21 > 57

[sollina]

A friend got himself in a frustrating situation with a woman. Namely, they have "a thing" going on between them but for some reason he got paranoid she might be in a relationship/married and he wouldn't want to get into that. His doubts are based on some flimsy assumptions but he cannot prove anything yet.

He consulted IC, asking "What could be the obstacles to our relationship?" and got 21> 57

I've tried to help but got lost a bit:

21 speaks of biting through which, for me, means openly asking her about her status in which case the real obstacle would actually be his paranoia. He, however, thinks that 21 line after line show a clear sign she is married since the hex speaks of "breaking the rules".

Which, of course, is possible.

For me, however, 57 is confusing in this context: after 21 speaking, line by line, of biting through, facing the obstacles energetically, etc., there comes a hex speaking about gentle approach, gradual, inconspicuous effects.

The question, I remind you is not about actions but about obstacles.

Any insights would be helpful.
Thank you a lot.

 

[willowfox]

"What could be the obstacles to our relationship?" and got 21.1,2,3,4,5 > 57

The obstacle is what he fears if he carries on and gets caught out, so he fears making a mistake and then having to suffer humiliation because of it.

 

[sollina]

The obstacle is what he fears if he carries on and gets caught out, so he fears making a mistake and then having to suffer humiliation because of it.

So, his fear is his obstacle. Thank you very much, that's what I thought also. But how does 57 fit there? Unless 57 can refer to gradual humiliation...