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I Ching

Perhaps you have heard of the I Ching. It is a beautiful book containing enormous wisdom and incredible magic. I would like to say: let yourself be surprised, but something prevents me from doing so. Because it is also a difficult book. Many beginners get no further than that. Yet it is worthwhile to delve into it. In China, it is not unusual to read the book purely for its content, reading the entire text from A to Z without asking the I Ching anything.

Below, I explain how to consult the I Ching.

Consulting the I Ching

The I Ching is an ancient Chinese book of wisdom that can be consulted. The I Ching that is suitable for this purpose is the one with the translation and explanation by Richard Wilhelm, who made this book accessible to the West. I use the Dutch translation of his work. So we are talking about: 'I Ching, The Book of Changes, according to the German translation and explanation by Richard Wilhelm.'

The book consists of 64 hexagrams. A hexagram from the I Ching is a composition of six stacked lines that are either broken or unbroken, see the photo below. A hexagram represents a specific situation in which you may find yourself. This situation can be further specified by the lines that make up the hexagram, each of which also has a separate meaning in this situation. When you consult the I Ching, it indicates the situation you are in, according to the I Ching. The I Ching often offers advice, gives an opinion on whether something is favourable or not, and tells you whether you can do anything about it or not. This often concerns your inner relationship with the situation.

The book contains two complete explanations of all 64 hexagrams. For the explanation of the hexagrams, I only use the first part of the book.

If you wish to consult the I Ching, this can be difficult. Not so much because you don't know how to find the texts that apply to your situation, because that is easy to explain. But mainly because of how to read the texts in relation to your situation. I can help you with this, based on years of experience with the I Ching.

If you want to take the use of the I Ching seriously, I recommend finding a partner who wants to do the same, with whom you can cast the I Ching together, each on his or her own, but helping each other with the interpretation. This is especially beneficial if you know each other well. That is how I learned it myself.

Help with consulting the I Ching

You may ask me for assistance if you are completely unfamiliar with the I Ching, and also if you regularly consult the I Ching but are unable to interpret it on a particular occasion. That is not an issue.

We do not know each other. When you have cast the I Ching, I will not be able to say, “I know you, I already know what the I Ching is talking about.” So it will be a matter of searching. But I think that together we can get quite far.

The most important thing about the I Ching is to read it very carefully. That is why abridged and simplified versions of the I Ching book are not suitable. They often lack essential information.

My view on the I Ching

When we do something, we always have a vision that guides our actions. It is good to put that into words.

The I Ching is an inner book. It is about your inner self. How do you relate to something, what does the I Ching see in you that has to do with your situation, can you do something about it or not, what does the I Ching advise you to do? The I Ching is always concerned with wisdom: what is a wise way of dealing with a problem or a matter?

My view is not that you can consult the I Ching as a predictor of the future. If you wish to do so, I cannot help you.