...life can be translucent

Menu

Any Tips On Accurate Casting

jzy369

visitor
Joined
Dec 1, 2014
Messages
73
Reaction score
4
Dear Friends:

Many of us have many "Ah ha" experience with IC. I believe so much so that they are no longer "ah ha" any more. IC is like a loyal, reliable friend. Do you have any "protocols" you go through to make your casting more accurate and pertinent, in addition to rationally think through your question before asking?

Because I believe IC casting is an exercise of the mind and subconscious (just belief, not sure if it is true), I always tries to concentrate on the question throughout the time I was doing coin casting. But I am not sure if this is sufficient or there is any room to improve on this "technique" when you are casting questions either:

1. For yourself;
2. For other peolple;

Thanks for sharing in advance.
 

rosada

visitor
Joined
Jun 3, 2006
Messages
9,890
Reaction score
3,174
Write your question down before doing the casting. It allows you to really let your mind be blank for the toss and also as the I Ching is sometimes very literal it can be important to know exactly what you asked rather than just relying on what was your general feeling about what you wanted to know.

Don't ask any more questions until you feel sure you understand the answer to the previous one.

m2c
Rosada
 

rosada

visitor
Joined
Jun 3, 2006
Messages
9,890
Reaction score
3,174
I just asked the I Ching, "What is the appropriate attitude or ritual for consulting the oracle?"
I received 25uc.

The advice reads,
"Thus the kings of old,
Rich in virtue, and in harmony with the time,
fostered and nourished ALL beings."

I see this as emphasizing that one be without prejudice to the outcome. All beings = all possibilities.
 

jzy369

visitor
Joined
Dec 1, 2014
Messages
73
Reaction score
4
Thanks a lot for the tip. Yeah, 25uc is a very important attitude. It is so easy to have fanciful thinking when asking IC.
 
S

sooo

Guest
I've mentioned this before; not sure if it made much sense to those not familiar with firearms.

Quite often, especially early in the day 'when thoughts run crisscross', I'll fire a shot downrange just to clear and foul the barrel. This is common practice among target shooters. After a barrel is thoroughly cleaned, it generally is not at its peak of accuracy - compared to my mind which is not crisply focused with realism. By firing a somewhat aimless shot downrange, it fouls the barrel with enough residue and also rids it from residual cleaning materials. So with the Yi, sending a question downrange helps to get residual gunk cleared while tightening the inner structure in a natural way. The answer is so general, to a question that was not even formed, except perhaps one that's like "what's up?", then I'm then able to have a clear focus on my priorities and goals to ask about and aim with a clear focus.

However, not only do I still receive "ah-ha" answers, I'm also cognizant that the Yi may have something of more pertinent import to bring into my field of consciousness. I try to always remain receptive to that possibility. Intensity of focus is not the only important factor, priority is more so.
 
H

hmesker

Guest
So with the Yi, sending a question downrange helps to get residual gunk cleared while tightening the inner structure in a natural way. The answer is so general, to a question that was not even formed, except perhaps one that's like "what's up?", then I'm then able to have a clear focus on my priorities and goals to ask about and aim with a clear focus.

I like that, it comes close to my own practice of not asking questions at all (see http://itcn.nl/serendipity/archives/81-Questioning-the-question.html). Questions can be misleading. Question = direction, and when you choose a question you choose a certain direction, discarding all other possible directions. Often it is better to let the Yi talk about the direction you should focus on.
 

hollis

visitor
Joined
Sep 10, 2006
Messages
666
Reaction score
7
I have leaned on Harmen's research above for years now, it is my baseline for addressing the Yi.

Before casting, I will search my intentions for all it's secret hopes fears & agendas, and just acknowledge. Work through if I am willing to give up attachment to those outcomes. Answer is yes, I would rather have it straight from the Yi. When I feel ready, then cast the coins.
 
S

sooo

Guest
By addressing a situation to the Yi you allow every aspect of the situation to play an equally important role. The Yi will help you to find what you really need to focus on, it will point to the aspects that do deserve your attention. Without a question you will get the most objective answer possible.
I'm pleased that you share this point of view, and that your research discovers this practice to be common. It is sometimes frustrating when I'm asked a question or for an interpretation in private, that the querent remains entirely glued to their question, and nowhere is this more common than when it involves relationships and questions about this special other person. Sometimes it's impossible to break out of that egg shell and into the hen herself.

I would like to see this page added to the "Advice for relationship questions" sticky, or better yet, it's own sticky for "Tips for addressing the Yi".
 

jzy369

visitor
Joined
Dec 1, 2014
Messages
73
Reaction score
4
Thanks for the wonderful comments and references!

The concept of not asking aspecific question/scenario reminds me of some New Age groups advocacies. In their exercises, picturing specific desired scenario is a used to reach a state of hapiness in subject's mind, but this is just a way to "instruct your subconscious". Then subject must drop the specific scenario and let sub-conscious work on reaching that desired "hapiness" in this physical reality in its own way, because conscious "envisioning" actually limits the possibilities. Being too specific in asking IC questions may have similar draw-backs, and is susceptible to have "fanciful thinking" while asking.

I will also try sooo's suggestions of shooting the blanks to help settle down and focus. That is an area I need to improve on.
 
S

sooo

Guest
Thanks for the wonderful comments and references!

The concept of not asking aspecific question/scenario reminds me of some New Age groups advocacies. In their exercises, picturing specific desired scenario is a used to reach a state of hapiness in subject's mind, but this is just a way to "instruct your subconscious". Then subject must drop the specific scenario and let sub-conscious work on reaching that desired "hapiness" in this physical reality in its own way, because conscious "envisioning" actually limits the possibilities. Being too specific in asking IC questions may have similar draw-backs, and is susceptible to have "fanciful thinking" while asking.

I will also try sooo's suggestions of shooting the blanks to help settle down and focus. That is an area I need to improve on.

I've silently followed along behind many of Harmen's investigations on Yijing history, facts and applications, and I dare say I don't recall him writing from any so-called New Age sources; though New Age ideas, for the most part, are anything but new, it just uses a more contemporary vocabulary, and sometimes seems to lack depth. Perhaps your intended use of the term isn't this way, but some traditionalist Yi scholars only use the term New Age with contempt.

The concept isn't so much one of psychology but of continuity and relevancy.

On a more minor sounding note, yet again to true "gunnies", an important one, I shoot no blanks, either from a firearm or to the Yi. A blank accomplishes nothing to enhance accuracy. A live round, preferably identical to those that will be used in the firearm, leaves traces of the bullet casing or lead and burned and unburned identical powder, and will prepare the barrel to most accurately launch downrange to the target. It's really a pita when cleaning the firearm at home, and having to go to a safe place to discharge a single live round, solely for the purpose of fouling the barrel just enough to improve accuracy of the first round used for more serious and focused functions.

Off topic but kind of freaky, in a Big Brother Watching (via browser) kind of way, when I went to the second link Harmen left, there (of all places) was an advertisement for US concealed carry magazine, a subsidiary of the infamous NRA. Talk about target marketing!

Anyway, back on target (pardon pun), the idea isn't to not ask a question, but to present the question in an open fashion:

When you go to a traditional diviner, he will ask you, "What do you want to know?"
You only have to say something like:

My wealth luck 求財
My marriage 姻緣
My health 健康
My father's sickness 問父疾
The well-being of my family 家宅
My general well-being 自身

The divination will show you the whole picture including when something will happen.

If I may make one last allegory to accurate aiming - when using iron sights (no scope), one is instructed to place focus not on the target (that out there), nor on the rear sight (this over here), but on the front sight (that apex point in the middle between the eye and the target). Since the eye can only focus on one depth of field at a time, the rear sight and target will appear blurry. I believe that this example is equally appropriate for aiming to hit the proverbial hawk on a high wall.
 

Cathalina

visitor
Joined
Sep 16, 2013
Messages
62
Reaction score
3
I just asked the I Ching, "What is the appropriate attitude or ritual for consulting the oracle?"
I received 25uc.

I see this as emphasizing that one be without prejudice to the outcome. All beings = all possibilities.



Thanks a lot for the tip. Yeah, 25uc is a very important attitude. It is so easy to have fanciful thinking when asking IC.

Hmm, I thought this was an older post because somehow I could swear I read before my hiatus (a year or more ago) this exact same question answered with 25uc.

25 - Innocence / The Unexpected

I really like this answer. And I must admit, I have such a hard time with it. Mostly because I a very pessimistic and have a lot of fear. Sometimes, even when I am feeling positive for a bit, I ask something and the answer seems negative or confusing - then I can't tell if my neutral or optimistically accepting mood was not stable enough or if my pessimism is just kicking in or if I am in denial. :( And perhaps sometimes my pessimistic fear comes from too much of a strong desire. I think the I-ching doesn't like that. I suspect even if what you desire belongs to you, the I-ching will likely counsel you to stop desiring so much and balance yourself and I might read it as the I-ching telling me I am going to lose what I desire. I know there's so much more power and clarity in the I-ching that I am able to take from it because I have a long way to go with myself. My mind is cluttered. I LOVE this answer for this question.

I personally like to pray for a bit and ask God to help me understand His answers, accept them (without reading them with a bias in my favor or against me, as I am prone to do), and implement His advice. I believe the I-ching is a tool of God. But that is just MY personal belief. And while it helps, my mind is far too strong and stubborn. I can't say with certainty how accurate my castings are though when I do this (at the start of my castings, before I let anxiety take me overboard) they seem to be very. Limiting my questions also helps. As does 'speaking' to the I-ching. But I'm in no place to give advice, I'm an amateur, I NEED advice for better castings.
 

jzy369

visitor
Joined
Dec 1, 2014
Messages
73
Reaction score
4
On a more minor sounding note, yet again to true "gunnies", an important one, I shoot no blanks, either from a firearm or to the Yi. A blank accomplishes nothing to enhance accuracy. A live round, preferably identical to those that will be used in the firearm, leaves traces of the bullet casing or lead and burned and unburned identical powder, and will prepare the barrel to most accurately launch downrange to the target.

Sorry for using the wrong terminology, it is pretty apparent that I never owned a firearm. I did shot a "how will my work day be" this morning before I asked my main question. Quite appropriately, Yi gave me 22uc which reflects my on-going rennovation project (we did a lot of painting and recesse lighting today, looking good at the end of the day).

Most of the New Age view has no academic basis nor documented history. Their thoughts originte from extraterreistrials to sects of Bhudism and Hinduism. I touch them all to form my own view of the Universe. My thesis is that the common denominator amongst them has higher probability to be true and useful.
 
S

sooo

Guest
I have no negative reaction to New Age views, personally, and I'm prone more toward focusing on both Elementary and Folk ideas in general. However, I thought it worth noting that what was being pointed out wasn't so much a matter of feeling good or instructing the subconscious as seeing more clearly the more general focus of Yi's answers. That's not to say it can't sometimes be bang-on specific, just that with all the discussions of wording our questions just so will result in more detailed answers, I think we can focus too intently on the tree that we overlook the forest. I've done it a thousand times myself, and have addressed this matter so often with others who insist on seeing only what they're dead set on wanting or fearing to see. The reason that I've perhaps overly elaborated on the whole firearm proper aiming technique is to prevent the extreme opposite from happening, and turning our Yi readings into a Rorschach inkblot test. That said, I can't tell you how often my foggy morning questions (i.e. 30.1) completely dissipate after my unfocused inquiry sent downrange is fired. Not much of an "ah-ha" but more like an "oh....??" I've seen this same kind of response when a student is eager to face a master to ask a myriad of questions, but draws a complete blank when face-to-face, and breaks out into laughter. I can see Rosada's 25 in that.
 

Edwitz

visitor
Joined
Feb 9, 2014
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Casting Cares to the Wind

I believe a Wholy Spirit works with each question. Sometimes It gives me many balancing pros and cons for each path or sub-path, and this says I'm free to choose from what seems least worse to me. I thank It for helping prepare me for the mixed rewards, consequences and next steps. Peace and love be with you.:)
 

moss elk

visitor
Joined
Jul 22, 2013
Messages
3,280
Reaction score
1,049
A few things that help me:

Allow the time to do this, do not rush it.

Write the question down and contemplate it before casting.
Perhaps edit the question to be more specific.
Perhaps the answer or some solution might dawn on you prior to casting.
If so, go have lunch and skip casting.

If you decide to cast, become Respectful,
And Focused.
Cast.

Write down the answer, study it, give it time.
Be prepared to sometimes get a very clear literal and direct answer,
And to sometimes get useful advice specific to you and the situation that 'ignores' your question and instead speaks to your emotional state or intention or about the fact that your blind date is an axe murderer.

Now, figure out what type of answer you got.
 

ragini

visitor
Joined
Oct 20, 2011
Messages
123
Reaction score
7
So with the Yi, sending a question downrange helps to get residual gunk cleared while tightening the inner structure in a natural way. The answer is so general, to a question that was not even formed, except perhaps one that's like "what's up?", then I'm then able to have a clear focus on my priorities and goals to ask about and aim with a clear focus.

My first question of the day to the Yi, is not really a question. I place all my pressings concerns of the moment in my mind and wish the Yi "Good morning". I think of the Yi's answer as the context within which all my concerns are situated.

This helps me ask more definite follow up questions or as happens often, the answer to my "Good morning", helps me understand my concerns in a helpful perspective. I may not necessarily but I gain a greater understanding and the patience to wait.
 
Last edited:
B

blue_angel

Guest
That's interesting.. I ask "what now?" Which is close to "what's up?" I notice too that, even if I do ask a particular question, sometimes the answer I receive has nothing to do with that situation I asked about at all. So its like I have to be open to receiving the answers and direction given, regardless of the question I ask. Me: "I want to know how to deal with this. Yi: "Sure, but you need to focus on this, promise" Lol. I think sometimes I may even annoy Yi a bit and it slaps my hand with an answer that says something like "not talking to you, I told you what to focus on, you aren't listening."

Hope I'm not repeating here or stepping on any toes. I do appreciate this thread very much. It's inspiring for me.
 
Last edited:

Clarity,
Office 17622,
PO Box 6945,
London.
W1A 6US
United Kingdom

Phone/ Voicemail:
+44 (0)20 3287 3053 (UK)
+1 (561) 459-4758 (US).

Top