Category:I Ching
From Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers
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The I Ching, or Book of Changes, is an ancient Chinese method of divination. It is at least 3,000 years old and is widely considered to be a sacred text within the Taoist and Confucian traditions. Fortune telling with this ancient text results in powerful readings that can guide a client toward the best response to any given situation. The responses given by the I Ching are made up of a collection of aphorisms, historical examples or situations with known results, and theoretical outcomes based on moral values and ethical considerations.
The I Ching diviner uses yarrow stalks, coins, or marbles to determine which one of 64 hexagrams defines the situation, with an additional 256 "line" readings potentially offering deeper details. This is a powerful form of consultation when action is required. In fact, those who work with this system of divination often remark on the fact that The Book of Changes seems to have been originated and organized for practical use by readers who work with clients who are actively seeking to accomplish changes in their lives. In addition to its religious or scriptural value, this ancient sacred text has long found popular favour for use in bibliomancy, which is a form of divination or fortune telling conducted by means of a book.
Because the I Ching is written in a very old form of Chinese, it may seem to be an obscure form of fortune telling for Americans, Europeans, and Africans. However, like Chinese food, it has been popular among English speakers since the early 20th century. Those who like methods of sortilege and mathematical systems of telling the future naturally gravitate toward the I Ching as one of the most sophisticated and most deeply thought-out forms of seeing one's way forward that has ever been devised. (The West African diloggun method of reading shells, which has 256 outcomes, can be compared to the 256 changing lines in I Ching -- but the I Ching is ultimately more intricate because its use of 6 independently variable changing lines per hexagram actually results in 4,096 possible combinations.)
The Ba Gua and the Trigrams
The Ba Gua ("eight areas") is a diagram that arose from ancient Chinese Lo Shu Square numerology, whose numerical pattern was first observed by the Emperor Yu on the shell of a gigantic Tortoise who emerged from the Lo river. This pattern gave rise to the Ba Gua or Eight Trigram Diagram of the Universe, designed by the Emperor Fu Xi and completed by King Wen and the Duke of Zhou. When the trigrams were doubled they became the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching book of divination. The Ba Gua diagram consists of eight different three-line patterns: Heaven, Earth, Fire, Water, Wind, Thunder, Mountain, and Lake. The trigrams are identified with the seasons of the year, and with elements of nature.
Viewed as pairs that represent positive (yang) and negative (yin) forms of the classical four elements, they are;
--
- Ch'ien / Quian - Heaven or Sky
- Sun / Xun - Wind
--
- K'un / Kun - Earth
- Ken / Gen - Mountain
--
- Li - Fire or The Sun
- Chen / Zhen -Thunder
- K'an / Kan - Water
- Tui / Dui - Lake or Marsh
Viewed as pairs of complementary opposites, they are
--
- Ch'ien / Quian - Heaven or Sky
- K'un / Kun - Earth
--
- Li - Fire or The Sun
- K'an / Kan - Water
--
- Sun / Xun - Wind
- Chen / Zhen -Thunder
- Tui / Dui - Lake or Marsh
- Ken / Gen - Mountain
The eight trigrams are often depicted surrounding the Tai Chi ("Supreme Ultimate") symbol, which many Americans call the "Yin-Yang. symbol." This composite pattern of Tai Chi and trigrams is called the Ba Gua or Eight Areas. In addition to its connection to the I Ching, the Ba Gua, as an amulet or talisman, is an important element in the folk magic of Chinese Taoism.
The Hexagrams
The trigrams themselves, as forces of nature or seasonality, can exist independently outside the I Ching oracle of divination. However, in order to see one's place in the current flow of events and make the best choices for the future, variability must be introduced into the system. This is done by stacking one trigram atop another, so that a more complex and dynamic figure called a hexagram is formed. There are 64 possible hexagrams, increasing our divination from 8 to 64 ways forward.
For example:
- When the trigram for Mountain is beneath the trigram for Earth, the resultant hexagram, number 15, is called Humility. This is because the idea is formed of mountains so submissive and humble that they do not break through and emerge above the earth, and this leads one to think of strong and capable people who are content to live as common folks and not seek prominence or fame.
- When the trigram for Water is above the trigram for Sky or Heaven, the resultant hexagram, number 5, is called Waiting. This is because watery clouds in the sky portend a change in the weather, but all we can do until the cloudburst comes is to look upward, expecting rain.
The Lines
The methods used to derive the hexagrams are simple forms of sortilege. They include counting random sortings of 50 yarrow stacks, counting the numbers assigned to heads and tails of 3 tossed coins, or counting the colours of randomly selected from an array of 16 marbles or beads.
Each time the reader casts the coins or yarrow stalks, or selects an object from an array of sixteen objects, a figure will result which is called a "line."
There are two types of lines:
- "firm," "straight," or "yang" (---)
- "yielding," "broken," or "yin" (- -)
Combining these two types of lines in groups of 3 gives an array of 8 trigrams.
Casting two trigrams of 3 lines each results in a figure consisting of 6 lines, called the hexagram. Since each line may be either yin or yang, this results in a total of 64 possible 6-lined patterns.
The Changing Lines
Every hexagram is made up of two trigrams, and if that was all there was to the I Ching, we would have a system whose complexity would fall between that of a one card draw in playing cards (52 choices) or tarot (78 choices).
However, as with card reading, more complexity -- and thus more relevance to life's situations and problems -- is introduced. This is not done in the form of a layout, as with cards, in which multiple cards are pulled at random, laid down in a pattern and read according to that pattern. Instead, the complexity is introduced by building a hexagram, line by line, from the bottom to the top, in six stages, and at every stage introducing the possibility of change or divergence from the hexagram that is being produced.
The way the lines are allowed to change is through a simple bit of math. If even lines are "yin" or broken lines and straight lines are "yang" or unbroken lines, it is a simple matter to subdivide the yin and yang lines further into "young yin and young yang" which do not change, and "old yin" or "old yang" which change into their opposites. This attenuation through age and transformation of something into its opposite is what is expressed at the heart of the ba gua figure -- the tai chi, which shows the seed of the opposite at the center of each of the two swirling forms that comprise it.
In counting out the lines with yarrow stalks, coins, or sixteen objects, the numbers achieved with always total 6, 7, 8, or 9
- 6: The sum 2 + 2 + 2 = 6. Six is the old yin, a yielding line that moves from yin to yang.
- It is represented by a broken line that changes to a straight line: -x-
- 7: The sum 2 + 2 + 3 = 7. Seven is the young yang, a firm line that does not change. It is not taken into account as an individual line for the purpose of divination, only for the formation of the hexagram.
- It is represented by a straight line: ---
- 8: The sum 2 + 3 + 3 = 8. Eight is the young yin, a yielding line that does not change. It is not taken into account as an individual line for the purpose of divination, only for the formation of the hexagram.
- It is represented by a broken line: - -
- 9: The sum 3 + 3 + 3 = 9. Nine is the old yang, a firm line that moves from yang to yin.
- It is represented by a straight line that changes to a broken line: -o-
In other words, the I Ching hexagrams are built up by the diviner in response to the seemingly random toss of yarrow stalks, coins, dice, or other inanimate objects. These are counted, and the result will either be a single, fixed hexagram, or a hexagram with moving or changing lines that transforms into another hexagram. And this is why the I Ching is called "The Book of Changes."
The Judgements and Images on the Hexagrams
Each of the 64 possible hexagrams has a name and an oracular verse in the I Ching. Each suggests a particular way of dealing with the situation about which the question has been asked. These are called the images -- a description of what the patterns of lines suggests to the visual mind -- and the judgements -- a suggestion about what is happening, what can be expected to happen in the future, and the best path forward during these circumstances.
For example:
- Hexagram 35 is called Advancement or Progress.
- The trigrams that compose it are Fire or the Sun over Earth.
- The image this presents is of sunlight emerging above the horizon and, just as the day progresses, so does civilization itself progress, while people of culture and ethics reflect these advances far and wide.
- The judgement or action plan for this hexagram is the cryptic notation that during this time of advancement, a secure leader "uses gift horses in abundance" -- that is, rewards those working toward the goals of progress and "holds meetings three times a day" -- that is, consults with project members frequently to see how the work is going, and to keep everyone on task and connected to one another and to the greater goal.
The specific wordings in the images and judgements are so well known that they have in a sense become memes or short mnemonic aphorisms, in much the same way that fragments of the Psalms, phrases from Shakespeare's plays, or the lyrics of once-popular songs are quoted internally or in conversations to express the speaker's conformation with an ancient source of wisdom.
The Judgements and Images on the Changing Lines
In addition to the 64 basic hexagrams, with their images and judgements, there are also a total of 256 "line" readings, one for each of the 6 lines that make up each hexagram.
These line readings are only used if the casting turns up one or more numerical line combinations 6 or 9, indicating that one hexagram or way of dealing with the situation is about to transform into another. When this occurs, the transformation is made by "changing lines" -- that is, some of the straight lines are replaced by broken lines, or vice versa.
Just as the Hexagrams have images and judgements, so do the lines, but it is important to only read those lines which have the numerical value of 6 or 9, and are actual changing lines.
The judgements and images on the changing lines are short. They are typically prescriptive or advisory, and they often contain visual images drawn from the substance of the hexagram and the trigrams that comprise it.
- The line judgements and images may be helpfully assistive and recommend a good way to act: "Sincerity in doing good is auspicious" (Hexagram 17, "Following," Line 5) tells the querent, "If you do this, you will benefit."
- The line judgements and images may contain a warning: "Bound with rope and put in a briars, you will be helpless for three years" (Hexagram 29,"The Abysmal," line 6) tells the querent, "If you persist in this, you will come to harm"
I Ching Divination with Yarrow Stalks
One of the texts that makes up the I Ching is called the Ten Wings. In it, this description is given of how to build up the hexagram lines by using stalks of the yarrow plant:
- One takes fifty yarrow stalks, of which only forty-nine are used. These forty-nine are first divided into two heaps at random, then a stalk from the right-hand heap is inserted between the ring finger and the little finger of the left hand. The left heap is counted through by fours, and the remainder (four or less) is inserted between the ring finger and the middle finger. The same thing is done with the right heap, and the remainder inserted between the forefinger and the middle finger. This constitutes one change.
- Now one is holding in one's hand either five or nine stalks in all. The two remaining heaps are put together, and the same process is repeated twice. These second and third times, one obtains either four or eight stalks. The five stalks of the first counting and the four of each of the succeeding countings are regarded as a unit having the numerical value three; the nine stalks of the first counting and the eight of the succeeding countings have the numerical value two.
- When three successive countings produce the sum 2 + 2 + 2 = 6, this makes old yin, a yielding line that moves from yin to yang.
- It is represented by a broken line that changes to a straight line: -x-
- When three successive countings produce the sum 3 + 2 + 2 = 7, this is the young yang and it is not taken into account as an individual line for the purpose of divination, only for the formation of the hexagram.
- It is represented by a straight line: ---
- When three successive countings produce the sum 3 + 2 + 2 = 8, this is the young yin and it is not taken into account as an individual line for the purpose of divination, only for the formation of the hexagram.
- It is represented by a broken line: - -
- When three successive counting produce the sum 3 + 3 + 3 = 9, this makes the old yang, i.e., a firm line that moves from yang to yin.
- It is represented by a straight line that changes to a broken line: -o-
Casting the I Ching with Yarrow stacks can take from ten to twenty minutes, and for this reason, shorter forms of casting have been developed.
I Ching Divination with Coins
During the Han Dynasty (202 BCE – 220 CE), the method of reading the I Ching by means of three coins began to replace the older yarrow stalk reading method. In this method, there is equal probability of getting each of the four variants of types of lines.
To read the I Ching with coins, the diviner selects three coins that can be distinguished heads from tails. Old-style Chinese cash coins are the favourite of many, but any coins will do. A value of 2 is assigned to one side (say, heads) and a value of 3 is assigned to the other side (say, tails). For each line of the I Ching Hexagram, starting at the bottom, the three coins are thrown one time, simultaneously, and the numbers are added up. In the above example, the results would be as follows:
- Three tails = 2 + 2 + 2 or 6
- This is called old yin, yin changing into yang, or moving yin.
- It is represented by a broken line that changes to a straight line: -x-
- Two tails and 1 head = 3 + 2 + 2 or 7
- This is called young yang or unchanging yang.
- It is represented by a straight line: ---
- Two heads and 1 tail = 3 + 3 + 2 or 8
- This is called young yin or unchanging yin.
- It is represented by a broken line: - -
- Three heads = 3 + 3 + 3 or 9
- This is called old yang, yang changing into yin, or moving yang.
- It is represented by a straight line that changes to a broken line: -o-
Antique Chinese coins, modern reproductions of vintage Chinese coins, or any three modern coins or tokens with identifiable heads and tails can be used in this method.
I Ching Divination with Marbles or Beads
More recently, the "16 marble method" and "16 bead method" have been taught as an alternative to the use of three coins, as it exactly replicates the probabilities resulting from use of the older yarrow stalk method.
To read the I Ching with stones, beads, marbles, or other small tokens, you will need 16 items of identical size, weight, and texture, and they must be divided into four different and identifiable colours as follows:
- The object of which there is only one represents a changing yielding line.
- This is old yin, yin changing into yang, moving yin, or number 6.
- It is represented by a broken line that changes to a straight line: -x-
- An object of which thee are five will represent a non-changing firm line.
- This is young yang, unchanging yang, or number 7.
- It is represented by a straight line: ---
- An object of which there are seven will represent a non-changing yielding line.
- This is young yin, unchanging yin, or number 8.
- It is represented by a broken line: - -
- An object of which there are three will represent a changing firm line.
- This is old yang, yang changing into yin, moving yang, or number 9.
- It is shown using a straight line that changes to a broken line: -o-
If using marbles, the sixteen objects are placed in a small bag and shaken, then one is withdrawn blind from the bag. Its corresponding line is written down, and it is returned to the bag for the next pull.
If using beads, the sixteen of them may be strung on a bracelet. You close your eyes and select one at random, note its colour, close your eyes, and choose again -- until six beads have been chosen.
This methodology clearly shows the "bias" inherent in the oracle toward YIELDING or yin. Ten of the lines are either outright yielding or changing into yielding. Inaction is thus counseled a majority of the time.
Bibliomancy with the I Ching
For more information, plus a list of AIRR Certified Bibliomancers, see the page on Bibliomancy.
Although the I Ching is traditionally regarded as a repository of divinatory parables which are interpreted by a skilled reader, it can also be used as a volume of sacred lore and kept on or near an altar, where its advice may be consulted via bibliomancy, that is, by reading randomly selected passages in the book itself.
Translations of the I Ching vary in verbal accuracy, literary quality, cultural backgrounding, and practicality of use. The most popular English version -- the so-called "Wilhelm-Baynes I Ching" translated by Richard Wilhelm and Cary F. Baynes -- was first published in English in 1951 and has never been out of print. bibliomantic I Ching is not found in China, but has been adopted by American psychic readers who are familiar with using the Bible for bibliomancy.
The I Ching became popular for bibliomancy in America during the 1960s, specifically with the Wilhelm-Baynes English translation, in part because this edition, contains the core text and all of the traditional commentaries on the hexagrams, as well as interpretive explanatory matter, and is about the size of a conventional King James Bible, to which Americans were already habituated as a source-book for Bibliomancy
However, at 750 pages and a weight of almost one-and-a-half pounds, The Wilhelm-Baynes I Ching is not practical to tote about. This has led to the production of pocket-sized I Ching books, of which the most popular is the Thomas Cleary I Ching Pocket Classic, which is widely employed by readers already familiar with the Wilhelm-Baynes translation to give readings in public spaces such as psychic fairs.
The small pocket book can be used for a conventional yarrow stalk, coin, or marble reading, of course, but it is also convenient for bibliomancy, which is accomplished by quickly riffling the pages and inserting a finger, twice -- once for the first hexagram and once for the second -- and then quickly assessing which lines would have to be changing lines in order to get from the first hexagram to the second. This is retracing of the steps is backward from the regular method of I Ching reading, in which the building up of the changing lines only gradually reveals the second hexagram. However, it actually works well in the context of a table-top reading in which tit is inadvisable to have the sitter distracted by a psychic who is endlessly thumbing through the ponderous Wilhelm-Baynes tome.
In the hands of an experienced bibliomantic I Ching reader, the brief Cleary changing lines are simply used as convenient mnemonics to stimulate previous knowledge of the Wilhelm-Baynes originals, which can then be spoken in part or in full, in much the same way that a good Bible scholar may be able to quote at least the first verse of any of the Bible Psalms by number.
I Ching Cards
Another form of I Ching reading is that which combines the Chinese material with cartomancy, resulting in I Ching card reading decks. These have been available since the 1970s in various forms.
The earliest I Ching card deck was the popular A.G. Muller release of 1971, a 64-card deck which came with a set of three casting coins. Most I Ching decks developed since then have consisted of 64 cards, one for each hexagram, with a simple interpretation affixed. In a way, they are more like flash cards for learning the I Ching than tools of divination by sortilege. Even when illustrated with nice art, they do not convey the shifting flexibility of an I Ching reading.
A much more satisfactory example is the I Ching Oracle Deck known as "The Pai ("cards") of Panda," by Z. Mann Zilla which came out in 2023. This deck consists of 32 trigram cards and a 100-page pocket-sized book outlining the meanings of the 64 numbered hexagrams. To use the cards, the deck is shuffled, then the first hexagrams is built by drawing two trigram cards. Then the second hexagram is selected in the same way and placed beside it, to the right. Next, a comparison is made between the two hexagrams clearly shows the changing lines, and, finally, a unique design of visual keys along the bottom cards allows you to find the numbers of both resultant hexagrams. These keys are cleverly built into each card, so the reader can quickly refer to the book for a short, one-page interpretation with keywords.
No specific judgements are provided on the 256 changing lines in the "Pai of Panda's" brief book, and so the reader is instructed and encouraged to use inspiration and narrative experience to develop a "path" between the two situations described by the two hexagrams. Although this works well for most intuitive readers, fans of the Wilhelm-Baynes complete translation may regret that the distinctively poetic and specifically evocative images of the lines themselves are lost -- but, through one of those delightful synchronicities that surround I Ching divination, the Thomas Cleary "Pocket I Ching" is almost exactly the same size as the "Pai of Panda" cards and book. This means that the "Pai" deck and both books can fit neatly into a single cloth carrying bag, and the lines can be read by consulting the Cleary book, if necessary. The result is an impressive visual layout for the sitter with the minimum of fussy look-ups for the diviner.
Credits
This page is brought to you by the AIRR Tech Team:
- Author: catherine yronwode
- Contributors: nagasiva yronwode, Deacon Millett, ConjureMan, Miss Michaele, Papa Newt, Reverend James, Dr. E.
- Images: catherine yronwode, nagasiva yronwode, Deacon Millett, Bollingen, Shamballa, Z. Man Zilla, Unknown Artists and Photographers; photo-edited by catherine yronwode
See Also
Divination
- Divination and Fortune Telling by the I Ching or Chinese Classic Book of Changes
AIRR Readers & Rootworkers Who Perform This Work for Clients
Pages in category "I Ching"
The following 5 pages are in this category, out of 5 total.
