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The I Ching is an ancient Chinese work often used as a means of divination. Feel free to jump right in and consult the I Ching using one of the links below, or scroll down further to read more about why I chose to include the I Ching on my web site.

Consult the I Ching

Manual selection - Choose a reading based on the relationship of forces

Random selection (manual) - Select a reading from the I Ching table

Random selection (automatic) - Let randomness be your guide

The I Ching and I

Although I try to keep an open mind about the spiritual and mystical world, I do not often use systems of divination such as the I Ching, tarot, or runes in their capacity as an oracle. Instead I prefer to treat them as a source of wisdom and a means of introspection. By performing a reading I am not seeking to peer into the future, but instead to delve into my own psyche. In selecting a nugget of wisdom I hope to consider how it may apply to my perspective and path in life.

I am especially drawn to the I Ching for two reasons. First off, the wisdom of the I Ching is close in spirit to the Taoist philosophy that I try to apply to my life. Written over three thousand years ago, the I Ching is the wellspring of wisdom from which followed the Tao Te Ching, one of the seminal works of taoist literature. The Art of War and the works of Confucius are also considered to be rooted in the I Ching.

Secondly, the I Ching system is based on simple relationships between two forces instead of the complex patterns often formed by other systems. In the I Ching there are sixty four readings, one for each of the possible pairings of the eight basic symbols. The pairings of these eight basic elements create a simple index for the I Ching which can be used to select a reading for a specific situation or conflict.

For example, let's say that I have writers block. This would be a conflict between my desire for creativity and my inability to create. I would select Sky (strength and creativity) and Mountain (stopping and stillness). This would lead me to the readings for Mountain over Sky (Great buildup) and Sky over Mountain (Withdrawl).

As I did not want to retype the entire I Ching, I searched the web for a translation in digital format. The best I could find was a very literal Richard Wilhelm translation. This contained the original metaphors and wisdom from ancient Chinese life which can be very hard to decipher and apply to our modern lives and problems.

I personally prefer the Thomas Cleary translation I have in book form, which includes Confucius' annotations. While these annotations are still over two thousand years old, they do manage to discuss the readings in a more universal context. I have been unable to find an digital version of this translation, which means that I must type it out by hand if I wish to use it. So, I have posted the Wilhelm translation pages as they are now, and I will gradually replace them with the Cleary translation as time permits.