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The five thousand year old Chinese System of divination
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A Brief Introduction to the I-Ching
The I-Ching is a Chinese system of divination which has survived for over five thousand years. It is thought that the original teaching came from one individual - Fu His. While it is Chinese in its essence, I contains ideas which are clearly not Chinese, thereby indicating that the writers who have contributed to the texts were acquainted with other cultures. Thus its value is not limited to oriental life styles, but may be applied around the world.
The basic approach to an I-Ching reading is to throw yarrow sticks, or more often coins. With the coins, heads or tails and the number of each determine the value of the toss. Six tosses generate the six lines of the hexagram. Each possible combination has a text connected to it. In addition, each line has a particular meaning. Sometimes the translation from Chinese to English doesn't make sense at first. If you put yourself in place of a Chinese person in a less modern society, you begin to experience the value of the oracle. It allows you to relate to your environment, to people, and even to yourself in new and interesting ways. Generally the I-Ching relates to a current situation, telling you one way to evaluate all that is happening to you. You naturally have the choice to accept its interpretation.
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