The Knight of Pentacles and how I decided to join I Ho Chuan. I like to think of being an adult as being similar to one of those circus performers who spins plates. You start off with a couple of plates, but you get pretty good at keeping them spinning, so you add more. As you get older, the number of plates you can keep spinning at once is pretty decent. The number of plates or the quality of spinning might fluctuate a little, but your progress usually goes up. This past spring, I went through a personal crisis. Without a lot of warning, and for no reason I've still been able to come up with, my ability to spin plates went wildly downhill. I questioned everything about myself and my life. I became anxious, depressed and suffered panic attacks. My brain seemed to be stuck in molasses. I pulled out of all social and extracurricular obligations, and concentrated on keeping the essential plates spinning: sleep, family, job. I got help, ...