iChing: the Classic Book of Changes
The classic Chinese oracle, now with the well known 3 coin divination method using the iPhone sensors available in the Apple iTunes Appstore
This iPhone app is suitable for the serious user that also wants to be able to cast manually. Trigam based lookup tables, and numbered index to all 64 Hexagram texts, with moving lines, and secondary hexagrams.
The study path to full Hexagrams connotations is explained and illustrated with unique tables of digrams, trigrams and even tetragrams with English meaning.
โ Yin โ Yang ๐ Earth
Yin and Yang are represented by broken and solid lines: yang is solid and yin is broken. There is a neutral third form, earth. Divination with the I Ching uses the information contained in a snapshot, that you can toss three coins for. The idea is similar to a dynamic binary system, where a single bit can be 'on' or 'off' or 'changing'. The ancient taoistic school of thought has derived a interesting set of connotations from these forms, in six 'bits' it contains meaning beyond a simple yes and no, but to understand you need to follow along in the build-up of these connotations. These meanings allow you to contemplate life and find your course & destiny. If you follow along in this article you will better grasp a casting of the I Ching. The path to the full book of changes could be taken in steps, where one would first cast only once. All you need is one cast of three coins for a 'line'. Say head=yang and tail=yin, when two the same define yin & yang, three the same define earth. (Read up on using the I Ching or use a software tool if you don't know the procedure). You need a Unicode capable browser to appreciate this page.
The digrams
Two lines of Yin & Yang, or Earth, can be combined into a digram, and this creates the metaphysical base for a wider set of connotations. The digrams introduce the nuance that the tao provides.
โ Greater yang
โ Lesser yang
๐ Human earth
๐ Earth
๐ Heavenly earth
๐ Earthly heaven
๐ Earthly human
โ Lesser yin
โ Greater yin
The trigrams
When we investigate the combined forms of three lines combined into so called trigrams, we see that some are more yang and other are more yin depending on the number of broken and solid lines (e.g. โฐ is heavily yang, while โท is heavily yin), The relative positions and numbers of yin and yang lines within the trigrams determines the meaning of that trigram. As you can see from the meaning, these forms enter the physical realm, they present an extended set of primary elements.
โฐ Heaven
โฑ Lake
โฒ Fire
โณ Thunder
โด Wind
โต Water
โถ Mountain
โท Earth
The tetragrams
One step further with the number of lines, four lines present a very specifically defined set of forces. Practitioners of martial arts, Tai Chi for instance, would be able to exercise with this "Art of War", but it would present a great challenge to master all the forces in movement, Grasshopper.
๐ Centre
๐ Full circle
๐ Mired
๐ Barrier
๐ Keeping small
๐ Contrariety
๐ Ascent
๐ Opposition
๐ Branching out
๐ Distortion
๐ Divergence
๐ Youthfulness
๐ Increase
๐ Penetration
๐ Reach
๐ Contact
๐ Holding back
๐ Waiting
๐ Following
๐ Advance
๐ Release
๐ Resistance
๐ Ease
๐ Joy
๐ Contention
๐ Endeavour
๐ Duties
๐ก Change
๐ข Decisiveness
๐ฃ Resolution
๐ค Packing
๐ฅ Legion
๐ฆ Closeness
๐ง Kinship
๐จ Gathering
๐ฉ Strength
๐ช Purity
๐ซ Fullness
๐ฌ Residence
๐ญ Law
๐ฎ Response
๐ฏ Going to meet
๐ฐ Encounters
๐ฑ Stove
๐ฒ Greatness
๐ณ Enlargement
๐ด Pattern
๐ต Ritual
๐ถ Flight
๐ท Vastness
๐ธ Constancy
๐น Measure
๐บ Eternity
๐ป Unity
๐ผ Diminishment
๐ฝ Closed mouth
๐พ Guardedness
๐ฟ Gathering in
๐ Massing
๐ Accumulation
๐ Embellishment
๐ Doubt
๐ Watch
๐ Sinking
๐ Inner
๐ Departure
๐ Darkening
๐ Dimming
๐ Exhaustion
๐ Severance
๐ Stoppage
๐ Hardness
๐ Completion
๐ Closure
๐ Failure
๐ Aggravation
๐ Compliance
๐ On the verge
๐ Difficulties
๐ Labouring
๐ Fostering
The hexagrams of the I Ching
Two trigrams are combined into hexagrams allowing complex depictions of interrelations. The book of changes (I Ching) captures the 64 possible forms and all 4096 possible transitions. With these connotations you would have enough granularity to contemplate your course of action.
ไท 1 Creative Heaven
ไท 2 Receptive Earth
ไท 3 Difficulty at the beginning
ไท 4 Youthful folly
ไท 5 Waiting
ไท 6 Conflict
ไท 7 the Army
ไท 8 Holding together
ไท 9 Small taming
ไท 10 Treading
ไท 11 Peace
ไท 12 Standstill
ไท 13 Fellowship
ไท 14 Great possession
ไท 15 Modesty
ไท 16 Enthusiasm
ไท 17 Following
ไท 18 Work on the decayed
ไท 19 Approach
ไท 20 Contemplation
ไท 21 Biting through
ไท 22 Grace
ไท 23 Splitting apart
ไท 24 Return
ไท 25 Innocence
ไท 26 Great taming
ไท 27 Mouth corners
ไท 28 Great preponderance
ไท 29 Abysmal water
ไท 30 Clinging fire
ไท 31 Influence
ไท 32 Duration
ไท 33 Retreat
ไทก 34 Great power
ไทข 35 Progress
ไทฃ 36 Darkening the light
ไทค 37 the Family
ไทฅ 38 Opposition
ไทฆ 39 Obstruction
ไทง 40 Deliverance
ไทจ 41 Decrease
ไทฉ 42 Increase
ไทช 43 Breakthrough
ไทซ 44 Coming to meet
ไทฌ 45 Gathering together
ไทญ 46 Pushing upward
ไทฎ 47 Oppression
ไทฏ 48 the Well
ไทฐ 49 Revolution
ไทฑ 50 the Cauldron
ไทฒ 51 Arousing thunder
ไทณ 52 the Keeping still mountain
ไทด 53 Development
ไทต 54 Marrying maiden
ไทถ 55 Abundance
ไทท 56 the Wanderer
ไทธ 57 Gentle wind
ไทน 58 the Joyous lake
ไทบ 59 Dispersion
ไทป 60 Limitation
ไทผ 61 Inner truth
ไทฝ 62 Small preponderance
ไทพ 63 After completion
ไทฟ 64 Before completion