What is the I Ching?
The I Ching is an ancient classical text which originated as a means to help men better comprehend the nature of their lives. It is not attributable to any religion or set of beliefs. While teachers of various traditions considered it a “sacred text” for receiving guidance, it is not a dogma or set of rules for people to follow devotionally. It was developed, and remains today, a deep study in the energies and forces of the universe and how they interact and intersect with us in time, place and circumstance. It is a scientific study that requires our mental application to reap its benefits.
The use of the I Ching is based on divination – a belief that something higher than our ordinary mind exists and will guide us if asked. Lacking that belief does not bar one from experimenting to see if it resonates with one’s inner sense. It really teaches us what our inner guide already knows, pointing us to our higher selves that we are not in reliable touch with yet. Cultivating this strong inner alignment is a long-term process, and this text is a support to that end.
The I Ching is a “user’s guide” on the energies and forces that influence our lives and our environment. Through conscious engagement with it, we can gain a greater awareness of who we are and what the consequences of our choices can teach us. We are often confronted with might be called “higher” and “lower” choices; the I Ching points us to those higher choices and their outcomes. “Is this an impulsive move or a reasonable step forward?” “Is this selfish or misguided, or is it considerate of the needs of all involved?” The answers we receive may not always be what we think or want them to be. We will be tested on our willingness to consider its guidance and experiment with relinquishing our positions and preferences, to try a different way and observe the results.
Therefore, our I Ching practice may require a sacrifice of many things on our part in order to effect real change in ourselves. Our personality characteristics will be confronted, such as desire and impulses on the one hand or reticence and complacency on the other. Our habits and conditioning, our prejudices and certainties, and our attachment to having things “our way” are all subject to being challenged as we take in the guidance offered.
The I Ching is not meant to be a fortune teller or a reference book to look for answers, nor a shortcut to decision making. It is not designed to guide us on how to meet our desires or reassure us against our fears. Rather, it is an interactive teaching process in which we “reveal ourselves to ourselves” and work with that understanding. Characterized as the “Science of Change,” it is a clear scientific path to evolution – a deep empirical study of cause and effect as manifested in daily life.
One version of the I Ching, by Master Ni Hua-Ching, is entitled The Book of Changes and the Unchanging Truth. The “unchanging truth” is the unseen, subtle causal forces and energies which greatly impact our lives whether we are aware of them or not. The I Ching represents this order to life which is consistent and certain, unaffected by our personality turmoil and motives. The “changes” are the vicissitudes of daily life, the concerns, situations, and decisions which occupy our minds and for which we seek clarity. Master Ni states (p. ii), “…the Book of Changes teaches one to look for the most appropriate point in any particular behavior or event… Such a person will find clarity in the mental sphere, balance in daily life, and positive, steady spiritual growth.”
Composition of The I Ching
The I Ching is a deep study of the relationships and interactions of the natural forces and energies which influence humanity. These energies are categorized as yin or yang in nature, representing the basic, interconnected duality in the universe. The chart below is representative of their characteristics. The varying traits of all the lines and hexagrams of the I Ching are the result of the interplay and changes that occur as these energies manifest and interact.
| Yang | Yin |
| Heaven | Earth |
| Light/sun | Dark/moon |
| Masculine/ assertive | Feminine/nurturing |
| Active/vigor | Passive/ease |
| Creative | Receptive |
| Intellect | Intuition |
| Dry/heat | Damp/cold |
When a question is posed to the I Ching, one is given an answer in terms of the energetics in time and place relative to the questioner and his/her state of mind, the energies of the moment and the situation at hand. By working with this text in a consistent manner, i.e. developing a “practice,” we can learn and become more attuned to these energies within ourselves and the world around us. Over time we may discover that we are being put in touch with our inner wisdom.
Yang energy is represented by an unbroken line 
and yin energy is represented by a broken line 
. The various combinations of yin and yang lines forming trigrams comprise eight in number, which are the basic building blocks of the I Ching.
| Trigram | Graphic | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Heaven |  |
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| Earth |  |
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| Thunder |  |
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| Mountain |  |
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| Lake |  |
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| Wind or Wood |  |
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| Water |  |
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| Fire or Light |  |
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The 64 hexagrams consist of all the possible combinations of two trigrams. Each time we “cast” the I Ching, we receive a hexagram in response to our question. usually with an emphasis on one or more of its lines with their specific meanings.
A study of various authors’ commentaries on the basic structure and essence of each hexagram, and how its two trigrams relate to each other, is a fruitful practice. It adds meaning to the individual lines and how they fit into the entire hexagram’s theme.
| Hexagram Examples:* | Configuration | Hexagram Examples:* | Configuration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hex. 1 “Heaven” Heaven trigrams doubled |
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Hex. 46 “Steady Growth” Wind/Wood below Earth |
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| Hex. 10 “The Dynamics of Strong Forces” Lake below Heaven |
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Hex 51 “Arousing Energy” Thunder doubled |
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| Hex. 22 “Refinement” Fire/Light below Mountain |
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Hex 63 “The End of the Cycle” Fire/Light below Water |
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| *Hexagram names vary per interpreter of the I Ching | |||