I Ching and magical thinking

[interpaul]

I've recently been exploring the use of the I Ching to see the relevance of this ancient text in modern times.  I have found some answers very interesting and others off topic.  As I step back from this I wonder if the books primary success comes from creating an alternative reading experience.  It's like reading the bible in random bits over a year.  The exposure to the text, even out of sequence, still communicates the messages. Although a part of me wants to be open to the divining power of the text, it is hard as a modern person to completely shut off the scientific mind.  Curious how many folks on this forum have used this text and how you use this ancient text.  Do you ignore messages that don't seem in alignment with what you were hoping to read?

[wandelaar]

See pages 1 & 2 of this book:

 

https://books.google.nl/books?id=cJfm_FO_TEAC

[vonkrankenhaus]

 I Ching originally had no text.

 

These are all from much later.

Same way with HeTu and LoShu.

 

So to understand what these are, study them without any of the added texts whatsoever for some time.

 

After you do that, you could understand exactly what the texts really are.

 

 

 

 

-VonKrankenhaus

[wandelaar]

13 hours ago, vonkrankenhaus said:

 I Ching originally had no text.

 

Not much text, but no text at all?

[vonkrankenhaus]

2 hours ago, wandelaar said:

Not much text, but no text at all?

 

None. 

 

Dot patterns, then solid and broken lines.

 

All text was made much later, by entirely different people.

 

 

 

 

-VonKrankenhaus

[whitesilk]

19 hours ago, interpaul said:

divining power of the text

 

 

My understanding is that we are all cut from the same mold. Think of divining power more as a path or direction from that origin. The list of possible changes are enumerated, and where our current reality is, is described by the divination.

[wandelaar]

2 hours ago, vonkrankenhaus said:

 

None. 

 

Dot patterns, then solid and broken lines.

 

All text was made much later, by entirely different people.

 

 

 

 

-VonKrankenhaus

 

What do you consider as being the earliest form of the I Ching?

[interpaul]

22 hours ago, wandelaar said:

See pages 1 & 2 of this book:

 

https://books.google.nl/books?id=cJfm_FO_TEAC

Thanks I took a look at this and it makes sense.  It does suggest using an online I Ching approach is likely a bad idea for the reason it doesn't take it very seriously.  I've bought a handbook and one of the original texts to study and do l like the idea noted about opening up different perspectives.  

[wandelaar]

3 minutes ago, interpaul said:

Thanks I took a look at this and it makes sense.  It does suggest using an online I Ching approach is likely a bad idea for the reason it doesn't take it very seriously.  I've bought a handbook and one of the original texts to study and do l like the idea noted about opening up different perspectives.  

 

Yes - I do not use the I Ching myself, because it's not my kind of thing. But the perspective offered by Hacker makes it possible to understand that using the I Ching may be useful even when there is no magic involved.

[vonkrankenhaus]

7 hours ago, wandelaar said:

What do you consider as being the earliest form of the I Ching?

 

This is pre-historical:

Fu Hsi.

 

"Among his inventions was the Yellow River Map, from which he derived the first trigrams".

 

 

 

 

-VonKrankenhaus

[wandelaar]

I would call that mythological. As far as I know the Zhou Yi had already some text by way of explanation. But I am happy to learn from somebody who knows more about this.