Moving lines according to Alfred Huang

[green leaf]

I bought myself a book called The Complete I Ching by Alfred Huang in which he describes a method he has of reading multiple moving lines since often they can be confusing or contradictory. It is:

"1. If there are two moving lines-one yin and the other yang-consult only the yin moving line.
2. If the two moving lines are both yin or both yang, consult the lower one.
3. If there are three moving lines, consult only the middle one.
4. If there are four moving lines, consult only the upper of the two nonmoving lines.
5. If there are five moving lines, consult only the other, nonmoving line,
6. If six lines are all moving, consult the Decision of the new gua, the approached gua.
&. Since there is a seventh invisible line in the first and second gua, Qian and Kun, for these gua consult the seventh Yao Text, called All Nines or All Sixes."

I found this to be a very interesting and concise method but I am confused about one thing: each of these options say to only consult one moving line even if there are several, so do I disregard the other moving lines entirely, because this would change the approaching hexagram. Or do I only consult the one moving line but allow the other moving lines to determine the approaching gua as well? I hope that wasn't too confusing.

Thoughts. . .?

 

[fkegan]

The suggestion by Al Huang is a means to simplify oracle interpretation using a text with line judgments which may seem contradictory if all the moving lines are read straight from the text. That is why he gives suggestions to only read one of those moving line texts in any and all oracle results.

The Oracle remains the same. The resultant hexagram remains the same. Overall the Oracle continues to be the first hexagram with all the moving line emphasis pointing toward the resultant hexagram. The only change is to select just one moving line text to read in hopes of being more easily understood. Some perspectives just ignore the moving lines if there are many of them, using only the text for the two hexagrams.

He does make a number of simplifying assumptions that may or may not be relevant in any specific oracle. He does note if there are four or 5 moving lines, the minority stable lines are highlighted. That implies that the original hexagram situation is in flux overall with those non-moving lines being the lynch pins controlling that flux. He then selects just one moving line text to read.

For all 6 lines moving, he ignores all the moving line texts except in the case of hex 1 or 2 which have a special moving line commentary for all 6 lines moving.

This is a technique based upon a total focus upon the text and its various sections assuming every oracle must be interpreted by reading the relevant sections of that text and folks either can't or shouldn't consider more than one moving line text in an oracle

Frank

 

[green leaf]

Thanks so much, fkegan, for your input. You really clarified a lot for me. Cheers.

 

[fkegan]

Glad to be of help, though I haven't the faintest idea why Al H prefers yin to yang moving lines or the lower to upper and other arbitrary decisions in his system.
Frank