I'm considering enrolling my daughter in a parent-child playgroup with a good reputation. It's "Waldorf-influenced" but seems to play down its Steiner connections. Yet the Steiner connections are what draw me in so their reluctance to really commit to calling themselves Steiner gives me pause. What continues to hold my interest is that it is outdoors and my daughter doesn't get enough outdoor time.

It's not cheap, though, and I've wondered if waiting til she's older would be better. I asked Yi about it two different times over the past month, worded slightly differently. Both readings weren't so great:

advice on doing the play group this fall?
31.2.3.5 -> 2

The 2 is the draw of the outdoors, I think, and giving her grounded experience. 31.2 seems like a strong "don't", 31.3 about my indecisiveness, and 31.5 I can't get a handle on.

outcome of doing playgroup this fall?
48.2-> 29

Well, 48.2 is a line where some potential is just not fulfilled. I wonder if this line is about their wishy-washiness around Steiner. I read a lot of reviews of the place and they were all positive, but seemed to be coming from parents with a more materialistic/structured mindset than us (reviews mentioned how astonished parents were that their two year old was happy with open play, being blown away that the leaders were encouraging kids to use sticks and acorns in play, etc.) It seems like maybe they have taken the outward-facing aesthetics of Steiner but I'm not sure about the inner aspects of it, about the development of the soul and such, which are what really draw me. And I'm not sure what the community of parents are like. (Which brings me back to feeling like we are living in the wrong place anyway right now, we're in a very transient, money-focused city.)

Thoughts, anyone?

I'm considering enrolling my daughter in a parent-child playgroup with a good reputation. It's "Waldorf-influenced" but seems to play down its Steiner connections. Yet the Steiner connections are what draw me in so their reluctance to really commit to calling themselves Steiner gives me pause. What continues to hold my interest is that it is outdoors and my daughter doesn't get enough outdoor time.

It's not cheap, though, and I've wondered if waiting til she's older would be better. I asked Yi about it two different times over the past month, worded slightly differently. Both readings weren't so great:

advice on doing the play group this fall?
31.2.3.5 -> 2

The 2 is the draw of the outdoors, I think, and giving her grounded experience. 31.2 seems like a strong "don't", 31.3 about my indecisiveness, and 31.5 I can't get a handle on.

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My first thought is to ask if something influenced you, triggered you, to make you think of this ? It may have just been in your mind anyway but if you think back was there something you heard or read that made you think 'she needs more outdoor time' or 'she needs XYZ'. This cast looks such a picture of you soaking up influences that urge you to action and that perhaps need not really urge you to action.


So I am automatically looking at this reading as about the way this idea is influencing you. I automatically see it that you heard something, read something, someone said something to you and it sort of triggered a whole reaction in you which Yi is saying 'sshhhush' to somewhat. No you don't need to go running after what you think the playgroup will bring to her, perhaps you are being overly influenced by others ideas about what's good at this point ? People vary a great deal on how they see 31.5 but I tend to think it describes quite a deep rooted sense of direction. It's a quiet self possessed line in contrast to lines 2 and 3 which are following an influence too hastily and perhaps too much on auto pilot as in 'this is good so I must do it'. I'm not saying that's what you are doing just giving my impression of the cast so you can see what resonates. I find hexagram 2 very quiet here too. My impression is almost too much noise and reaction around this is not good for her or for you.


You say she's a Leo Sun Leo Moon so I imagine she's quite an extrovert and yet hmm I don't know it feels like you both have a quieter almost more self sufficient way of going about meeting this need.


I also wonder about over stimulation but that may be way way off.

outcome of doing playgroup this fall?
48.2-> 29

Well, 48.2 is a line where some potential is just not fulfilled. I wonder if this line is about their wishy-washiness around Steiner. I read a lot of reviews of the place and they were all positive, but seemed to be coming from parents with a more materialistic/structured mindset than us (reviews mentioned how astonished parents were that their two year old was happy with open play, being blown away that the leaders were encouraging kids to use sticks and acorns in play, etc.) It seems like maybe they have taken the outward-facing aesthetics of Steiner but I'm not sure about the inner aspects of it, about the development of the soul and such, which are what really draw me. And I'm not sure what the community of parents are like. (Which brings me back to feeling like we are living in the wrong place anyway right now, we're in a very transient, money-focused city

Click to expand...

I think of 48.2 as such a wasteful line. In it's way it seems almost the opposite in tone to 31.5 which is quietly sure of direction, instinctively sure. I think you are being called to go with your instincts. The 2 as relating in the last cast just gave me the impression of a far more quiet steady kind of certainty underlying this choice. The choice is all the fretfulness in lines 2 and 3, the 31.5 seemed to me to be your best direction. Now you asked a similar question and got 48.2>29. To me it looks wasteful, a bit frantic, bitty, especially seeing it alongside the 31.2.3.


I think there are far more effective ways to bring to baby M what you want to bring than this. It doesn't look to me to be a wise use of resources. I just kind of feel she'd benefit more from playing outside with maybe just one or two others or even just you. These casts are so kind of hyper and I feel overall just something calmer and cheaper and simpler would be better.



Of course I have no idea of how she is or what stage she is at and I'm mostly going on impressions of the casts, that is the way they make me feel, so you have to weigh it all up against the reality that I don't know. Also personally I probably wouldn't totally reject the idea without going to see the place etc if it were my cast, because of course we can get readings wrong. Having said that I don't feel these readings favour the place and get the sense it might be a bit aggravating for her in some sense, or for you and then there's the cost.....

advice on doing the play group this fall?
31.2.3.5 > 2
31.2 speaks of delay and staying indoors which is lucky (so maybe they look after children better when indoors?). 31.3 shows going after an influence which is not good. And I see line 31.5 different to Trojina. For me it means shrugging your shoulders and saying "whatever". Not good especially this is about looking after children. 2 is an empty and passive hexagram. So overall, this influence is not good to follow and the outcome is empty and passive. Which I presume is not what you want for your child.

outcome of doing playgroup this fall?
48.2 > 29
Well, 48.2 is a line where some potential is just not fulfilled. I wonder if this line is about their wishy-washiness
Most probably it's about their wishy-washiness as you put it. The well probably means the nursery, or their philosophy, or both. In any case, it's leaking, it's fishy, and it leads to danger.

Thank you both, Trojina and diamanda!

I meant to reply much sooner, but started a freelance job that took up more of my evenings than I expected. And Baby Mulberry got sick again (as babies are wont to do). She's better now.

My first thought is to ask if something influenced you, triggered you, to make you think of this ? It may have just been in your mind anyway but if you think back was there something you heard or read that made you think 'she needs more outdoor time' or 'she needs XYZ'. This cast looks such a picture of you soaking up influences that urge you to action and that perhaps need not really urge you to action.

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Trojina, I think you hit the nail on the head in terms of trying to find out what triggered me to think she needed a playgroup. The better root of it is twofold and comes from the baby herself: she loves being around other babies & children, and she is happiest when she's outside. She's learned to get her shoes and bring them to me to indicate she wishes to go outside again (and does so about three times a day). Unfortunately we don't have a garden and are stuck with city parks which should be excellent, but often have dangerous litter in them (I found a needle in some grass) and secondly, are regularly sprayed with pesticide. Ugh. We are trying to figure out moving next year, but we're here for now.

The less solid root of the influence/trigger is probably from some of my in-laws, who have made critical comments about the baby's stranger anxiety. It's pretty severe and she cries/turns away when unfamiliar relatives try to interact with her. Most of them have a very different vibe from us (more overbearing) which probably doesn't help. And most of them had daycare babies, or were constantly around the only babies they knew, which influences their perception of how she reacts, since daycare babies are used to seeing more people and babies are usually fine with people they see at least once a week.

Anyway, I don't agree with the bulk of their world views to begin with, so I shouldn't have let their comments get to me, but perhaps I did a bit.

I think there are far more effective ways to bring to baby M what you want to bring than this. It doesn't look to me to be a wise use of resources. I just kind of feel she'd benefit more from playing outside with maybe just one or two others or even just you. These casts are so kind of hyper and I feel overall just something calmer and cheaper and simpler would be better.

Click to expand...

Thank you! It was a relief to read this, Trojina. I think you're correct and I feel better about turning away from this opportunity.

31.2 speaks of delay and staying indoors which is lucky (so maybe they look after children better when indoors?).

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Thanks for this point, Diamanda. The playgroup makes use of city parkland and I'm realizing that that although I am assuming they take care to sweep it for litter and have some awareness of the pesticide spraying schedule...it's all assumption on my part, and they very well may not (or I could do a better and less distracted job on my own or with one or two friends, as per Trojina's suggestion).

Again, thank you both!!!