I Ching - The Book of Changes
The Book of Changes was initially a collection of characters that gave
yes and
no answers. The
yes answer was indicated by a solid line and the
no answer by a broken line. Later the
eight trigrams developed from each of the three stroke combinations that mirror life in pictures. Next, the eight pictures were combined in such a way that 64 characters emerged.
With an oracle laying the strokes change according to specific rules, so that the pictures change their character. These symbolise transitions and changes. The pictures do not depict situations, but rather indicate tendencies.
For many situations, the I Ching gives instructions and advice that bring good luck. And as long as things are moving, they can be influenced.
You can do the
oracle laying yourself, by, for example, tossing coins and entering the result at the top. You can also leave this up to the computer by simply clicking on I Ching oracle questions. The answers correspond to Chinese wisdom. The first answer is psychologically interpreted. If the characters are changed, there are two answers.
There are two interpretative traditions: The first considered the characters as a text book of prediction. The other practice consists of philosophical interpretation and sees the book of change as a source of cosmological, philosophical and political insight.
The Book of Changes was used in Richard Wilhelm’s translation.