When hexagram titles send opposite-seeming message from their descriptions: Help?

[FlyingFish]

I'm too foggy to see clearly about my current situation, so I'm getting mixed messages in a reading today (titles versus descriptions), and could use some outside perspective. Anyone want to put in their interpretation? Would be wonderful.

Summary of my situation:

I'm trying to find out if it's wise/ beneficial to send a follow-up (reminder) email about a personal (but career-related) favour I asked of a higher-up colleague. Original email was sent 3 weeks ago and he replied that he would think it over, and signed off with an "xo", thus I got a good feeling from him.

Very good spirit on the guy but he's extremely busy and loses track of emails quickly. IF (big if) he was going to help me out, I actually need confirmation really soon, in order to proceed with some important travel plans. If he can't help, I'd like him to just say so sooner rather than later. He's left me hanging a bit, you know? At the same time, I would never say he "owes me" anything! (Perhaps I've humbled myself beyond a necessary amount, but I simply lack confidence that I'm "worthy" of his assistance...) So, generally: I just struggle to know if I should send a reminder, or if I left it a little longer, would he remember on his own and initiate his own follow-up finally?​

"Should I email him a follow-up today?"

31 Unchanging.​

"Will he be as inclined (or possibly even more so) to help me with X if I don't email him a follow-up email at all?"

62.5.6 > 33.​

The titles of the hexagrams gave me the instant feeling that my desired responses were being given! (Yes, send him a follow-up and then he'll help. If you don't, it's too little and you'll get farther from your desired outcome.) But, the actual descriptions felt opposite, somehow...

What do YOU think?
Any interpretations GREATLY WELCOME! Thank you!


PS - I have a serious injury to my big toe. I know that unchanging means that lines don't need to be included in an interpretation, but I found it pretty insane that the big toe was a big part of line 1 of 31. Should I do anything with that? Or is it just another distraction for my already muddled mind???

 

[ginnie]

Forget your big toe for a minute!
(I hope it doesn't hurt too much!)
If I got your readings I would definitely send him a reminder, because there is no harm in it whatsoever and you are on good terms with him. There is no need to wait for him to remember, and you did say he's very busy and tends to forget. Do him a favor and send him a reminder. He already said he'd help you.

 

[FlyingFish]

Thank you very much!

By the end of the day yesterday I had already decided to go for it. I actually asked a follow-up that pushed me over the edge: "Am I humbling myself to an unnecessary degree in the manner I've been approaching him?" (Because I always shy away from anything resembling "being a nuisance" and try to keep the emails super short, etc...)

My answer was 59.2.3.6 > 39 and this felt really clear that the answer was yes and I need to get over my "aversion" to asking for help/ potentially pestering anyone and make sure I hold on to this ally, otherwise he'll slip further away. I even used the advice about sacred music bringing people together: I stumbled upon a fantastic song on a rare record that morning, it reminded me of some work we'd done together in the past. Worked like a charm ;D He wrote back straight away with a very satisfactory answer about the original question and he loved the song, so I am sure it renewed a sense of me being a cool, like-minded individual.

I was thinking about this whole issue later and I'm still sort of weirded-out by how confused I was by the hexagram titles v. their descriptions. When I saw "Influence/ wooing" for my first question I felt: "Very clear! I should send him the follow-up, to influence him to reply!" Then I read the description, and it was all bout the youngest son being (which he happens to be) in the stronger position, and influencing the youngest daughter (which I happen to be) to be joyful and cheerful. Then I thought, "Maybe he's the one 'influence' refers to, and that means the ball is still in his court?" Unsure whether that meant I shouldn't bother to send him a reminder, I asked the follow-up question...

With which I had the same kind of experience: titles confirmed what I kind of already thought was true/ wisest, but the descriptions actually seemed to be describing it from the other person's point of view or something. Well, anyway – now that all's said and done, I see I should have just gone with my gut interpretation (I think often this is the case, but I sooo doubt my gut).

Always interesting to get feedback from people here, so I really appreciate your reply!

 

[ginnie]

A lot of people have written a lot of commentaries on the I Ching, and by reading it all after a while one learns what to ignore and what to take seriously . . . Be patient with all the verbiage and after a while it will begin to make some sense. Only rarely is the I Ching clear as a bell, but, believe me, the situation does get better if you stick to it.