell me the secret to eternal youth.
But it did make me more mindful. I started thinking more carefully about my decisions and my actions. I paid more attention to my intuition.
One thing I noticed was that I became more aware of patterns in my life. Certain themes kept popping up in the readings, things I hadn’t really noticed before. It was like the I Ching was holding up a mirror, showing me aspects of myself I hadn’t been fully conscious of.
Will I do another 12-day experiment? Maybe. It’s a bit of a commitment, but it was definitely an interesting experience. I think the key is to approach it with an open mind and not expect too much. It’s more about the process of reflection than getting definitive answers.
