I Ching Class
for richer, more confident divination
"Taking Hilary's class was a real joy. The Yi can be confusing, especially considering that throughout history it has been shown though a prism creating a spectrum of interpretation.
It's easy to get lost in a reading but Hilary's insight can clarify and reveal facets of new interpretation. I liked the interaction of the class and the brainstorming process.
For me I feel I needed the personal interaction with Hilary and the other classmates and I wasn't disappointed."
Tim Swezey (I Ching Class, Spring 2008)
When you can consult the I Ching with confidence and fluency, a lot changes. It's always available to help you understand your world more deeply and move through it in a more natural, connected way. You have a practice you can always fall back on to navigate the complex landscapes of relationships, family, work, decisions of all kinds, without losing your spiritual bearings. It's like having a wise, blunt old mentor who you know is never going away.
This class is here to help you develop this kind of living relationship with the oracle. It systematically covers what I've found to be the essential building-blocks:
- a solid technical grasp of how the components of a reading work together
- a feeling for the world of experience the oracle comes from
- trust in your own intuition
The class in a nutshell
Teleclasses
The core of the class is the 8 teleclasses. They're at 7pm UK time (11am Pacific) on Sundays in May, June and July (May 17th, 24th and 31st, June 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th, and July 5th).
The calls will be to a conference line that you can access with Skype for free, or by ordinary phone. (There are call-in numbers for the US, UK and across Europe, so you can choose whichever's closest to you.)
And more
- A private class forum for assignments, questions and support
- Worksheets for each teleclass
- Three bonus calls for live reading practice, developing a confident, spontaneous response to readings
- Downloadable recordings of all calls
- Comprehensive course lessons and reference materials to download
The eight teleclass recordings, worksheets and course materials will be published in a home study course later on this year (replacing the older 'I Ching course'). The recordings of the bonus 'reading practice' calls, though, and the contents of the private forum, are only for participants in this class.
This class could be for you if...
"When I first consulted the I-Ching I was amazed at how much information Hilary was able to glean from what seemed like a few short lines in a hexagram. Her interpretation and depth of insight into the reading seemed magical to me. I longed to have the resources to learn just a little of what she knew.
The online course was the answer to my wish. The course was very convenient, cost effective and extremely enlightening. I wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone who would like to deepen their knowledge of the I-Ching."
Pat McCormack,
New York, USA. (I Ching Course)
- You have some experience with the I Ching, you're happy casting hexagrams (do contact me if you need any help with that), but you don't have the confidence to use regular readings as a guide
- You're interested in a way to rediscover vivid spiritual depth and clarity in the stuff of 'ordinary' life
- You've had wonderful 'aha!' moments with I Ching readings, you know there's something extraordinary about it, but you're discouraged by a frustrating sense that you're missing things and not really 'getting it'
- You're drawn to divination as a constant connection to guidance, meaning, and staying 'awake'.
If you recognise yourself in any of these - or if you're just fascinated by the I Ching and want to get to know it better - keep reading...
Class contents in detail
This is a very practical class, based on a step-by-step process for working with a reading. So every bit of information is introduced in the context of how to use it in divination, and this is immediately made concrete through real reading practice.
Learning in a group helps with this, as the theory comes to life in other members' readings as well as your own. It's very different from learning by yourself with a book: more solid, more supportive, and with feedback (from me and from the whole group) every step of the way.
The objective in all this is to develop that all-important trust in your own intuition. Having the knowledge at your fingertips is important, but a pure 'information dump' isn't much help. So by the end of the course you'll not only have received the information you need, you'll also have the experience of putting it to good use.
The syllabus
"I used to rely on the translator’s commentary, and in that way I didn’t get anywhere; proceed humbly, you have a connection with the spirits, determination… Everything was so dark and general, it seemed to fit every situation, but was leading me nowhere.
Hilary’s commentaries are direct and easy to understand. Even for a foreigner like me, her language was always clear. She pointed me in the right direction with her knowledge and experience.
...The lesson I loved the most was the one dedicated to multiple moving lines. Before the course, when I got more than one moving line, everything was a mess, I didn’t know where to start. Now however, I enjoy having moving lines, the more there are, the better I can see the situation.
Working with the Yi is a never-ending joy. To understand its signs one must first start learning. I have read several Yijing books and I have not found better explanations for divination with the Yi than in these lessons."
Angel Herrero,
Spain. (I Ching Course)
An I Ching reading moves through three interlocking phases: opening the channel, connecting, and integrating - giving the reading an enduring place in your life. The classes reflect the same phases:
Essential Foundations - building confidence and fluency
- Choosing a question (opening the channel - how to start a clear flow of communication)
- Connecting primary and relating hexagram (connecting - finding yourself in the reading's landscape)
- Interpreting moving lines (Get to know the distinctive 'voice' of each line - where they speak from, what they're about, how they interact, how they cast light on inner and outer relationships.)
- Thinking in trigrams (Seeing and feeling a reading's inner dynamics)
Going Deeper - enriching and strengthening your readings
- Awareness of history and myth (Accessing deeper messages - and also more detailed, specific ones)
- Inner structures and relationships (Part I of a rich 'Diviner's Toolkit', delving into the meanings stored up within a single hexagram)
- Pathways of change (Part II of the 'Diviner's Toolkit': exploring moving lines in depth, following their connections, 'line pathways' and 'patterns of change'.)
- Translating readings into practice (A discussion of fixing the omen through divination practice, and ways to keep the channel open and clear)
The bonus 'reading practice' calls begin after all the foundations are laid, in the second part of the class.
Extra reference materials
As well as the notes to each call, you'll be able to download several ebooks and 'ebooklets' for convenience:
Opening the channel:
Casting rituals and methods
Choosing and navigating an I Ching text
Connecting
Words of Change, an I Ching glossary. (Sold separately here.)
Diviner's toolkit of in-depth structural methods
The trigrams
'Drawing the threads together': a guide to responding spontaneously to readings
"I really really loved the class and felt I learned SO much. It will take me a while to assimilate it all, but you're both wonderful with the Yi and in teaching its use. I got exactly what I needed and wanted and more. Thanks so much!"
Dr Karen Shue, brainandhealth.com (I Ching Class, Spring 2008)
Fixing the omen
Suggested reading template
Membership in 'Change Circle' for the duration of the Class
'Fixing' a reading is arguably the most important part of the process - it makes the difference between a 'Book of Change' and a 'Book of Nice Ideas'. But ongoing support is much more help with this than just some extra download. This is why I created an ongoing membership, Change Circle, where members can help one another with readings, collaborate in exploring areas of interest in more depth, and build up a body of knowledge. (Including WikiWing, a wholly experience-based line by line commentary.) You'll have access to all of this throughout the class.
Support
There'll be assignments and activities for you to familiarise yourself with each step of the process, and you're warmly encouraged to share these at the class forum. You get my personal support there, of course, as well as in the teleclasses and bonus calls (when there'll be ample opportunity for questions).
You also get the support of the whole group: helping with one another's readings, seeing your experience reflected in new ways, tapping into the group's energy and wealth of ideas. It all creates opportunities for the learning - and the friendships - to take root.
"I want to thank you again for an enlightening experience participating in your class. You are a wonderful guide--very patient, very intelligent, and very funny."
B Sullivan (I Ching Class, Spring 2008)
So to sum up...
You get:
- 8 teleclasses in a group of no more than 12 people, each with their own assignment to help you assimilate this part of the process
- 3 bonus 'reading practice' calls
- Teleclass worksheets to download (it helps to anchor the learning process)
- Complete lesson materials to download
- Recordings of all calls to download
- Extra reference materials, including the Words of Change glossary
- Support with your assignments - and any other questions you may have - at a private class forum
- Full access to Change Circle for the duration of the class
There is an absolute maximum of 12 places in the class. So if you're drawn to this way of developing a richer and more confident relationship with the I Ching, please reserve your seat as soon as you can.
Relaxed guarantee
"My favorite part of the course was the live class discussions. You kept us all focused on the material and the comments of the other students were insightful and deepened my understanding. All of the handouts were excellent. I would say I learned the most from the discussion of actual examples in the context of the person's life story.
The course was really valuable and I certainly would recommend it highly to other students should you decide to give it again."
Tony Louis (I Ching Class, Spring 2008)
If you're not happy for any reason, at any time during the two months of the class, just let me know and I'll refund all you've paid. Actually, to give you more time to assimilate and test out what you've learned, let's extend that for a few weeks after the class ends, until July 31st. It's my usual relaxed, unfussy guarantee: if you'd like your money back, you only have to say so.
Reserve your place
Member discounts...
The all-inclusive price for the Class is £129 (about $193.5 or €143.19), payable in three installments of £43. However, if you're a member you're also entitled to a further discount: just drop by the Friends' Area or the Change Circle home page (depending on your level of membership) to pick up your coupon code and order.