The I Ching, Guide to the Magic in Life

 

                                    

                                                                    by

 

                                              Paul Gallagher

 

Just before dawn...in the crisp, late Winter air of the Kingdom of Chou some 3000 years ago...It is Feb 5th, a day that later comes to be known as Li Chun, "Beginning Ch'i of Spring." Time for the Spring Divination, when the shamans and diviners of the Royal Court come to prognosticate the most auspicious time for planting the new crops.

 

At the very break of day, to the rhythmic throbbing of deep drums and the lilting trill of ceramic and bamboo flutes, the royal Diviners come into the palace courtyard, arrayed in robes of brilliant color. The last of the Diviners, the King's Master of Portents carries in his arms a bundle of three foot long Siberian Yarrow stalks. The King poses the query about the most auspicious day for the Spring planting. As the drumbeats accelerate and the flutes play to a crescendo of intensity, the Master Diviner throws wide his arms and the several dozen yarrow stalks are flung to the ground.

 

Peering at the patterns displayed by the stalks, the Master Diviner begins to utter cryptic  divinatory phrases:  "Dense clouds, no rain from the Western Border..."   "...Place white rushes underneath with caution..."   " The Prince shoots a hawk on the high wall..."

 

Such are the origins of the I Ching or Classic of Changes, the most profound book of ancient China. The patterns displayed by the Yarrow stalks became codified into 64 linear figures which we know in the West as "Hexagrams." And the early divinatory phrases of the Shang Dynasty diviners were gathered into short poems which described each Hexagram as a whole, and then each separate line.

 

Today the I Ching is used most often in the West as a book of divination to solve life's complex problems. In China it is used (mostly by a few scholars) primarily as a book of Wisdom to be studied for a lifetime.

 

The paradox is that most Westerners who "toss the coins" to divine from  the I Ching have little or no knowledge of the book's origins, history, or subtle layers of meaning and imagery. And the Chinese scholars, who know the history and imagery are  typically  too modest to use the book for divination, but use it as a repository of Wisdom.

 

Oddly, though, in some ways Westerners are closer to the mark than many I Ching scholars. for while the I (short for I Ching) has become encumbered  by countless layers of commentary and scholarship in China, it was originally a book of shamanic divination through which an ardent questioner could get a "direct perception into the heart of things" by suddenly understanding the inner meaning of an image or life situation.

I'll illustrate at the end of this article.

 

Right now I'd like to give you a way to study and learn from the I Ching and from Life in a way that more closely approximates what I believe to be the original shamanic intent of the Book.

 

This article is the result of my more than 35 years of studying the I, using it in divination, and trying to absorb its wisdom. Let's get right into a real practical approach:

                       

 THE  BEST WAY TO "STUDY" THE I CHING

 

1)  Learn Trigram imagery really well. The Trigrams are the three-lined figures which compose each Hexagram. Each Hexagram is composed of four Trigrams, two Major (the top and bottom Trigrams) and two Minor (the Intermediate). Let's talk a look at one here:

 

                          Hexagram # 35    

 

                            ----------

                            ----  ----

                            ----------

                            ----  ----

                            ----  ----

                             ---- ----            

 

                                       

The Lower Trigram K'un represents the earth, and the Upper Trigram represents the Sun; hence the Sun rising over the Earth, a most auspicious omen. But if we look at the Intermediate Trigrams we see Ken (Mountain) and K'an, an Abyss, so there is a mountain (or steep mountain path) and an abyss facing us somewhere within this seemingly  auspicious situation.

 

By studying Trigram imagery carefully for a period of time and by observing Nature,  people, and situations from the perspective of imagery (almost archetypal imagery--such as Mountain, Stream, Sun, Moon, Father, Mother, Horse, Wagon, etc., etc.) you will eventually be able to see and interpret the complex layers of symbols in the I Ching and thus refine the quality and relevance of information you get when you use the I in divination.

 

There's an important point here--one which confuses  many Westerners who wish to learn from this most august Classic of Wisdom. The specific references in the I Ching must be interpreted symbolically. Thus a "King" or  "Prince" is not so much a male authority figure as ANYONE IN CHARGE OF A SITUATION. A woman CEO of a company might well be referred to as "King" by the I Ching, since there was no designation of "Female CEO" at the time and in the society when the I was written.

 

Going back to Hexagram # 35, the poem descrbing the Hexagram as a whole says, 'The Feudal Lord is gifted with numerous horses. In the course of one day, he is granted audience three times."

 

 

In the appropriate circumstance, this poem could refer to a woman Vice President of a major corporation who is given a substantial raise and/or bonus and who receives a special honor from the CEO.

 

The I speaks in the language and imagery of its own time and that imagery  must sometimes be modified to fit modern circumstances.

 

2)  Once you have learned the Trigram imagery really well, begin to read the I Ching each day, just one Hexagram at a time, and only the original layers of the book, what translator Richard Wilhelm calls the Judgement, the Image, the Lines. That's enough for beginners. Leave all the ancient and modern interpretation alone. Just let the original images speak to your own heart and mind and create their own wellspring of wisdom for you.

 

Reading one Hexagram a day, and even taking some "days off," you can read the entire  I Ching about 5 times in a single year--50 times in ten years! I guarantee, only the minutest fraction of Westerners who divine by the book have done this. Yet, the book is like a quilt of recurring patterns. Only by understanding the WHOLE can you understand any individual Hexagram and its lines; and only by understanding each Hexagram thoroughly can you understand the Whole.

 

Have fun with this! It will be an amazingly revealing process.

 

As regards translations: Richard Wilhelm/Cary Baynes' I Ching is still the standard in English, though there is a heavy overlay of modern Confucianism. R.L. Wing's I Ching Workbook is an excellent interpretation for brand new beginners, but lacks the original poetry with its archtypal images which resonate in the deeper "subconscious" levels of the mind--from which our intuition comes.

 

Richard John Lynn's Classic of Changes is an excellent scholarly translation, using the classic Wang Bi Commentay upon most Chinese interpretations are based. My favorite, however, is Yi Jing by Wu Jing-Nuan, who attempts to return to a more shamanic approach to the I.

 

Finally--how do you pose a question to the I?  First, make sure you have reflected (or meditated) on what your REAL question is. Often what we think is our question only masks a deeper issue we haven't yet come to terms with. Sometimes a deep reflection on the question makes a divination unnecessary! If you do resort to divination, first clarify the question; then ask a single question, never a run-on such as "What is the likely outcome if I do this, and this, and don't do that?" This type of question cannot be properly addressed by the I. Ask a single, straightforward question. Always ask in the positive ("What is guidance, or what is a likely outcome if I DO such and such?"). Do not ask, "What will happen if I don't do such and such...?"

 

When you receive the divination (by counting yarrow stalks or tossing coins, or even by computer), allow enough time to let the answer soak into your heart and soul. Sometimes the answer will be obvious; often the full meaning will only unfold over time.