One of the things I love about getting older is revisiting things that were once part of my life. This has been happening lately and now the I Ching is coming back into my life, except this time, it is with a deeper appreciation and learning experience behind it.
And Thus, The I Ching Walks Back in My Life
A few weeks ago I an I Ching book, the famous Chinese Book of Changes. I used to have one in my twenties. It is great to revisit it with a fresher perspective, more experience, and hopefully distilled into wisdom.
Lately, a few things have made their way back into my awareness. Taoism particuliarly and now the I Ching. It is interesting because it is happening with fresh new sets of eyes. And I love it!
The I Ching is the ancient Chinese book of divination also called Book of Changes. It is used to get a sense of how things are going and if the path you are choosing is auspicious or ominous.
The gist is simple but a little preparation helps eek out more from the experience. As a matter of respect, the book should be kept above human shoulder height when at rest. Use a silk cloth, ideally white, to wrap it in.
In order to prepare for the divination, set yourself in a quiet place where you will not be interrupted. Light an incense stick. You can add a candle if you feel it is appropriate. Connect with the Universal energies, your guardians, and the I Ching guardian lineage, if you can. The idea is to turn it into a ceremony and make it as special as it should be.
The rest is simple. Traditionally, the ancient Chinese would use a turtle shell and throw sticks in it. Although that could be a hard thing to do for most these days, sticks can be used on two open bowl. But if you are like most modern I Ching users, three coins will suffice. Any coins will do. I will write about the coin method here to get you going.
