My response to this question is very brief. For those of you who
haven't any idea about the nature of the I CHING I would describe the
I CHING as nature herself.
The I CHING is a philosophy dating back
to the origins of Chinese civilization that evolved along with Chinese
writing and culture. This philosophy of right living is based on the
premise that everything in the universe arises out of two forces, Yang
and Yin, the Chinese words for creative and receptive energy or masculine
and feminine forces. The concept is that if you follow the way of nature
you will find the right way and right time for action or non-action
in one's own life.
This ancient work from China is an inter-play of symbols that are derived
from the elements of nature. The I CHING is
used as a tool of divination for aligning one's self with those elemental
forces so that one may "swim the way the river is flowing."
By consulting the I CHING we recognize ourselves as part of
the flux of nature and that we and the universe are one organism.
This Book of Changes has only one law that remains constant, that
is the only thing that never changes is change itself.
In one of the layers of symbols the I CHING projects attributes
of personality and character onto the images of nature. These symbols
also denote members of the archetypal family.
The I CHING is the quintessential symbol
book of all time. It contains layers of symbols, one within the other.
Symbols are used to describe other symbols. It is, therefore, no wonder
that people find this book of wisdom obscure. Because the nature of
a symbol always points to something beyond itself, the meanings can
never be pinned down but are always open to each new reader.
The I CHING is like a grand prism reflecting
a myriad of images, all coming from one source, as they refract into
the interior of each individual mind who seeks its wisdom. The power
of the I CHING is only activated through
the interaction of the human mind. The archetypes in the I
CHING were programmed over the centuries by the continual input
and evolution of many human psyches. Therefore I
CHING reflects a collective response to the human condition
as a part of nature.
The I CHING can then be viewed as a part
of nature also - from the point of view of the human psyche reflecting
back, as a collective, where it stands within the whole. When consulting
the I CHING one activates this archetypal
material by allowing the surface of the waters of one's own interior
well to be rippled. The I CHING itself cautions that the book is not
for everyone, anticipating that not all psyches will be compelled to
participate in or understand its symbolic mysteries. The I
CHING is a psychic computer, coming to me through thousands
of years of time. |
What Is the I CHING?
