The other day, I asked the I Ching if there would be a terrorist act that would affect me directly.

It responded with 51.3. Clearly a pertinent, on target response. And with the suggestion that there is a "correct" course of action that can "prevent error" in the event of such a situation.

At this point in my development with the Yi, the relevance of the response doesn't surprise me. However, one thing that's interesting to me is this question - is this a *prediction* that *yes, there will be a terrorist attack that directly affects me* or is it more like general advice - something like "if it does happen you'll be distraught; figure out the right thing to do to avoid dying/major injury, minimize the damage, etc."

I wonder about this because it strikes me that sometimes the Yi's answers to questions about the future are much more like *preparation for* eventualities than they are *predictions* of what will happen.

Any thoughts?

I think that any oracle reflects intent, it shows what the intent is. When one is alone, consulting an oracle, it reflects one's own intent. (However, one's own intent is influenced by the intent of everything and everyone.)

When you ask about whether something will happen in the future, there's an intent behind that question. You may want to prepare yourself, or be comforted for example. As I see it, the oracle is going to reflect that intent. So it's not going to answer your question, it's going to show you what your intent behind the question is.

The way the Yi is set up, there isn't actually a way that it can provide an answer to a question like "is this going to happen to me," as such kind of answers aren't there in the Yi.

So with this particular question, you got a reflection of your intent, which is probably wanting to be prepared in case you are shocked by a terrorist action. The Yi is showing the intent, and may add some advice, an indication of your luck (good fortune/misfortune/success/progressing), and/or a superego message (no fault/shame/regret goes away). In this instance only advice: Being startled into action avoids harm.

It is not a prediction that it will happen in the future.

In the ideal situation, one would always already know what answer an oracle is going to give. That ideal situation is called "Enlightenment." It is totally being one's true nature, one's essence.

The normal situation however is that of having an ego and a superego, both of which act to make the bigger part of one's true self invisible. It is hidden in the subconscious or unconscious. Deep down inside we do know the answers to our questions.

An oracle helps us making the intent of that invisible, unconscious part visible.

Well thanks Ewald, yes, while I'm not convinced that the Yi *only* reflects intent, I do see the point in what you are saying - it explains why some answers turns out the way they do.

What mystifies me is that sometimes it seems to be doing other things. Sometimes it *does* seem (to me) to be predicting the future. Sometimes it reflects intent, as you say, but other times it just seems to reflect the larger situation or context.

Sometimes it seems to focus in on a seemingly minor aspect of a situation (that appears in the future) and sometimes it seems to be making dire warnings.

So, I see it differently overall, but yes I agree that at times reflecting intent is definitely what the Yi is doing...

Thanks for responding,

- Jeff

As I see it, as the future is the result of intent, when the Yi seems to predict the future, it may have picked up on the particular intent of that situation. That intent may have been larger than just your own. But in that case it is still intent, and intent can change: the future is not set in stone.