Man, sometimes you just hit a wall, you know? Like, you’re looking at your life, specifically at this one person, and you’re just drawing a blank. That was me, a few months back. This whole thing with Sarah was getting me twisted up. We were sorta together, sorta not, and I just couldn’t figure out if I should push harder, pull back, or just, like, vanish into thin air.
I was talking to my buddy, Mike, over a couple of beers, spilling my guts about it. He’s always been into all sorts of weird stuff, always trying out new ways to look at things. He was like, “Dude, you ever tried the I Ching? Just for kicks?” I’d heard about it, seen those old books with the coins, but always thought it was, you know, for philosophers or something. But I was desperate. So, I figured, what the hell?
Getting the Lowdown
First thing I did was dig out some old coins. I didn’t have special ones, just three regular old quarters. Mike told me how to do it – focus real hard on your question, toss ’em six times, jot down the lines. My question was pretty straightforward: “What’s the deal with me and Sarah? What should I know about this love situation?” I wasn’t looking for a “yes” or “no,” just some kind of direction, something to chew on.
I sat there, really cleared my head, and just thought about her, about us. Tossed the first three. Then the next. Kept doing it, line by line, until I had my six lines all drawn out. I remember it felt kinda silly at first, just flipping coins. But then, as I was drawing the lines, a weird sense of focus came over me. Almost like I was actually doing something about it, rather than just stewing.
The Reveal: Hexagram 10
Once all six lines were down, I grabbed my phone, pulled up one of those I Ching apps Mike had showed me, and punched in my lines. And there it was: Hexagram 10. Treading (Conduct).
Treading. My first thought was, “What the actual hell does ‘treading’ have to do with love? Is it telling me to just walk away? Or walk all over her?” I felt a bit deflated, honestly. It wasn’t some grand pronouncement of “you will find eternal bliss” or “run for the hills, brother!” Just… treading.
But then, I remembered what Mike said: “It ain’t about answers, man, it’s about perspective. About how you approach things.” So I leaned into it. I started thinking about the image that often comes with Treading – walking on a tiger’s tail. Yikes. That definitely got my attention. It’s like, you can do it, you can tread on the tail, but you gotta be super careful, right? Don’t get bitten.
Wrestling With It (My Interpretation)
I sat with that image for a long time. Treading on a tiger’s tail. What did that mean for me and Sarah? Well, our situation was definitely a bit delicate. Like I said, sorta together, sorta not. It felt like one wrong move could send everything spiraling. Maybe that’s what the tiger’s tail was about.
It made me think about how I had been acting. Had I been too aggressive? Too passive? Was I pushing boundaries without even realizing it? Was I just blindly stumbling forward, hoping for the best, without really considering the consequences of my “steps”?
I started listing things in my head:
- Rushing things: Yeah, I definitely had a tendency to want to define things, to push for answers fast. Was that like trying to yank the tiger’s tail instead of gently stepping?
- Not paying attention: Sometimes I’d miss cues, get lost in my own head about what I wanted, instead of really seeing what she wanted or needed. That felt like not watching where I was treading.
- Being clumsy: I’m not exactly known for my finesse. Sometimes my attempts at showing affection or trying to sort things out would come across as… well, clumsy. And with a tiger, clumsy gets you bitten.
The Hexagram wasn’t telling me Sarah was a tiger, no way. It was telling me I needed to be more aware, more respectful, more deliberate in my approach. It wasn’t about controlling the outcome, but controlling my actions. It was about my conduct. If I wanted this relationship, whatever it was, to have a chance, I needed to walk with purpose, but also with caution and respect. Like walking on that tiger’s tail – it demands absolute presence and carefulness, but it doesn’t mean you can’t do it. It means you have to do it right.
What It Predicted For Me
So, what did Hexagram 10 predict for me in love? It predicted that success, or at least a positive movement, in my situation with Sarah depended entirely on how I conducted myself. It wasn’t a prediction of a specific outcome, but a prediction of a necessary change in my behavior for any good outcome to happen.
It told me to:
- Slow down. Don’t rush. Take measured steps.
- Observe. Pay close attention to her, to the situation, to the unspoken things.
- Be respectful. Don’t assume, don’t push boundaries without invitation.
- Act with intention. Every step I take should be thoughtful, not impulsive.
It shifted my whole mindset. Instead of worrying about what she was doing or feeling, it made me focus on my own actions and my own responsibility in the dynamic. It basically said, “Hey pal, if you want this to go well, it’s all on you to tread carefully and wisely.”
And you know what? Since then, I’ve tried to apply that. I’ve been more patient, more observant, and definitely more respectful of our individual spaces. It hasn’t magically solved everything, but it’s made me feel a lot more in control of my own half of the equation, and weirdly, things with Sarah have felt a lot more natural, less forced. It didn’t predict a “happily ever after,” but it predicted that I needed to change my game to even stand a chance. And that, for me, was exactly what I needed to hear.
