Traditionally, different lengths of yarrow stalk were relegated to people of different social strata. Thus the ancients came to believe that yarrow was a divine gift bestowed upon humanity so that we could communicate with Heaven. It was tall and straight, and could be prepared with little manual labor. The stem of the yarrow was firm and tenacious and it remained unwithered for a long time. Yarrow grew everywhere and was much easier to use than tortoise shells and animal bones. The yarrow stalk oracle became popular in the Zhou dynasty, about three thousand years ago. Originally, tortoise shells and animal bones were used for divination. The two most familiar methods in the West are the yarrow stalk oracle and the coin oracle. There are many ways to consult an oracle. It is better for a beginner not to ask for a prediction the best inquiry is for advice. In every divination, ask only one question. In this way the divine spirit will be in the most revered position, in the center of the room and facing the entrance. If there is a table in the center of the room, the diviner’s back should always face the door. An alternative way to choose the ideal direction for divination is to suppose that the door of the room faces south. According to tradition, three sticks of incense are lit. During divination, the diviner should face north, listening to the instructions of the divine spirit. In Chinese tradition, those in authority face south when granting an audience. In ancient China only the imperial palace and temples were allowed to face directly south. Ideally the table sits in the center of the room, facing south. Always wash the hands before divination, then unwrap the book and the stalks and spread the wrapper like a tablecloth on a table. Both the wrapped book and stalks should be placed on a shelf at about eye level or somewhere clean and significant to you. Most Chinese like to use rose silk, which is regarded as the most auspicious color and material. When not in use, the book and the yarrow stalks should be wrapped separately in silk or cloth. If one’s intention is to divine, the I Ching should be used exclusively for divination. To understand the I Ching, therefore, one needs to make friends with only thirty-six gua. Eight gua have no inverted form when their original form is inverted, it is exactly the same. These two forms have a close relationship, representing the two views of a thing-one from the front and the other from the back, or one from below, the other from above. Twenty-eight gua each have an inverted form. Each of these sixty-four friends can help resolve one’s doubt or confusion in a specific situation. In this way, as soon as one sees the symbol, one is immediately able to recognize its name, its background, its character, and its significance, in the same way as one meets and recognizes one’s friend. In teaching the I Ching, I always encourage students to make friends with these sixty-four gua. To understand the gua, one has to know its specific place in the sequence and its significance as well as its structure, its image, and the things it represents. Each of the sixty-four primary symbols, or gua, represents a unique situation. To understand the I Ching, one should first become familiar with the symbols. The I Ching is a book that deals with symbols. Read moreįlying with the I Ching: Methods of Divination CONSULTING THE ORACLE Understand the Symbols This 10th anniversary edition offers a thorough introduction to the history of the I Ching, how to use it, and several new divination methods in-depth and easy-to-reference translations of each hexagram name, description, and pictogram and discussions of the interrelations between the hexagrams and the spiritual meaning of their sequence. However, what makes his translation truly definitive is his return to prominence of the Ten Wings, the commentaries by Confucius that are essential to the I Ching’s insights. A native Chinese speaker, Master Huang first translated the original ideograms of the I Ching into contemporary Chinese and then into English, bringing forth the intuitive meanings embodied in the images of the I Ching and imbuing his translation with an accuracy and authenticity not possible in other English translations. Translated by the eminent Taoist Master Alfred Huang, The Complete I Ching has been praised by scholars and new students of the I Ching since its first edition. Includes translations of the Ten Wings-the commentaries by Confucius essential to the I Ching’s insights.The first English translation from within the tradition by a Chinese Taoist Master.More than 64,000 copies sold of the first edition.A revised edition of the definitive translation of the world’s most important book of divination
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