T A O I C H I N G
The Mystic Gateway
The I Ching
What is the I Ching ?
The I Ching is the ancient Chinese Wisdom and Prediction system based on the universal flow of energy known as TAO. Set-out in book form 3000 years ago, it is based on 64 HEXAGRAM (six line) symbols that change all the time, to show the balance of YANG energy [forceful, determined] and YIN energy [creative, receptive] in every situation.
The Hexagrams
Over 3000 years ago the Chinese produced a system in which the energy flow of TAO, of chance and change, of fate and fortune, could be reflected, and predicted, at each moment, and in any situation. At each moment the flow of TAO is represented by a hexagram symbol.
The 64 hexagram symbols, unlike other symbols, are constantly changing (into other hexagrams ), and show the influence of the moving energy in your life. Normally, you cannot see these invisable energies, but when you look at a hexagram you have a visible 'snapshot', in symbolic form, of your present situation. This will show you your inner intentions, your outer behaviour (in the attempt to get what you want), and the prospects of success.
The 64 HEXAGRAM symbols of the I Ching.
Each hexagram you select shows your energy,
and your and influence,
the situation around you,
and your prospects for success.
The hexagrams will go a little further, and will advise you
on an easier, more effective, course of action.
Each hexagram represents a different situation,
condition, or event, in your life,
past, present, or future.
It looks complicated, but you will only pick one hexagram at a time, and this has been made very easy with the use of a set of ELEMENTS.
How to select your hexagram
You select a hexagram to answer any question you have about your life and intentions, or to see the true nature of any situation. The hexagram will actually change to show you the likely outcome of your intentions, decisions, and actions.
I CHING COINS
[ You can use any three coins of the same denomination. ]
The most popular method to select a hexagram is to throw, or cast, three coins six times (once for each line of your hexagram). At each cast of the coins you work out the nature of the Line (a straight YANG Line, or a broken YIN Line) in your hexagram, starting with the bottom Line. You make a note of this, and continue with your six throws, to build-up a six Line hexagram. This is, perhaps, a little repetitive, and you'll need pen and paper to draw the hexagram, as you build it up from the bottom line. You then look-up your hexagram in the chart (in the book) to locate your hexagram number.
The traditional yarrow stalk method of selecting a hexagram pre-dates the coin method. 50 yarrow stalks are separated into diminishing bundles to produce a hexagram from a numbered formula. This takes a lot more time, and even though this traditional method appears long-winded, it is considered to be the correct meditative approach.
The ELEMENTS, from a very ancient source, are a revolutionary 'new' method to select your hexagram. They produce a 'physical' hexagram which you can manipulate and use in a dynamic way with the TAO I CHING. This is the easiest direct way to select your hexagram and requires no calculations, charts, or 'psychic' ability. Think of your question, just put your hand in the bag and take out your hexagram. It is so easy to use ! Full instructions are provided, and all the answers are in plain English. You can even know the number of every hexagram in less than 2 minutes !
The ELEMENTS
with the "TAO I CHING ",
instantly and easily provide a hexagram
that you can hold, and change.
The TAO I CHING, will explain in plain English, the meaning of each hexagram, and offer advice, if you need it.
The TAO I CHING is a book of advice, guidance, and prediction. This is the I Ching as it was originally intended ~ as an insight into a flow of energy that can reflect, and transform, your life. This is what the TAO I CHING is designed to do, and it will change your outlook and approach, and introduce a positive energy into your life.
What does the I Ching do ?
The I Ching will answer any personal question, and sometimes wider issues in the world and other people. You select one hexagram in response to your question. The hexagrams have lines that change or ‘move’, to produce a second hexagram that reveals the future development of events, and ways to go forward. You consult the book for a ‘Reading’ derived from the ancient texts. You can use the TAO I CHING for prediction, problem solving, decisions and direction, and personal and spiritual development.
Usually, when you pose a question you look for an answer. That linear approach to life has a beginning and an end, with cause and effect, control and effort, logical, and even emotional, thinking, but the I Ching allows something interesting to emerge, in which your answer is presented without any calculation, apparently by chance, and without any thought (apart from your initial question).
The answers in the traditional I Ching are shrouded in the language and symbolism of the ancient Chinese, and often left open to interpretation. That might well have been the intention of the original authors, in symbols that have more than one meaning, and to suggest the actions of ‘the superior [spiritual] man’.
The original I Ching is rather slim, (although 'ten wings' of commentaries were added later), and can be 'obtuse' in style and meaning, but within it is the profound mystery of an energy that flows through every aspect of our lives.
Meanwhile, a 'simple' basic idea was elevated, through the long course of Chinese history and philosophy, into a Way of life, and a spiritual and practical guide to the use of energy, and possibly the best divination system in the world.
A look at the best modern translations of the I Ching, ranging from the large Wilhelm Edition (the standard authoritative version, taken-up by the hippy generation in the 1960s) and the more readable and insightful 'Illustrated I Ching' by R.L.Wing in the early 1980s, to the excellent illustrated thin volume by Mary Clark, will show the consistent problem of translating ancient visual symbols, and all the relevant meaning and energy, into modern English.
So, what and where is this energy?
The "TAO I CHING ~ The Mystic Gateway" will reveal the mystery of, what can be called, TAO energy, in how you think and feel, and the way you do things in your attitude and behaviour. It will also show you how to “Go with the Flow” of the energy around you, in the situations, people and places, you encounter every day.
" The TAO I CHING will give you access to an energy and awareness
that can emotionally and spiritually
transform your life."
TAO I CHING
The Mystic Gateway
