I Ching Options

It just seemed to be missing . . .
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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 ?

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!! . . ???)

You should look at the BOOK as at your spiritual master. The coins are just tools, like a compass. They show you a code, somthing what you can't translate without the help of a master. So don't ask the coins to show you something, ask the BOOK to show you the meaning of the code, shown by the coins.

I don't use incense or anything else to improove my divinations. It's not a bad idea to cleanse the coins before using them, but I belive that the spirit of my BOOK cant be fooled by some negative energy or something like that...

This post has been edited by Galdr Nidsson: Oct 21 2006, 04:10 AM

C'mon guys! No I Ching'ers around? I'm really interested in your experinces!

C'mon guys! No I Ching'ers around? I'm really interested in your experinces!

I have never really gelled with the I Ching. No pictures and all the books had no coins.

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For coins, I just use a bunch of old pennies set aside in a special container.

I like the version by Kwok Man Ho and a couple other people. I believe it's called the Fortune Teller's I Ching. I also use the Blofeld translation, usually when the Kwok translation's not entirely clear. I believe you can find both on Amazon, I found both of mine years ago on the used racks.

Kwok & Co. give a slightly different method for using the coins. I like it better as I find it to be far more straightforward than the 'traditional' methods. If you can, find a copy and see what works for you. The I Ching, for me, is good if I want a straight answer w/out a lot of extraneous information such as Tarot cards provide. If I really need to get to the heart of a matter and see all the ramifications, then I Ching doesn't work as well for me. JMO.

For coins, I just use a bunch of old pennies set aside in a special container.

I like the version by Kwok Man Ho and a couple other people. I believe it's called the Fortune Teller's I Ching. I also use the Blofeld translation, usually when the Kwok translation's not entirely clear. I believe you can find both on Amazon, I found both of mine years ago on the used racks.

Kwok & Co. give a slightly different method for using the coins. I like it better as I find it to be far more straightforward than the 'traditional' methods. If you can, find a copy and see what works for you. The I Ching, for me, is good if I want a straight answer w/out a lot of extraneous information such as Tarot cards provide. If I really need to get to the heart of a matter and see all the ramifications, then I Ching doesn't work as well for me. JMO.

I don't know any of the mentioned authors/books. I use a hungarian translation, but from now on I will try to look for some other books.

For coins, I use some silver coins from the XVIII c. but I really think that it doesn't matters what kind of coins do you use.

Do you ask always a specific question?

I mostly ask just for some advice on my present situation.

I don't. Not usually, at least any more.

Sometimes (depending on the momentary current and mood) I ask for a "daily reading" . . . just for general outlook on the most likely movements of the day, or to give "it" an opportunity to speak to whichever issue "it" seems to want to.
I do this with the Tarot too.

Lately there haven't been that many specific issues/questions that I've need to ask about that I didn't already have some idea what's "up" in the first place . . . other then help with dream interps and other magickally significant interpertation question . . at least none that seemed to get/give relevant responses too.
Mostly for specific ideal questions I've been trying to bone-up with pendulum work (tho I don't really feel very good/accurate with the pend yet)

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.