To be painfully honest, I don't have a lot of news for you about the site, since I'm furiously busy working on the new version, due (I hope!) for completion in March. What would you like to see in the relaunched site? (And what would you not like to see?) Now is the time to tell me!

Meanwhile there is a new survey about what you believe it is that makes divination work… and an opportunity to share your thoughts on the subject at the I Ching Community. Plus, of course, the usual I Ching book review - about an excellent beginner's I Ching - and a 'DIY corner' on internal contradictions in readings.

And I'd like to wish you a very Happy New Year!

™DIY Corner—

Question:
What am I supposed to believe when the answer contradicts itself?

Answer:
In the first place, you need to listen quietly to your own intuition. And a huge amount depends on the question, and what kind of answer this is - advice, insight, prediction?

Still, very often it's just a matter of understanding how the parts of the reading relate to one another. So here are a few basic 'rules of thumb':

• The two hexagrams contradict one another!
  The two hexagrams don't have the same role, and there's no reason why they should say the same thing. The primary hexagram sets the scene for an objective answer to your question; the relating hexagram (as a rule) shows how the querent (the person asking the question) relates to this situation in her hopes, fears and responses. This is the I Ching's way of showing the relationship between the concerns that lie behind the question and the facts about it. If you're looking for advice, it's most likely to be in the primary hexagram and its moving lines.
• The moving line contradicts the Judgement!
  Simple: concentrate the moving line. The primary hexagram paints the landscape which you and your answer are moving in; the moving line says 'you are here': it's the most personal and specific part of your answer.
• The moving lines contradict one another!
  It's all very well to say that the moving line is a 'you are here' sign, but what if there are multiple moving lines apparently telling you you're in several different places at once?
  This is the most complicated question, and one I covered in an earlier article. But consider - are you being offered alternative courses of action? Is the I Ching showing you the chapters in a story? (If the first or second lines are moving, perhaps you can already recognise what they describe?) Or could these be pictures of the people involved?

The I Ching is a wonderful way of exploring a situation in depth - it doesn't just make glib assertions, but shows the energies at work beneath the surface. And so when the situation teems with internal contradictions, it will reflect these faithfully - portray the conflicts, explain them, and eventually offer you a way to resolve them.

If you have ANY questions about consulting the I Ching please write to me, and I'll answer them in future issues.

(But please note - this is for questions about consulting the I Ching yourself. If you have a question for the I Ching, you need the services page!)

™Book Review: Understanding the I Ching, by Tom Riseman—

I have an interesting collection of I Ching books here waiting for review - and as and when they become available for you to buy, I'll be posting reviews! Meanwhile, here is an excellent beginner's option: Tom Riseman's Understanding the I Ching

I should say straight away that this is not intended for the advanced student to bolster their three-shelf I Ching library. This is not a vast academic tome, or a controversial new translation. It is a simple and very genuine introduction to the I Ching, all of 154 pages long, that will enable you to make helpful, meaningful divinations even if you've never done so before.

The book begins with a short and sweet introduction - no revolutionary insights, no academic abstractions, just a straightforward account of what the I Ching is, what it does, and how to use it. It's a shame in a way that Tom Riseman portrays the legendary history of the I Ching as being literally true, but this doesn't interfere with the purpose of the book. There is a very interesting little section on the use of the I Ching in history, by such characters as Mao Tse Tung! (What makes this all the more interesting is that the communist authorities apparently did their best to ban ordinary people from using the book.) And I really appreciate the sensible but reverent way he writes about a personal approach to the oracle. There's a good, clear description of the 3 coin method, the most popular way of consulting the I Ching, and some insightful comments on how to interpret your answer. 'Each hexagram,' he says, 'represents a unique, complex type of energy, like a musical note formed by thousands of harmonies.'

Tom Riseman is clearly aiming to provide a simple way for people to begin divining. But this isn't just a mechanical, 'throw some coins and become an instant prophet' book. For instance, he doesn't just say 'start drawing your hexagram from the bottom line', but 'it starts from the bottom, since all organic life grows upwards.' A small difference, but it gives you a more vivid sense of what is really happening when you consult the I Ching.

The most important part of the book has to be the translation, and this does not disappoint. It is a real translation, not just a 'modern interpretation', and includes the most important texts: the Judgement, Image and Lines. (But not any of the other Wings - no cosmology, no metaphysics or social history, just divination.) Each hexagram begins with an introductory paragraph explaining its meaning in terms of the constituent trigrams, and suggesting what kind of augury it is. Then comes the Judgement, Image and lines, translated to be immediately readable but without 'simplification'. Each is clearly marked off from its own succinct paragraph of commentary from Riseman. I'll admit I approached this book with low expectations, looking to find the usual modernised generalisations. Not so! It is short, doesn't elaborate, but it packs a lot of very good sense into a small space - and you won't be drowned in complications. These interpretations pass on not only the advice in the hexagrams and lines, but also - and much more importantly - a sense of the energies that make up the whole, dynamic situation.

Understanding the I Ching from Amazon.com | Understanding the I Ching from Amazon.co.uk

Should you buy this as your first I Ching book? In a way, it depends what you're looking for. Stephen Karcher's How to use the I Ching is still my own favourite 'small' I Ching book. Unlike Riseman's, it breaks with tradition almost completely, and has some startling and controversial readings in it. It's more poetic, less pragmatic, and perhaps gives you more to think about. (And unlike Understanding the I Ching, it's definitely worth buying as an addition to an I Ching library - I really wouldn't want to be without it!)
How to use the I Ching from Amazon.com | How to use the I Ching from Amazon.co.uk

If you're looking for an even quicker, simpler beginning, you might like The I Ching made easy. This does replace the original texts with simplifications, but I find that it's the best of the books that do so - flexible, retaining some of the flavour of the original, and hinting at the presence of some real I Ching scholarship 'behind the scenes'. It also includes real-life examples of consultations for every hexagram. Advanced users - you may be surprised to find how much food for thought it provides!
The I Ching made easy from Amazon.com | The I Ching made easy at Amazon.co.uk

Next month - something for your I Ching library...

™Discussion point—

News!

There's been a change in the 'Quick Survey' section of the site. I've decided not to impose 'closing dates' on the surveys there - after all, what would be the point? So while I'll still tell you the total for the latest survey at the end of each month, you'll be able to browse and vote in a variety of surveys while you're there, and get an interesting overview of opinion in the world of divination!

Past, present or future?

Last time, I asked what you divined about. Is the aim to understand the present and the options available, to gain insight into the past, or to predict the future? Of course, the popular stereotype of divination is of darkened rooms, dubious characters in headscarves, and poor unfortunates giving up their free will in the interests of security, asking 'what is going to happen to me?' You'll probably be as relieved as I am that the results so far don't do much for the stereotype!

New survey: what happens when you divine?

I hope you find this question as exciting as I do. We do something completely random, like tossing coins or drawing cards, and the result is somehow accurate, insightful, full of meanings. Where do they come from?

I've posted my own beliefs on this - and a brief overview of some other ideas - at the I Ching Community - and the discussion is already underway. Please visit, browse, and share your insights!

And of course, please also vote in the survey on the subject. I've tried to list as many possibilities as I could think of - but if you know what I've left out, come to the ICC and tell us!

Just as last week, you can vote by email as well as online. Just click and press 'Send' for as many options as you choose. So...
What happens?

• God uses this opportunity to speak with me
• an angel or spirit speaks through the oracle
• I hear the voice of my Higher Self
• my unconscious knowledge is made conscious
• I create the meaning myself: the reading doesn't mean anything until I do so
• the Sage of the I Ching makes his voice heard
• something else

Or you can vote online and see the results so far.

™How you can help—