It’s not just me: lots of people let me know that they get further with their readings, understand them better, see more clearly, when they look at them for a second time. So how does this work?
Let the water clear
I think maybe Togan put it best, in a comment on the post, ‘Is this the wrong question?‘:
“Get a glass of water and put some soil into the glass . Then stir it. What does it look like ? Most probably it will resemble your mind when you were looking for the answer. Wait for some time and everything will settle down, bringing back the clarity again both to the glass of water and to your mind.
That is like the moment you have an understanding of the answer.
Stir the water again so goes the clearness away, same as you restart thinking about the answer, as you can relate more things to the situation and the question. Wait and it will be clear water again.
Hence, when you ask a question and seek guidance from the I Ching, wait till the water is clear. Even if you do not understand the answer at the beginning wait till the dust sets down so your vision is clear.”
I really like this image. For one thing, it shows that confusion about an answer is not something to be afraid of.
To morph the metaphor somewhat: your conscious mind may be floundering and splashing about searching for something to hold onto, but your greater self can already swim like a fish. When you get into the habit of revisiting and reviewing readings, you see the truth in this for yourself. And it also means there’s much less temptation to ask strings of questions in the hope of getting an answer you can relate to.
Benefit of hindsight
A second reason why: you get the benefit of hindsight. This is not ‘cheating’; this is what diviners have always used, and to a large extent what oracles have always been made of.
Nowadays, we have I Ching software that include the means to consult the oracle, record and review your situation, question, casting, and how things worked out. A few millennia ago, the same ox scapulae and turtle plastrons that were used in consultation were also engraved with both the question to the oracle and the outcome, and stored with great care. I think it’s safe to assume that the omens and images of the oracle we consult now were distilled from the experiences of generations of diviners.
When you revisit your reading, hindsight can give you a better understanding of the hexagram. As you gather together a range of experiences clustered around a particular hexagram or line, you’ll start to get an inner sense of the shape of the thing. No book or course (not even this one 😉 ) can offer you anything like it.
Allow serendipity
So reviewing nourishes better understanding of both what you asked about, and the hexagram(s) you received in answer. It can also, serendipitously, do more. The reading may turn out to apply to something that’s come up since you asked. It may even apply to events that have no apparent connection to what you asked about. That would be no logical, causal connection, of course: it’s also a fair indication that there is something beyond standard-issue causality creating these events.
It’s tremendously useful to have a fully searchable I Ching journal – and it’s almost better simply to plunge into your journal at random and see what you find or where you land. (In the Resonance Journal, you do that by typing Ctrl/Cmd+M to bring up a random entry – and as you know, ‘random’ opens the door for the world to speak to you.)
See patterns
And one more reason to review: it means you have the chance to see the patterns emerging from a series of readings.
Maybe you repeatedly get the same relating hexagram: one personal issue behind many apparently unrelated areas of life. Or maybe as you delve into a subject, a relating hexagram suddenly comes into the foreground as primary hexagram – a sign you’ve brought that issue up front to be dealt with. Maybe you receive opposite hexagrams, or paired hexagrams, to describe two different options. Maybe you keep on receiving line 5 moving – time to take charge?
Maybe the same nuclear hexagram keeps showing up? Or the same trigram? In an article about using the I Ching in Jungian analysis, Dennis Merritt had this to say:
“When I was choosing an analyst in Zurich, I got names from several people and found out as much as I could about each. I then asked the I Ching about working with each analyst. The lower trigram was the same in all three answers, while the upper trigrams varied, hinting to me that the lower trigram stood for me and the upper trigram stood for the analyst in question. “
When you notice a pattern emerging from a series of readings, what you’re really seeing is a pattern emerging in your life. (And this is by no means an exhaustive list of the kinds of patterns that can show up.) It’s one more way in which the I Ching breaks down the partitions between life’s ‘compartments’ and reveals the underlying, deeper story.
Further reading
Here are some suggestions on how to get into the reviewing habit and more on patterns to look for in your readings.
Two years ago my life blew up (51) and I have recovered my equilibrium via the daily conversations with the Ching. One result of this daily conversation was that as I read commentaries (online) I would copy paste the words which jumped out at me as the most revealing and true responses. I kept and ongoing copy/pasted diary of the past couple of years in an ongoing log and then referred back to it as an inner journal with all the illuminated points of wisdom which helped me through each day of recovering from the disastrous events. The era did come to an end, and the commentaries indicated that the resolution of the era was at hand. The Ching was my best friend, counselor, guide and comfort to a much more pleasing season of my journey. I recommend the practice…. it’s rewarding to look back on a lifesaver to lean on.