Do any of ya'll throw the iChing? Well, without going all Nancy Reagan on you, I do -- particularly when I'm stumped in life which is, of late, nearly all the time. I've got three pennies that I throw after asking the oracle a question -- I've used the same coins for nearly thirty years, ever since I took Chinese language and lit classes in college and bought myself the Wilhelm/Baynes translation, that thick gray and yellow The I Ching or Book of Changes. I also use R.L.Wing's The I Ching Workbook to help me decipher the reading. I'm not exaggerating or acting all I only dress in red designer clothes if I told you that this ancient divination tool is incredibly illuminating and often a bit scary. I guess you could say -- given those principles of synchronicity -- that it's only as scary as your own scary self, and if you don't know what I'm talking about I apologize. I'm really not in the mood to spell it all out. I'm too suspicious to tell you what question I asked today, suspicious and also deeply respectful of the principles of synchronicity (that Wilhelm/Baynes translation has a kick-ass introduction by C.J. Jung himself). Anyway, I got Hexagram 31 or Attraction, in its static form. Here's what Wing has to say about it:
In an unchanging form, ATTRACTION indicates it may be necessary to be receptive and open to all that comes into your life at all times. KEN, tranquillity and stillness, is in the lower trigram attracting TUI, joy and pleasure. A tranquil openness allows you to influence and be influenced, bringing the joy of shared experience into your life. This spontaneous mutual influence, perhaps a love affair, must be experienced before there is change.
Hmmmmmmm.
Reader, if you have thrown the iChing, do you have any interesting stories to share?
Oh my goodness! That sounds like a very true and good throw, my dear!
ReplyDeleteYes. I used the I Ching once that I definitely remember. I had a question about whether or not to buy some property in another county when I was married to my first husband.
It told me that if I did, I would be isolated and would miss the community I had.
I listened. I did not buy the property.
I am so glad because I needed my community so badly when the marriage dissolved.
I do believe in synchronicities and laws of attraction, too. It sounds as if you are busy manifesting a new reality my dear. More power to you!
ReplyDeleteI knew a writer who simply opened it at random every morning; no coin toss, no question, just a perspective to carry through the day.
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is, God, I hope so.
ReplyDeleteI've never thrown the I Ching. (In fact, how do you "throw" it? Is it dice? I honestly have no idea.) I'd forgotten that was a Nancy Reagan thing. But "tranquil openness" certainly sounds positive!
ReplyDeleteSome time during my pregnancy I found this in the I Ching (not the exact words): Rain is only rain and not bad weather. Pain is only pain unless you resist it when it becomes torment.
ReplyDeleteOf course I thought I had all the answers and wrote it in big letters on a piece of paper which went above the bed where I was going to give birth, painlessly and serene and all that. I do remember both doctor and midwife looked at it from time to time but I was far too busy and mad to think about it.
I still have that piece of paper and I read it from time to time and now it helps.
That was my nickname in high school...'Tranquility & Stillness'. People said I had a calming effect on them. Must have been the reefer I always had to share.
ReplyDeleteI'm lying, the nickname was 'Mouse Dick' for (sniff) reasons I (sniff) never did find out.
PS: Every time I leave a comment using your CAPTCHA robot, it feels like I'm taking an eye exam that gets more difficult
PS 2: This is the type of comment one leaves midway through first cup of coffee, waiting for it to take hold, in the morning, when you feel kinda loopy.
This won't surprise you, Elizabeth: I've been throwing coins for the I Ching since 1980, and my first volume was the Wilhelm. Then I found the RL Wing workbook, and yesterday when I was moving books and pulled it off the shelf, it almost fell apart from having been used so much. My favorite translation these days is The Laws of Change: I Ching and the Philosophy of Life by Jack M. Balkin. I worked with the Carol K. Anthony books for awhile and particularly like The Philosophy of the I Ching. When I first started throwing coins, there were certain hexagrams that came up more often than others, and over the last 35 years, there is only one I have never thrown. The I Ching gave me my first glimpse of synchronicity as a life force. I've never looked back. Thanks so much for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteI went and bought it (on the evil amazon) before I finished reading this post. Do you have to ask it a specific question or can you just ask it to shed light on a general situation? Never mind, I'm sure the book will explain. What can synchronicity tell me about why strangers keep asking me for money? Never mind.
ReplyDelete