Life is rarely simple.
Most situations involve more than two forces and more than one balancing act.
Sometimes a three-part model (a triad) is enough, but often we face challenges that feel layered, multidimensional, or emotionally tangled.
That’s where triads and hexads become useful.
A Triad is a three-part framework.
A Hexad is the original Triad with its opposite, 2 sides of one coin.
A Level 2 hexad is a six-part framework that can help you map the whole landscape of an experience, including tensions, opportunities, hidden factors, and possible next steps. It consists of 2 or more hexads.
Triads and Hexads give you structure without rigidity, clarity without oversimplifying, and a grounded way to see the whole picture at once. Not everyone will have the same triads. Each part should be represented symbolically. This is where visualization comes in; by rotating these “objects” in your mind, you are symbolically working on the problem. The most potent parts of your mind use symbols; holding these new symbols in your mind allows for those subconscious processes to help you.
Why Three?
Humans naturally think in opposites, yes or no, good or bad, stay or go.
But life doesn’t resolve itself at the extremes.
The third element of a triad is where clarity lives. The third element is also context-sensitive
It represents:
- balance
- regulation
- adaptation
- integration
It is the space where choice becomes possible.
How Triads Help
Triads are useful because they:
- reduce overwhelm
- bring structure to emotion
- clarify decisions
- ground symbolic thinking
- replace rigid rules with flexible navigation
Instead of asking “Which side is right?”
A triad asks, “How do these forces relate?”
An Example
Consider this simple triad:
Stability — Change — Adaptation
- Stability is what supports you.
- Change is what challenges you.
- Adaptation is how you respond without losing yourself.
This single triad can help you understand stress, growth, relationships, and transitions — without judgment or dogma.
What This Handbook Is (and Isn’t)
This handbook is not a belief system.
It does not require faith, obedience, or agreement.
Triads are tools.
You can use them, modify them, or set them aside.
Their purpose is to help you:
- think clearly
- stay grounded
- and make sense of complexity without oversimplifying it.
How to Use Triads
You don’t need to memorize anything.
When something feels confusing, ask:
- What is the situation or “Thing”
- What is its opposite?
- What is the relationship between them?
- Where do I have room to respond?
That’s a triad in action.
A Beginning, Not a Conclusion
Triads are not answers.
They are maps.
They won’t tell you where to go , but they will help you understand where you are.
This handbook begins with triads because they are one of the simplest ways to rebuild orientation, especially when old frameworks no longer fit.
Everything that follows builds on this idea:
clarity comes from relationship, not certainty.
What Is a Hexad?
A hexad has six components:
1. Two opposing forces
2. Two supportive or contextual forces
3. One integrative insight
4. One actionable direction
This structure mirrors how complex systems actually behave.
Life rarely moves in straight lines; it moves in networks, layers, and loops.
A hexad gives you a map.
Why Hexads Work
Hexads help you understand not just the tension, but:
- the context around it
- the psychological environment
- the internal reactions
- the possible paths forward
Instead of feeling stuck between two poles, you gain a 360° view of what’s happening.
Hexads are especially helpful after leaving high-control environments (religious or otherwise), during identity reconstruction, or in periods of major transition.
Three Practical Hexads You Can Use Today
Below are three simple, powerful hexads designed for real human experiences, not theory, not abstraction.
🔷 Hexad 1: Leaving a System & Rebuilding Self
This hexad is especially useful for people leaving restrictive belief systems, relationships, jobs, or identities.
A. Old Structure
The rules, expectations, and identity you were given.
B. New Freedom
The open space, possibilities, and uncertainty you now face.
C. Fear
Natural self-protection: “What if I’m wrong? What if I can’t do this alone?”
D. Curiosity
Natural exploration: “What if life is bigger than what I was told?”
E. Integration Insight
Growth comes from honoring both the loss and the opportunity.
F. Action Direction
Experiment gently. Build self-trust through small wins.
This hexad helps you see the emotional, psychological, and practical layers of transition without collapsing them into one feeling. Fear is natural; curiosity is the natural follow-up emotion when the danger isn’t immediate.
🔷 Hexad 2: Decision-Making Under Pressure
Most big decisions don’t have a single “right” answer, they have trade-offs.
A. Desire
What you want.
B. Consequence
What the choice will cost or change.
C. Emotion
How the idea feels in your body.
D. Logic
What the evidence suggests.
E. Integration Insight
A wise decision respects both your heart and your context.
F. Action Direction
Move toward the option that reduces long-term regret, not short-term discomfort.
This hexad helps you avoid impulsive choices and avoid paralysis at the same time.
🔷 Hexad 3: Healing & Emotional Regulation
When emotions run high, we often feel pulled in multiple directions at once.
This hexad gives structure to that experience.
A. Trigger
What happened externally.
B. Interpretation
What story your mind attached to it.
C. Emotion
What you felt — anger, sadness, fear, shame.
D. Need
What the emotion is trying to tell you.
E. Integration Insight
Your emotions are signals, not commands.
F. Action Direction
Respond in a way that meets the need without escalating the emotion.
This hexad helps you separate the layers of an internal reaction and regain agency.
How to Use Hexads in Daily Life
You don’t need to memorize anything.
Just choose one hexad when you feel:
- overwhelmed
- stuck between options
- confused by emotion
- unsure of your next step
Ask yourself:
“Where am I in this six-part map?”
Most people find clarity within minutes because the hexad gives them a framework to sort the noise from the signal.
Hexads Are Maps — Not Rules
You’re not meant to follow a hexad like a doctrine.
You’re meant to use it like a flashlight:
- to illuminate hidden assumptions
- to uncover missing factors
- to bring structure to complexity
- to find a direction when everything feels tangled
Hexads don’t tell you what to believe.
They simply show you how to navigate your life with more coherence, agency, and grounded awareness.
Final Thoughts
Triads give us balance.
Hexads give us context.
Together they form a gentle, powerful system for understanding the inner and outer world without dogma or metaphysics. They’re especially useful for people reconstructing identity, meaning, and intuition after leaving controlling systems.
The Wayfinder's Spiral 