I Ching Options

It just seemed to be missing . . .
I'd also like to point out This Excellent Site

I've been practicing with the coins for a couple of years now, and although I'm a complete newbe beginner . . . I've found them fascinating and very informative.

I'd like to open this topic on the I Ching for general discussion and as a self-centered opportunity to get information from more knowledgable/experienced I Ching'ers (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

First a question . . . I was recently rereading the intro to the Wilhem/Baynes The I Ching, when I noticed that it seems the recommendation is to address the BOOK as the spirit animated source for the I Ching.
I'd always been addressing (asking my questions of) the coins . . .

Is addressing the actual book others normal practice? . . . if so, then what am I feeding when I offer incense smoke to the coins?


(just an aside . . . I feels like I get a more direct and informative answer when I do addess the BOOK!! . . ???)

What other questions , practices suggestions , theories , opinions do everyone else have on the I Ching ?

I've dabbled, but I suppose you can only try to master ("try to" being the operative word) master one thing in a life time properly. For me, for thirty years it's been the Thoth tarot. But what's fairly interesting are the correspondences that pretty accurately map between Thoth tarot (what an amazing tool!) and the I Ching (which opens up for some of us, a way to approach the I Ching while staying with --at least in my case-- my passion for the Tarot):
- 0 Fool = 25 Wu Wang (more or less, although The Fool is one of those vastly complicated cards -- it encompasses all the major arcana in one single card)
- I Magus = I Ch'ien "The Creative"
- II Priestess = 2 K'un "Receptive"
- III Empress = 48 Ching "The Well"
- IV Emperor = 7 Shih "The Army"
- V The Hierophant = 45 Ts'ui "Gathering Together"
- VI The Lovers = 31 Hsien - "Influence"
-VII The Chariot = 4 Meng - "Youthful Inexperience"
-VIII Adjustment (Thoth attribution, not Waite!) = 21 Shih Ho "Biting Through"
-IX The Hermit = 52 Ken - "Mountain"
- X Fortune = 50 Ting "The Cladron
- XI Lust = 26 Ta Ch'u - "The Great Taming Force"
- XII Hanged Man = 12 P'i "Stagnation"
- XIII Death = 59 Huan - "Dispersion"
- XIV Art = 15 Ch'ien - "Modesty"
- XV The Devil = 36 Ming I - "Darkening of the Light"
- XVI The Tower = 51 Chen - "Thunder"
-XVII The Star = 61 Chung Fu - "Inmost Sincerity"
-XVIII The Moon = 29 K'an - "The Perilous Pit"
-XIX The Sun = 64 Wei Chi - "Before Completion"
-XX The Aeon = 24 Fu - "Returning"
-XXI The Universe = 63 Chi Chi - "Completion"

There are attributions for all the minors (courts, aces, pips) but that's probably plenty for discussion if anyone's into this intriguing map.

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I never thought The deck could be equated from it.