The I Ching – I
An Introduction
Eileen Evermore
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How I discovered the I CHING, the Chinese Book of Changes
In 1969, my husband and I spent our first summer together with our German Shepherd Dog and our two cats traveling through the American southwest and the Rocky Mountains in our Volkswagen bus. It was a real “eye opener” for me. I had travelled extensively in foreign countries, but I had lived all my life as a city girl in Los Angeles—never traveling any farther than San Francisco.
The “Four Corners” area (Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado) was magical—the stark, dramatic landscape, the ancient Indian pueblos and cliff dwellings—fascinated me. Camping at Dinosaur National Monument, I was overwhelmed by a sense of geological time and the demise of the great reptiles. Feeling very small and temporal, I thought to myself, “Is this all there is?” This was not the first time I had pondered such a question. Still, I was asking.
After Dinosaur, we went to Canyon De Chelly National Monument, where we met two women from New York City—one was a high powered, Jewish art critic who wrote for Art Forum Magazine and who had never been camping, before or since. We hiked to the White House ruins, so-called because of white clay on the walls of this cliff dwelling constructed in 1066 AD.
After our hike, we shared a meal, a campfire, and more great conversation. The next morning, as we were all preparing to go our separate ways, she approached me and said, “I want to give you this book.” It was the Wilhelm/Baynes translation of the I Ching. Thus began my lifelong relationship with the book that connects me with Spirit in its many forms. And I’d like to add, my lifelong friendship with the woman who intuited my spiritual need and who became the bearer of the “good news” that answers my questions and nurtures my soul.
A brief description of the I CHING text
The I Ching text consists primarily of sixty-four (64) chapters. Each chapter is identified by a number and a name based on a unique configuration of six lines (hexagram in English or gua in Chinese) arranged vertically from bottom to top. Each line is either straight ——– ( a yang line) or broken — —(a yin line).
These two types of lines reflect the I Ching concept of the two basic organizing principles of the universe — two forces which seem to be opposing but are actually complementary, like two sides of the same coin. The Yang is masculine, positive, active, solid (penetrating), light, and heavenly. The Yin is feminine, negative, passive, broken (open or receptive), dark, and earthly.
In simple terms, these two forces alternate: day and night, summer and winter, male and female, activity and rest. Yin is constantly changing into Yang, and Yang is constantly changing into Yin. Like a pendulum, each force can only dominate for a limited amount of time, and when its limit is reached, the pendulum must swing back in the opposite direction. And, as the forces of change ebb and flow, a variety of life experiences occur. The 64 hexagrams are said to contain all the various permutations of life’s experiences. Why 64? Because 64 is the exact number of different combinations that can be formed by 2 variables in a 6 sided figure, that is, the number 2 to the 6th power.
Each hexagram describes a different general situation, and each line describes a specific situation that changes as the general cycle runs from beginning (the bottom line) to end (the top line). Each hexagram also contains a section entitled “The Judgment,” an expression of misfortune or good fortune associated with the behaviors within the hexagram; and a section called “The Image,” which describes and explains the symbolic meaning of the hexagram as its lines are divided and analyzed. The sequence of the hexagrams follows a prescribed order.
Image Source: http://www.the-intuitive-self.org/
The content of the text is complex, surprising, enigmatic and thought- provoking. Rarely, is the text simple and straightforward. Rather, it challenges the questioner to consider heretofore unrecognized options . . . to think outside the box . . . to grow.
The briefest of histories of the I CHING
It is impossible to address the history of a three thousand year old document within the limitations of this blog. Suffice it to say that the original text consisting of hexagrams, judgments, and lines evolved through an extended period of time and were put together around 800 B. C. as a diviner’s manual for kings. The ethical component appears hundreds of years later at the time of Confucius, in the part of the text referred to as The Ten Wings. Though Confucius did not write The Ten Wings, as was once thought, there is no doubt that they are imbued with Confucian thought and wisdom.
How to use the I CHING
This method is only one of many different ways to consult the I Ching. Select three coins of the same denomination. Assigning the numerical value of 3 to “heads” and of 2 to “tails,” throw these three coins six times. Begin at the bottom line, and work, line-by-line, to the top – for a total of 6 lines. Each time you throw, add the numerical total and draw a line for each total, based on the following figure.
If the total adds up to a six, (3 tails) draw a broken line with an “X” in the middle: ( — X —)
If the total adds up to a seven, (2 tails, 1 head) draw a straight line: (———)
If the total adds up to an eight, (1 tail, 2 heads) draw a broken line: ( — —)
If the total adds to a nine, (3 heads) draw a straight line with a “O” in the middle (—-O—-)
These are the only possible combinations for this three coin method. Lets look at an example. Suppose you threw the following hexagram:
6th throw (1 tail, 2 heads) = 8: —- —-
5th throw (1 tail, 2 heads) = 8: —- —-
4th throw (1 tail, 2 heads) = 8: —- —-
3rd throw (2 tails, 1 head) = 7 : ———-
2nd throw (2 tails, 1 head) = 7: ———-
1st throw (3 heads) = 9: —-O—-
Every I Ching text has a self-explanatory Hexagram Chart which will identify your hexagram. Use only the lines. The “X’s” and “O’s” are not used in the chart. They indicate that a line that has reached the end of its influence and is about to change into its opposite, that is, a line with all heads or all tails which is called “a change line.” A change line is significant because it indicates your specific circumstance within the general situation, and by changing into its opposite, it creates a new hexagram, indicating a different situation which will follow. Thus, Hexagram 11, for example, Peace, is followed by Hexagram 46, Pushing Upward (Ascending):
—- —- —- —-
—- —- —- —-
—- —- —- —-
———- ———-
———- ———-
—-O—- —- —-
11 46
The situation in Hexagram 11 is one of harmony and prosperity, a time of Heaven on Earth where people unite for common goals that benefit everyone. The 9 in the first line states: “When reeds of grass are pulled up, other roots of the same kind follow them.” This metaphor occurs at the beginning of a time of peace. It indicates a person of value who goes into the world to accomplish something that will benefit everyone. Like-minded people will join him/her, and this cooperation at the beginning insures the success of the good times and helps to make them last. If you are the questioner here, it is time to set a worthy goal and go into the world to accomplish it. “To set forth brings good fortune.” Your deeds will draw other like-minded people and together you will accomplish great things.
But this situation cannot last forever; it will be followed by Hexagram 46, Pushing Upward. The easy success of Peace will be followed by continuing progress, but this second stage will require greater effort, including persistence and devotion where small advantages are accumulated slowly.
If you have more than one change line in a hexagram, I recommend that you use Alfred Huang’s method of narrowing your choice to one. See his translation, The Complete I Ching.
When to uise the I CHING
I Ching is not a document with a set of principles to be memorized. It is an oracle, meaning that it is designed for use–for consultation and application. The more you use it, the more you will learn about it.
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