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Simon Ian said:We are beginning to see a gradual convergence between physics, especially in the fields of high energy and quantam/string/ "chaos" studies, with these ancient philosophies which originally contacted and identified them, by other names.
That's why my copy of the I Ching doesn't do linear time.
Sparhawk said:that is not to say that the Yijing cannot forecast along linear time, right?
In a linear melodic sequence, many people have the ability to accurately predict the next note, or even several notes, as though they were causally connected; however, a static chord (a synchronistic event), taken in isolation, predicts nothing whatsoever in specific time, but its harmony, its essence, predicts which notes should follow if that harmony is to be sustained. In other words, it implies what is and isn't appropriate within its context. This, I would suggest, is in part how the I Ching works.
Time is just like space, dimensions, concepts and words something that emerges as soon as there are plans. The character of time depends on the kind of plan... the most ever changing trigrams illustrate durability. Durability adapts to every change and every situation, almost like a chameleon.
Durability, the flow that is always there and still exiting after every change. Here it is the metphor of marriage and how to sustain love. That might also be the case in the universe?
Justin Farrell said:Your example of a cord in music is a great analogy for explaining something like this. I have always struggled to grasp the relationship between linear time and timelessness. So am I right in understanding you are saying the I Ching is good at making predictions based on a knowledge of what goes together in a sequence of events?
Just as the Dao of the chord (its harmony) predicts, or determines, the consonance or dissonance of any subsequent notes, so the I Ching hexagram indicates the Dao of a given situation and predicts/indicates the likely consonance or dissonance of any subsequent actions. Any sequence of events may subsequently follow, but the harmony or dissonance of those actions/thoughts will be determined by the degree to which we have followed the I Ching's guidance. It's not deterministic, it doesn't predict what we will do, we have complete freedom to walk all over the guidance we receive, but the consequences of our actions are largely deterministic, once set in motion, although, sadly, we often fail to notice.
The I Ching isn't a book about linear causality, it's more of a matrix of interconnected networks of meaning, symbolized by every possible combination of dualistic opposition. If we replaced the words 'good fortune' and 'misfortune' with 'harmony' and 'dissonance' we would come closer to understanding the hexagrams as vertical structures of meaning (rather than causal predictions), representing not linear time but the eternal 'now' that underlies time and space. Einstein correctly predicted that as we approach infinity, relative time gets increasingly slower. What he forgot to mention was that where it stops is a place called the Tao, the eternal present that transcends all relative values.
Thanks Justin. Yes, the chord represents the simultaneous occurrence of events (synchronicity) that, taken together, create an essence, or meaning. The sum is greater than its parts. Just as the Dao of the chord (its harmony) predicts, or determines, the consonance or dissonance of any subsequent notes, so the I Ching hexagram indicates the Dao of a given situation and predicts/indicates the likely consonance or dissonance of any subsequent actions. Any sequence of events may subsequently follow, but the harmony or dissonance of those actions/thoughts will be determined by the degree to which we have followed the I Ching's guidance. It's not deterministic, it doesn't predict what we will do, we have complete freedom to walk all over the guidance we receive, but the consequences of our actions are largely deterministic, once set in motion, although, sadly, we often fail to notice.
The I Ching isn't a book about linear causality, it's more of a matrix of interconnected networks of meaning, symbolized by every possible combination of dualistic opposition. If we replaced the words 'good fortune' and 'misfortune' with 'harmony' and 'dissonance' we would come closer to understanding the hexagrams as vertical structures of meaning (rather than causal predictions), representing not linear time but the eternal 'now' that underlies time and space. Einstein correctly predicted that as we approach infinity, relative time gets increasingly slower. What he forgot to mention was that where it stops is a place called the Tao, the eternal present that transcends all relative values.
Justin Farrell said:What is going to happen in this situation?". Am I right in understanding that this would depend on what choices the questioner and other people involved in the situation make?
Or if there are other people involved in the situation, could we get an answer from the I Ching that says something like "if the person chooses to act 'this' way, things will work out well, but if they choice to act 'that' way, things will not work out well". And maybe the I Ching would also indicate something about the nature of these choices involved? Would you say that this is how divination with the I Ching works?
Clarity,
Office 17622,
PO Box 6945,
London.
W1A 6US
United Kingdom
Phone/ Voicemail:
+44 (0)20 3287 3053 (UK)
+1 (561) 459-4758 (US).