hilary
January 23rd, 2002, 08:11 PM
Things have been a little quiet (OK, completely silent http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/wink.gif) here since the New Year. So I thought I'd provide us with something to debate, in the form of a mini-article:
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When I first used the I Ching, I wasn't expecting much: just a random stimulus to my own imagination, maybe something to jump-start the creative process. I remember vividly the way the realisation grew on me that something more was going on - until at last I was forced to admit to myself that it works. I didn't find this at all comforting or reassuring at first. I believed in God, I'd even had my own 'conversations with God' when I was younger, but this brought everything so alarmingly close. I held the coins, cast them, looked up the hexagram (I was still unfamiliar with them), and there it was - a distinctive voice, speaking the truth. It worked. What was I going to do about it?
Thousands of readings later, that first shock of realisation still comes back. And I know many other people share the same experience when they begin to discover divination. It works. What does this mean? What is going on?
I think it's probably best to begin divining without any answers to these questions: better to be open-minded and discover over time what it means for you. And the discoveries and theories abound.
Jung called it 'synchronicity', the quality of 'meaningful coincidence': all things are connected meaningfully, though without the logical links of cause and effect. And so the divination expresses the essence of the moment, quite naturally, through the workings of some great universal law.
Others prefer to relate to something more personal: they hear the voices of guiding spirits speaking through their cards or coins. For many people this is their own angel, or their Higher Self; for some pagans it might be a spirit of divination whom they know by name. The I Ching has its own voice, the Sage - a wise, experienced old character, rather like a Zen master: full of compassion, but administering regular whacks about the head to wake up drowsy students. His ancestors are the spirits that the early Chinese shamans spoke with.
And then, of course, there are the sceptics. People who just don't believe in any larger influence that speaks through the oracle, who aren't happy with talk of universal laws or spirits - and yet still, somehow, find the experience of divination to be rewarding. Some see it as a means of accessing what they already know: even though there may be no meaning in the answer as such, the act of creating meaning is of value in itself. Perhaps divination is really only an advanced form of reflection, a spark for creativity, a random stimulation - in fact, just what I used to think!
For myself, I've come to understand that God speaks through the I Ching. Since I've always understood God to be the source of truth, this came quite naturally.
On second thoughts, maybe 'understand' is the wrong word?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Does anyone else know that 'oh help, it works!' experience? (I Ching, tarot, runes, cartomancy - whatever!)
And what are your thoughts on how or why it works?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I first used the I Ching, I wasn't expecting much: just a random stimulus to my own imagination, maybe something to jump-start the creative process. I remember vividly the way the realisation grew on me that something more was going on - until at last I was forced to admit to myself that it works. I didn't find this at all comforting or reassuring at first. I believed in God, I'd even had my own 'conversations with God' when I was younger, but this brought everything so alarmingly close. I held the coins, cast them, looked up the hexagram (I was still unfamiliar with them), and there it was - a distinctive voice, speaking the truth. It worked. What was I going to do about it?
Thousands of readings later, that first shock of realisation still comes back. And I know many other people share the same experience when they begin to discover divination. It works. What does this mean? What is going on?
I think it's probably best to begin divining without any answers to these questions: better to be open-minded and discover over time what it means for you. And the discoveries and theories abound.
Jung called it 'synchronicity', the quality of 'meaningful coincidence': all things are connected meaningfully, though without the logical links of cause and effect. And so the divination expresses the essence of the moment, quite naturally, through the workings of some great universal law.
Others prefer to relate to something more personal: they hear the voices of guiding spirits speaking through their cards or coins. For many people this is their own angel, or their Higher Self; for some pagans it might be a spirit of divination whom they know by name. The I Ching has its own voice, the Sage - a wise, experienced old character, rather like a Zen master: full of compassion, but administering regular whacks about the head to wake up drowsy students. His ancestors are the spirits that the early Chinese shamans spoke with.
And then, of course, there are the sceptics. People who just don't believe in any larger influence that speaks through the oracle, who aren't happy with talk of universal laws or spirits - and yet still, somehow, find the experience of divination to be rewarding. Some see it as a means of accessing what they already know: even though there may be no meaning in the answer as such, the act of creating meaning is of value in itself. Perhaps divination is really only an advanced form of reflection, a spark for creativity, a random stimulation - in fact, just what I used to think!
For myself, I've come to understand that God speaks through the I Ching. Since I've always understood God to be the source of truth, this came quite naturally.
On second thoughts, maybe 'understand' is the wrong word?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Does anyone else know that 'oh help, it works!' experience? (I Ching, tarot, runes, cartomancy - whatever!)
And what are your thoughts on how or why it works?