Occasionally, I toss the I CHING to determine what the influences will be during the course of the day ahead.
Today, I cast KWEN.
The Hexagram represents contemplation.
The Earth below
The Wind above
According to my reference book, a small tonal change in the Chinese gives the word KWEN a double meaning, which translates to contemplating and exhibiting.
Therefore, the hexagram refers to both the contemplator and contemplation.
All that is not one is the other.
The shape of the character resembles a Tower - one familiar in ancient China - which is situated on a mountain. In view of this, the image signifies a watchtower (beacon of light) to those above and a landmark to those below.
The shape of the Tower represents the gate of the eternal present which rests in balance between the future and the past (between the contemplator and the contemplated).
As a consequence, the wise man surveys his past for meaningful relevant experience.
The essence of the message is that the individual live fully in the present - with a mind to keeping the illusions of the past and the future - in proper perspective.
Accordingly, it is important for the seeker to remain open to changes.
And, to be able to move freely, without being blocked by the concept of time.
The individual tossing this hexagram represents the wind blowing freely above the Earth.
Although travel is forecast - in a physical or mental sense - the passage stresses that it is not based on a quest or need to run.
There is an opportunity to flutter from experience to experience - without clinging to static precedents, being blocked by unfounded fears, or limited by thought processes - that would otherwise bog an individual down.
The I Ching is one of the classical (ching) Chinese books dating back to Fu Hsi and the Yin dynasty. (2900 BCE)
I Ching means "Book of Changes" in English.
The two branches of Chinese philosophy - Confucianism and Taoism - have common roots in the I Ching.
Emperor Ch'in Shih-huang-ti ordered an arson of books in 213 AD, but the I Ching was fortunate to survive the purge.
The word "book" should be taken in the sense of a "Holy Book" such as it is in the Western cultures.
The sacred book was mainly used for divination - a tool to not only predict future events - but to determine how to "harmonize" with the impending forces surrounding them.
The "Book of Wisdom" is a collection of 64 short essays assigned to 64 figures.
Each character is comprised of six continuous and/or broken lines that require interpretation.
The figures are called hexagrams.
Each hexagram corresponds to a specific life situation.
At the time the coins are tossed, the querent (seeker) divines the forces at work around the circumstances, so that he or she may be guided to take appropriate action that is in harmony with the underlying energies at play.
The I Ching was thoroughly studied and translated into the German language by celebrated author - Richard Wilhelm - who was a Protestant missionary to China.
Carl Jung - who put a lot of stock in the profound influences of synchronicity - wrote the forward for the version which is the most known and appreciated by scholars and laymen alike.
In essence, the I Ching is a gauge on the environment and impending social change.
And, by virtue of the passages divined, it is wholly possible for the serious seeker to chart a path that is in sync with the forces at work rather than in conflict with them.
The I Ching is also capable of revealing the remarkable inter-connectedness of "things" - so that the individual may come to fully recognize that in nature - nothing under the sun and the moon and the stars "happens by chance".
In fact - because of an ongoing "ripple effect" in the Universe - events that appear to be "random or accidental" are not.
Ultimately, the book of changes reflects a sophisticated understanding of environmental and human cycles.
By definition, cycles have a predictable pattern.
Part of the greatness of the "Book of Changes" is that it takes into account how cycles themselves can be influenced and modified to achieve success in one's personal and professional life.
Skilled use of the texts can not only shed light on potential choices - but warn of changes and other interventions - that may alter the course of events in a negative way.
In the final analysis - it's imperative that sentient beings not only be mindful of the forces of nature at work - but strive to be in harmony with them to engender positive changes in one's life.
I Ching quote,
"It is only when we have the courage to face things exactly as they are, without any self-deception or illusion, that a light will develop out of events, by which the path to success may be recognized.
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