Introduction to the I Ching
Apart from being a book of wisdom in the ancient Chinese tradition, the I Ching was also consulted on questions of state, warfare and personal decision making. It is this aspect of it which is dealt with here. Consulting the I Ching does not present us with statements of what will happen as a fated future. The wisdom behind the book does not see the future as unalterably fixed, but rather like a constantly shifting flux similar to the seasons, with which we can interact. What we receive in a consultation is like a conversation with a wise and experienced friend, who through their experience might point out that if we take our present course within the situation as it stands, the results might be in a direction we do not wish – but if we take another attitude circumstances could change, then we can act more forcefully and effectively.
The I Ching intrigued me, not so much because it is a very ancient book, the culmination of many great minds and a great culture, but because it was largely couched in symbols. My work with dreams and the way people use imagery in thinking and expression, made me want to tackle the I Ching. I wanted to see if I could put into clearer English what is usually said in rather poetic and indefinite prose. Below you can access two working examples of people consulting the I Ching. The text is from my interpretation – originally written for New Zealand Teletext as phone in scripts but never used by them. If you are unacquainted with the I Ching there is also a brief explanation of its principles.
“Your I Ching interpretation(s) are, ultimately, the best I have seen. DEEP BOW. – Sara”
The Hexagrams
| U | P | P | E | R | |||||
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1 | 34 | 5 | 26 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 43 | |
| L |  |
25 | 51 | 3 | 27 | 24 | 42 | 21 | 17 |
| O |  |
6 | 40 | 29 | 4 | 7 | 59 | 64 | 47 |
| W |  |
33 | 62 | 39 | 52 | 15 | 53 | 56 | 31 |
| E |  |
12 | 16 | 8 | 23 | 2 | 20 | 35 | 45 |
| R |  |
44 | 32 | 48 | 18 | 46 | 57 | 50 | 28 |
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13 | 55 | 63 | 22 | 36 | 37 | 30 | 49 | |
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10 | 54 | 60 | 41 | 19 | 61 | 38 | 58 |
Comments
Hi, I’m reading I-ching an chinese zodiac at the websute oranum. I found this page very handy. Would you mind if I link to this page at my personal profile, so people can access a brief description on what is the I-Ching and how to make a consult, so they get a well written explanation on this and get encouraged to have I-Ching readings at their desire?
Thanks
Mario – By all means link with my I-Ching page. You are welcome.
Tony
Thank you for this useful translation
A – Thanks. It was a joyful exercise.
Hi,
I’ve been working with i-ching for many years and I’ve been mostly finding it very wise, calming and helpful. Recently I’ve got a serious emotional problem and need advise but some of the readings seem to me a bit inconprehesible like having 25 with the fifth line changing and then 21. I find them giving opposite advice. I would appreciate a lot if you could you help me with understanding it (if possible, write to my e-mail address, please)
Burman – Thanks. I am still working on it.
Tony
I would like to know more about your work with the Yi Jing.
G.
Geoffrey – There isn’t much to tell. As I said in the introduction I am interested in the symbols we live with and use. Also I used the Yi Jing, following Jung’s example, but later found that my own intuition and dreams were remarkable tools.
But I did put it on my web site. I had a bad experience with New Zealand Teletext, who told me they would use it online. But after weeks of work they didn’t even reply to my mails when I told them the work was finished. So now I have published it on my site and also in Kindle.
However, I do feel there is much I still need to understand about the Yi Jing.
Tony
Thank you for this introduction. Tomorrow I am going to find a beautiful spot to sit, clear my head, define my question and throw some pennies. Your introduction is clear and easy to understand.
How may I obtain a reading?
Sharyn – You simply write a dream to me here as you did with this question. It usually takes a while because I cannot keep up with the amount of people writing. But I will look for any dream you post her and will put you in front of the queue.
Tony