Hello, I’m Jingel, founder of 12Stages. Since childhood, I kept asking why we are alive and what life means. Growing up was difficult—not the most tragic story, but far from happy and full of challenges. That search for meaning began early.
I attended gatherings from different religions, out of curiosity and in the hope of finding something to help me keep going through a painful life. As I grew older, life did not immediately get easier. I turned to BaZi, Zi Wei, astrology, and other metaphysical systems, hoping to understand why my life was the way it was. Some readings felt accurate; others did not fit. I still could not find the answer I was looking for.
Looking back, I went through many hard times. Making it past thirty felt like a miracle. I had grown used to hardship; when life became difficult, I told myself to grit my teeth and get through it. Even so, I completed a finance degree and later pursued an accounting qualification. As life gradually improved, I began asking: Why was my life set up this way? If a reading said things would improve in midlife, how was that decided? Why should my future be fixed?
I kept reading about metaphysical systems, psychology, philosophy, and cognitive science, thinking about the meaning of life, why we live, and the fact that we all die. As a child, I was afraid of ghosts and avoided the subject of life after death. That began to change after I read a Taiwanese author’s story about her connection with her soul. I started to see these subjects from a different angle and to question how movies and familiar stereotypes shaped my fear. Awakening may happen in a moment, but understanding yourself is a lifelong practice.
What gives life meaning
After searching for a long time, I came to feel that life does not need one grand answer before it can be lived. To live, to love, and to create are the meaning of life to me.
We can enjoy the view before us, listen to music we love, taste good food, and feel the presence of people we love and those who love us. Even sitting quietly in the sun is an experience.
To live is the beginning of meaning.
The rest is ours to write through the ways we experience, love, and create.
Why I created 12Stages
I see metaphysical systems as starting maps: they can offer perspective, but cannot include everything that shapes a life—family, society, country, and each person’s unique experience. The 12Stages Life Script reading looks at the Soul Road Map (a life’s default setting), the Life Script (the details of how life unfolds), and rewriting after patterns are recognized: making choices around our own preferences and goals, in alignment with our soul and higher self.
12Stages was created to accompany people who feel lost or stuck, helping them notice patterns, understand where they are, and consider new choices. Life Script is one path for exploration, not a standard answer everyone has to accept. We do not have to follow the original script for a whole lifetime. Once we see its patterns, we can take part in rewriting it and create a life story with ourselves at the center.
Metaphysical systems and Life Script are tools for exploration, not verdicts on who you are. My hope is that everyone can learn to use them to find their way back to themselves, and to live as themselves.
Find your own way in
If you’re new to these ideas, the blog is a gentle place to begin. You can also try the Inner Scan or learn more about a full 12Stages Life Script reading.
The Guardian story gives this exploration a language of companionship — meet the loyal fan who never leaves the front row.