What happens when.....

[peace]

Here's the scene...You're tossing the coins and it's the third toss.

The coin hits your leg...
Or it rolls onto the furniture leg to a premature stop...

How many people start all over again?
How many people accept whatever it is, whenever it stops (heads or tails) - naturally or prematurely?

Rosalie

[jesed]

Hi Rosalie

As part ot the "ritual" support to my practice (of course, is not that the "ritual" have a "magic" effect by itself.. is just the way to get some state of mind), I toss the coins in a space that avoid that situations http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/happy.gif

Now, from other's experiences: several people keep going with the practice (the idea is: "even this accident is part of the present situation that allows the sincronicity"); but the experience of most of the masters I have read is to stop and star over again, after few minutes (It means: I have no argument for this advice except what I had read from them)

I guess is matter of experiment in reality, and do what works for you.

Best wishes

[bruce]

If the coin hits my leg, I do the toss over. However, if it hits my knee or foot, it counts. If it lands inside the table leg, I fetch it out with a butter knife, and it doesn't count. If it falls down into the heater vent, I disregard the toss. If it lands vertically inside the opened Wilhelm, I count the page it landed between as the reading I was supposed to get. But since most of my castings use virtual programs, this usually isn't a problem.

[lightangel]

Bruce, Lol!
Fwiw, if I can find the coin I count it, if I can't find it then I get another coin and toss that one line again.. But I mostly use virtual methods..
(and for a while I used the yarrow stalk method using coffee stirrers http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/happy.gif)

[rosada]

Yeah, Lightangel, but by the time you've drunk all that coffee how can you concentrate on the I Ching?

[lightangel]

Well, yes, no wonder I abandoned that method! http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/messages/48/5833.gif

[bruce]

lol!

[void]

Ah Bruce you really made me laugh there http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/lol.gif

Rosalie it just really bugs me when the coin goes off wandering into my foot etc, as I always consult sitting on the floor with legs crossed this happens quite often. At the moment I just shift a bit and let it fall the way it wants and take that as the reading.

However I may consider a more complex system like Bruces, you know if it hits the bookcase it counts but if it hits the TV it doesn't. If it flies out of an open window I shout down to a passer by to tell me which way it landed http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/lol.gif

However if the phone rings or the door bell goes and I'm half way through casting the hexagram I start all over again later http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/rant.gif

[jte]

Normally, if a coin goes "astray" I accept the coin as it landed, figuring that this is part of how the reading ends up being what it is.

Steve Marshal had a few interesting comments on this in his Website intro, might be worth a read...

http://www.biroco.com/yijing/basics.htm

- Jeff

[rosada]

Thanks for this site, Jeff!

When talking to friends who are unfamilar with the I Ching, I've gotten meaningful results just asking them to pick a number between one and sixty-four.
For example recently..

Friend: I love her but I just don't know..
Me: Pick a number between one and sixty four.
Friend: Thirty seven.
Me: You love her, but you don't know how your family will take her.
Friend: OMG, that's so true...

[jte]

That's an interesting approach Rosada. Folks have mentioned some pretty way out methods of obtaining readings on this forum over the years - you might do a search if you're interested...

"The missing link, synchronicity..." :-)

- Jeff

[lightofdarkness]

ANY 'random/miraculous' method of extracting hexagrams will elicit meaning since ALL hexagrams apply to the moment. IOW it makes no difference what 'random' method you use, you will elicit a response that will 'fit' to some degree to one's question. There is, however, no guarantee that whatever method you use will consistantly give you the 'best fit' for the moment.

Since the best-fit/worst-fit sequuence is tightly bound, so getting the 2nd or 5th or 45th 'best-fit' will give enough value to make one believe it IS the 'best-fit'.

OTOH if you use your brain to aid you through analysis of GENERAL questions/answers about the current context then there is a better chance to consistantly get the 'best fit' - and so the 'correct' sequence of 64 that fit the context.

Chris.

[frank]

Hi Rosalie,

Usualy I toss coins and when one is falling down, from a table or so I start that particular throw again, not the whole toss... I do not have the slightest idea if that?s apropriate, as I do get my answers still, so... it?s at least fine by me :-D.

Huggy,
Frank

[rosada]

If I'm tossing the coins and no paper is handy to note the changes I will tuck under my thumb if the first line is a change, tuck under the index finger for the second line, middle for the third, ring for fourth, pinkie for fifth and poke out the tip of my tongue for the fifth.

[void]

http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/lol.gif Rosada please would you consider releasing a video or DVD entitled '100 ways with the Yi Jing'.

[rosada]

Hey yeah, and we could all be in it. Maybe pass a torch like in the Olympics and have 64 stops around the world...