Clarity,
Office 17622,
PO Box 6945,
London.
W1A 6US
United Kingdom
Phone/ Voicemail:
+44 (0)20 3287 3053 (UK)
+1 (561) 459-4758 (US).
Hi isley,
Having just read Carol Anthony's Psyche Revealed Through the I Ching I am also experimenting with this. Based on this book, what jumped out at me was a begging or seeking for approval. You may want to work on remaining neutral and think of the Sage as a close friend, not a superior or higher power. Just a thought... I do feel there is value here in yes/no as single lines are the foundation of the I Ching.
it's often bothered me that I couldn't get a direct "yes" or "no" response
I've said this before and it was taken as sarcasm (I guess it kinda was though) but if you believe in the premise of synchronicity or divinity that powers the I Ching... couldn't you just flip a coin? For questions where you just want a basic yes/no that is. I've tried this before with fairly interesting results.
It seems taboo to try and get a yes or no response but a yes/no can clarify an ambiguous reading as well eliminate self-deception (i.e. reading into the hexagrams how you want them to mean), just to mention a few.
I've decided to use Carol Anthony's "Retrospective Three-Coin Method" (rtcm) to clarify and better understand some previous answers. For reference the rtcm method is basically a 9 = strong yes, 6 = strong no, the other two is either a tentative yes or no.
ten·ta·tive/ˈtentətiv/
Adjective:
Not certain or fixed; provisional: "a tentative conclusion".
Done without confidence; hesitant: "tentative steps".
You sound like a Gemini.
The problem sounds to me like you're not in agreement with yourself.
I should continue the thought. I perceive that the Yijing confirms what we already know.... it's in our knower. For me, that is my gut. That's what I've learned to trust, far and away above my monkey mind.
So, let's say I receive 23 for a yes/no question. I can interpret that as "oooh, nooo" or I could interpret it as "strip away the superfluousness and see the real deal," which I would interpret as a "yes". The question, yes what? If you don't know that clearly, nor the better outcome your knower desires, than how can you interpret a hexagram as yes or no? There are always plenty of daemons on hand to jump in, to decide for you, be they psychological, mythological, literal or virtual; and sometimes even well meaning.
There are usually more productive questions to ask, once you know what really want.
Clarity,
Office 17622,
PO Box 6945,
London.
W1A 6US
United Kingdom
Phone/ Voicemail:
+44 (0)20 3287 3053 (UK)
+1 (561) 459-4758 (US).