"Never Throw an I-Ching Party"

By Skipper P.

The I Ching: Or, Book of Changes I was first introduced to the I-Ching by an old woman who was a wonderful Jungian Therapist. I had some decisions to make that were weighing on my mind and asked her advise. Her answer was "don't ask me, ask the I-Ching."

I had heard about the I-Ching and thought it to be nothing but a complicated "Magic 8-ball" (a toy that you could ask a simple Yes or No question, shake and get an answer within it's inky, black water window.) but my old friend gave the I-Ching high reviews. She said, "you will be very surprised." She reached behind her chair, pulled a worn copy of the I-Ching from her shelf and handed me the book with these cryptic words;

"Just promise me one thing. . . NEVER THROW AND I-CHING PARTY."

She proceeded to show me, with the use of three ancient Chinese coins, how to consult the I-Ching oracle. She instructed me to write down my question. I then threw the coins on the table 6 times (resisting the urge to say "baby needs a new pair of shoes.") and recorded the lines and numbers that corresponded with the way the coins fell.

Because of the personal nature of the question, I will not state the details of my I-Ching question, but I will say that the answer involved a reference to "the marrying maiden." Other details within the pages of the I-Ching I "threw" were DEAD ON. This was amazing!

My old friend would not loan me her book to read. She took her coins, folded them into a small piece of silk and placed them in a little box.

I had to have my own copy of this book and see if my most recent experience was a fluke. My old friend suggested that I obtain a copy of the I-Ching as translated by "R. Wilhelm" with a forward by "C.G. Jung" (see link at the top of this page.)

I found my copy on line and waited impatiently for it to arrive a couple of days later. The forward by Jung detailed his similar experience in the accuracy of the I-Ching's answers.

I used three quarters and made my second exploration into the world of the I-Ching.

AMAZING! It was dead on again!

How did I KNOW the answers were "dead on" if I needed to consult an oracle for an answer? Well, I believe we already KNOW the answers to the questions we have, and like dream-work we have to do a little digging to get down to that place to make something some up to the surface and see the light of day. Once there, it just FEELS right. Free advice: Keep your "thinking" functions on the back burner when using the I-Ching and tap more into your "feeling" and "Intuitive" functions.

I searched far and wide for my own set of ancient Chinese Coins. Quarters, apparently, would work just as well, but there was something about procuring genuine coins that was going to make future experiences that much more authentic.

As the months clipped by, I consulted the I-Ching on a number of important matters and even consulted it on the meaning of a few troubling dreams. (Could the I-Ching actually work as an interpreter of dreams??) I found the process of writing down the question and throwing the coins a great ritual that helped me connect, more deeply, with the unconscious world.

One night I was at a friends home for a small holiday party and I was telling the other guests about the I-Ching. My friend and host, Bob, said "Hey! I used to have an old Weegie Board when I was a kid. We used to have a ball with that thing! 'Creeped us all out! How about we all take turns throwing this EE-Chingie thing?"

EE-Chingie thing?! Take Turns?

I was silent and Bob asked "Hey, what do you say?"

I replied "Never throw an I-Ching party."

Bob laughed and left the room with an empty soda glass. I expected him to return with his glass bubbling with Pepsi, but instead he had an old board in his hands.

"Then it's back to the Weegie-thing!"

The I Ching, or Book of Changes, is one of the first efforts of the human mind to place itself within the universe. It has exerted a living influence in China for three thousand years, and interest in it has been spreading in the West. First set down in the dawn of history as a book of oracles, the Book of Changes deepened in meaning when ethical values were attached to the oracular pronouncements; it became a book of wisdom, eventually one of the Five Classics of Confucianism, and provided the the common source for both Confucianist and Taoist philosophy.

(Skipper P. is a member of the RecoveryWorld Staff. You can write Skipper P. at staff.contact@recoveryworld.com. Place the words "Attention Skipper P." in the subject area of your e-mail or it will be deleted.)

BUY YOUR OWN COPY OF THE I-CHING:

The I Ching: Or, Book of Changes : by Cary F. Baynes, Richard Wilhelm (Translator): A classic translation which has been a key book in the Bollingen series. Combines Confucian and Taoist thinking in the interpretations of the hexagrams. BUY IT NOW ON SALE AT B&N.

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