Last weekend I spent the entire weekend in workshops with a Jungian analyst learning more about the ancient Chinese book of wisdom The I Ching as part of my studies at the Jung Institute of Chicago. Taoism, and the I Ching specifically, were important to Carl Jung’s work.
I haven’t talked much about using the I Ching for divinatory purposes in my blog posts, as I am focusing on using it to reflect on the current astrology; each of the 64 hexagrams correlates to a section of a zodiac sign.
To ask a question of the I Ching you use coin tosses or yarrow stalks to obtain the hexagram. The longer method takes about 15 minutes. There are shorter methods described in Alfrad Huang’s translation, which he learned from Taoist masters in China in the 1950s.
It’s important to keep the question short, preferably eight words or less. Don’t ask yes/no questions and try to work out an answer for yourself before resorting to the I Ching or other divinatory method such as the tarot.
My favorite way to use the I Ching in a divinatory way is before meeting with a client for an astrology consultation. I ask for wisdom to share with them, which will help guide me in what to focus on when discussing their astrology. Usually the hexagram is eerily precise as to the person’s current circumstance. I’ve used tarot for this in the past, but I’ve come to prefer the I Ching because there is written commentary, and reading it feels like one is hearing wisdom from a sage.
Before meeting with a client last week I used the yarrow stalk method to cast an I Ching and received a hexagram that happens to match this week’s Hexagram 26: Great Accumulation. It is also referred to as the Taming Power of the Great.
The message of this hexagram is that energy is accumulating for release. Now is the time to accumulate creative power, not to release it.
The image of the hexagram is heaven within the mountain, which points to hidden treasures.
During this time of Sagittarius season, where the amount of daylight in the northern hemisphere is so limited, I find it easier to not release energy.
With a New Moon in Sagittarius coming up this week it is a good time to ponder: what can you achieve in the future by fousing on accumulating and stockpiling your creative energy right now?
______
Schedule an Astrology Consultation | Subscribe to the Monthly Depth Books Newsletter | Get Blog Posts by Email | Contact Me
References:
I Ching or Book of Changes translated by Richard Wilhelm
The Complete I Ching by Alfred Huang
