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Divination tips

‘DIY’ tips for I Ching divination

Signpost pointing to 'yes' and 'no'

Yes/no questions

As you might know, I’m very keen on keeping things as simple as possible – not least the questions we ask the Yijing. But this can cause some bafflement when I advise against asking questions that are looking for a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ answer. What could be simpler than… Read more »Yes/no questions

stepping stones across a pond

First steps into a reading

A couple of things I’ve noticed at the I Ching Community… There’s a natural tendency to jump straight to the moving lines. We know those are the most direct answer to the question, and that their meaning takes precedence over the hexagram as a whole. For instance, if you receive… Read more »First steps into a reading

medicinal herbs

Medical readings

It’s only natural that we should turn to the Yijing with medical questions: we’re vulnerable, uncertain and out of our depth, facing the unknown, so of course we want to consult the oracle. Or if we encounter someone else dealing with a medical crisis who asks for a reading, of… Read more »Medical readings

Levels of questioning?

Something I just came across… Alan Seale, in Create a World that Works ( a book I haven’t read, and no doubt should) described four levels of engagement with experience – from the most easily accessible to the most creative: Drama – the blow-by-blow, he-said-she-said reliving of events, in a… Read more »Levels of questioning?

geese in flight

Reading without an oracle

Here’s an interesting experiment you can play with: a reading without an oracle. That means setting out to receive guidance from the world without using anything intended for divination: no cards, runes, coins, stalks, charts or anything of the kind. Instead, you might listen to the first few words you… Read more »Reading without an oracle

ancient wall at Machu Picchu

Foundations: trusting the oracle

When I teach the Yijing Foundations Class – which I’ll be doing again in September – I concentrate on the few really necessary basics for good readings: ways to relate to all the imagery (words and trigrams) understanding the structure of a reading (primary, relating, lines positions)and also knowing what… Read more »Foundations: trusting the oracle

two pairs of woolly-socked feet warming at the fire

An old friend

I’ve been writing a lot lately about seeing readings with fresh eyes, engaging with the imagery directly, as if for the first time. Here’s a post about the other side of that coin – about the joy of being familiar with Yi, so that readings are like chatting with an… Read more »An old friend