Introduction to the Yijing The Name Yi 易- change, exchange, easy, lizard Jing 經- classic book, scripture with significance Historical Timeline • 2600 BCE - Fu Xi creates the Bagua. • 1400 BCE - Shang Dynasty – Oracle Bones are used for divination. • 770 BCE - Zhou Yi is used for divination. • 550 BCE - Confucius popularizes the use of the Zhou Yi. • 168 BCE - Mawangdui Silk Text are entombed. • 136 BCE - Zhou Yi is canonized -jing suffix added - Yi Jing. • 2 BCE – More text is added - the “Great Image” and “Image Text”. • 1900 CE - Oracle Bones are discovered. • 1973 CE – Mawangdui Silk Texts are discovered. Dissecting a Hexagram YIN YANG Dark Light Feminine Masculine Receptive & Submissive Creative & Dominant Flexible Firm The Earth & Ground The Heaven & Sky Understanding Wisdom Mystery Clarity Space & Mass Time & Energy Small Images WATER WOOD METAL FIRE Water Earth Air Fire North East West South Winter Spring Autumn Summer Old Yin Young Yang Young Yin Old Yang To Dare To Keep Silent To Know How To Will The Man The Bull The Eagle The Lion Liquid Solid Gas Plasma Trigrams of Earth 000 EARTH (Greater Earth) 坤 Kun The Receptive Accepting Yoni 001 MOUNTAIN (Lesser Earth) 艮 Gen Keeping Still Stillness Earth Trigrams of Water 010 WATER (Greater Water) 坎 Kan The Abysmal Exposure Moon 110 LAKE (Lesser Water) 兌 Dui The Joyous Satisfaction Water Trigrams of Fire 100 THUNDER (Lesser Fire) 震 Zhen The Arousing Arousal Fire 101 FIRE (Greater Fire) 離 Li The Clinging Arising Sun Trigrams of Air 011 WOOD/WIND (Lesser Air) 巽 Xun The Gentle Adaptation Air 111 HEAVEN (Greater Air) 乾 Qian The Creative Creating Lingam Upper Trigram of a Hexagram • Outside of Self • Universal • Broadening • Macro Picture Lower Trigram of a Hexagram • Inside the Self • Personal • Centering • Micro Picture The Body in Hexagram Lines Top / 6th – Head 5th – Neck, Mouth, Upper Back 4th – Arms, Hands, Heart 3rd – Stomach, Heart 2nd – Thighs, Legs Initial / 1st – Feet Methods of Divination • 3 Coins • 50 Yarrow Stalks • 8 Sided Die • 16 Marbles • Bibliomancy • Flash Cards • Online Generators • Staves • Instinct Yin and Yang Lines of a Reading 6 = Old Yin -------- Changes to Yang 7 = Young Yang 8 = Young Yin 9 = Old Yang -------- Changes to Yin What Text to use in a Reading Initial Hexagram: • Image Text • Judgment Text • Text or Lines that Changed Resultant Hexagram: • Image Text • Judgment Text Tools for Interpretation • Trigram Positions • Shape of Hexagram • Which Lines Change • The Text • Chinese Symbolism • Personal Associations • Establishing a Core Meaning for each Hexagram • Using Various Translations • Coming up with your own Key Words • Instinct and Gut Feelings • Going back to the context of the Inquiry Other Uses and Practices • Create Exercises • A Hexagram a Day • Keep a Journal • Create a storehouse of associations • Using the Symbols – Trigrams, Hexagrams, Language • For Meditation • In Art • As a Talisman or Point of Intention • In Ritual Online Resources: Hilary Barrett - Clarity Online http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/index.php Wilhelm Online http://www.akirarabelais.com/i/i.html Crowley Online http://hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib216.html Russell Cottrell http://www.russellcottrell.com/VirtualYarrowStalks/index.asp Lise Heyboar http://www.yijing.nl/i_ching/index.html Harmen Mesker http://www.yjcn.nl/wp/ Chinese Text Project http://ctext.org/book-of-changes Bradford Hatcher – Gua Ming http://www.hermetica.info/GuaMing.htm Bradford Hatcher – Main Site http://www.hermetica.info/ Richard Sear’s Chinese Etymology http://www.chineseetymology.org/ Translations: Aleister Crowley - The Yi King Alfred Huang - Complete I Ching Bradford Hatcher - The Book of Changes Vol. 1 & 2 Charles Ponce - The Nature of the I Ching Diana Ffarington Hook - The I Ching and You Edward Shaughnessy - The Composition of the Zhouyi Gregory Richter - I Ching / Yi Jing Gea Tung - Metaphor and Analogy in the I Ching Hilary Barrett - I Ching Hua Ching Ni - The Book of Changes and The Unchanging Truth Jack Balkin - The Laws of Change John Blofeld - I Ching - The Book of Change James Legge - I Ching Richard Bertschinger - Yijing, Shamanic Oracle of China Richard Kunst - Original Yijing Richard Wilhem and Cary F. Baynes - I Ching - The Book of Changes Richard Lynn - The Classic of Change Jane Schorre/Carrin Dunne - Yijing Wondering and Wandering Stephen Karcher - I Ching: Classic Chinese Oracle of Change Steven Karcher - The Elements of the I Ching Thomas Cleary - Buddhist I Ching (In files listed below) Wu Jing Nuan - Yi Jing .