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I Ching

stone troll

Troll Story

In which you will encounter hesitation, second-guessing, repetitious readings, decision, ‘contradictory’ moving lines (what do you do with those?), a good dose of common sense and a particularly persistent troll. Also these readings… Hexagram 18, Corruption, changing at line 3 to 4, Not Knowing: changing to Hexagram 49, Radical Change,… Read more »Troll Story

ferris wheel at night

Seven days

This entry is part 1 of 4 in the series Periods of time

People often ask about the significance of the specific periods of time mentioned in the Yijing. Does this literally mean seven days, or ten years? Very occasionally, it can – but normally, these periods have symbolic value. It’s interesting to see that ‘seven days’ get three mentions in the Yijing:… Read more »Seven days

Finding meaning

Sergio asked a big question for this podcast reading: how to deal with his sense that his life lacked meaning. Yi’s response was quite a modest, domestic one: Hexagram 37, People in the Home, changing at the fifth line to 22, Beauty: changing to ‘With the king’s presence, there is… Read more »Finding meaning

bamboo segments

Hexagram 60 as relating hexagram

This entry is part 2 of 6 in the series Relating hexagrams

Measuring Hexagram 60 is called Measuring, or Limits – not in the sense of imposing restrictions, but of knowing where the edges are, and discovering or negotiating what’s workable. The original concept is the knots and segments of bamboo, and hence all ways of dividing up something big into smaller… Read more »Hexagram 60 as relating hexagram

Levels of questioning?

Something I just came across… Alan Seale, in Create a World that Works ( a book I haven’t read, and no doubt should) described four levels of engagement with experience – from the most easily accessible to the most creative: Drama – the blow-by-blow, he-said-she-said reliving of events, in a… Read more »Levels of questioning?

marsh wren singing

Great good fortune

The Yijing is an optimistic oracle: omens of good fortune come more often than those of misfortune. But on four* occasions, it goes one step further and promises great good fortune: ‘Enriching the home.Great good fortune.’ Hexagram 37, line 4 ‘Great good fortune, no mistake.’ Hexagram 45, line 4 ‘Welcomed… Read more »Great good fortune

no through road sign

No direction bears fruit

‘Not yet across, creating success.The small fox, almost across,Soaks its tail:No direction bears fruit.’ There are ten places where the Yi says that ‘no direction bears fruit’, or (in the Wilhelm/Baynes version) ‘nothing furthers’: 4.3, 19.3, 25.6, 27.3, 32.1, 34.6, 45.3, 54.0, 54.6, and finally 64.0. It’s easy to see… Read more »No direction bears fruit