Yin and Yang and the I Ching

Yin and yang are mutually dependent opposites. Looking at the world in terms of yin and yang gives one a real sense of how fluid the universe is, and no matter how you are feeling today, things are bound to change. As the Chinese say, you can never step into the same river twice. Yin originally meant "shady, secret, dark, lunar, mysterious and cold" like the shaded, north side of a mountain. Yang meant "clear, bright, solar and hot" like the lighted south side of a mountain. From these basic opposites, a complete system of opposites developed. Yin represents everything about the world that is dark, hidden, passive, receptive, yielding, cool, soft and feminine. Yang represents everything about the world that is illuminated, evident, active, aggressive, controlling, hot, hard and masculine.

Everything can be identified as either yin or yang. Earth is the ultimate yin object and heaven is the ultimate yang object. Although yin is feminine and yang masculine, most things (and people) are a mixture of the two. The familiar diagram of yin and yang flowing into each other shows the yin side with a yang dot within it and vice versa. This symbolizes the fact that each force contains the seed of the other and that under certain circumstances they can actually become the other.

Yin and Yang Characteristics

Trigrams and Hexagrams

The I Ching contains trigrams and hexagrams. A trigram is composed of three lines, and a hexagram is composed of six lines.

Some of the lines are complete:

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Other lines have a small break half way along.

A trigram may contain three unbroken lines, three broken ones or a mixture of both. Here is a typical trigram:

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Each hexagram, which is actually two trigrams that have been placed one above the other, is made up of six lines. A hexagram can have any combination of unbroken or broken lines. Here is a typical example of a mixed hexagram.

There are eight trigrams and 64 hexagrams (eight times eight) in the I Ching. Interestingly, the German philosopher and mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who invented the binary system later used in computers, derived his inspiration from the I Ching: the binary instructions given to a computer consist of a mixture of ones and zeros, echoing the unbroken and broken lines of the I Ching.

The lines in the hexagrams represent the principles of yang and yin: the unbroken lines represent yang, while the broken ones represent yin. In the West, we are accustomed to writing across a page or by making a list that goes down the page, but in the I Ching, we create the hexagrams by starting at the bottom and working upward.

Casting the I Ching

The I Ching can't be used to give an overview of the future in the general way that the tarot can; it is designed to give an answer to a specific question. It is worth spending some time defining your question, perhaps noting it down in order to clarify it in your own mind.

Need a Quick Answer?

The full I Ching is extremely complex and its philosophies link to all aspects of life. The I Ching underpins Chinese astrology, Feng Shui, face reading and even Chinese palmistry! Despite the complexities, the point of this book is to make things as plain and simple as possible, so that an absolute beginner can use the system right away.

What if you are at work and you need a quick answer? Use this quick method because it doesn't require any equipment or preparation. Open this book at the pages that show all the hexagrams (pages 18–19) and then focus mentally on your question while drifting your fingers lightly over the page. You don't need to touch the page, just allow your fingers to wander over it until you find one or two hexagrams "drawing" you toward them. Some people will feel a slight change in temperature as though one of the hexagrams heats up slightly, others will just feel drawn to one or two hexagrams for no logical reason.

A variation on this theme is to use a pendulum. The best form of temporary pendulum is a necklace, especially one that has a pendant dangling on it. The only thing to mention is that this must be your own necklace and not one that you have borrowed from a friend or you might get your friend's reading instead of yours!

If you are using this quick and easy method, find your hexagram then skip to chapter 6, "Quick Interpretations" to find your answer.

To be honest, these quick methods are not the correct way to consult the I Ching, as preparing to read this ancient text is in itself a form of meditation that takes you from the workaday world and puts you in the right frame of mind to accept the advice this ancient text provides.

Casting

The simplest form of casting is to use three coins. You can buy copies of ancient Chinese coins in a gift shop and keep these for your I Ching readings, or you can ask your bank to give you three shiny new coins. It is best to use three coins of the same denomination, as they will be the same size and weight. If you use Chinese coins, you will need to choose which side will represent "heads" to you and which will be "tails."

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Whatever coins you use, keep them aside and use them specifically for your I Ching readings. The Chinese say that anything that you use for divination creates a link with the gods so keep your tools above head height, as this is closer to the gods. This also keeps them out of harm's way. It is nice to give your readings a touch of ceremony, so you might want to use a decorative cloth and keep it with your coins.

Now practice for a while. Throw your three coins gently onto your special cloth and see how they fall. They may all land the same way up or two will land one way up and the third will land the other way. If the majority of coins land as heads, this will be yang, but if the majority are tails, this will be yin.

Making a Start

Always have pen and paper on hand so that you can note the outcomes of your castings. Throw the coins gently while thinking of your question and then leave your coins on the table for a while. If the majority of coins are yang (heads) draw a straight line.

If the majority of the coins are yin (tails) draw a line with a break in it.

If you have thrown three heads or three tails draw a little cross in the middle of your line.

This special line is called a "changing line," and its importance will be discussed later.

After you have drawn your first line, pick up and throw your coins again, but draw your second line above the first. Then do the same again, drawing each new line above the last, until you have six lines.

Your result will look something like the example below.

Now you can read on to discover what your hexagram means. Don't forget that all hexagrams are made up from two trigrams, and each trigram has information to offer in addition to the information contained in the whole hexagram. The lower three lines contain the first trigram and the upper three contain the second trigram.