Virtually all of the ancient Chinese philosophers were inspired by its basic principles. Its roots, however, show it to be a profound philosophical work, which had a great influence on Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism and Zen. Over the centuries, the I Ching evolved as a popular oracle. For they stand in the relationship to cause and effect.” – I Ching The beginning line is difficult to understand. First, take up the words, Ponder their meaning, Then the fixed rules will reveal themselves. Although you have no teacher, approach them like your parents. Without or within, they teach caution, They also show care, and sorrow and their causes. 'They move inward and outward according to fixed rhythms. By observing natural forces active in the world, each portrays an evolutionary principle in a way that will allow you to understand life’s pursuit of excellence in human terms. The I Ching presents a clear outline of a rational and well-ordered universe, offering sixty-four transformative principles as a pathway to empowerment. The variation of eight trigrams generate sixty-four possible hexagrams. The creation of the eight Pa Kua or trigrams at the root of the sixty-four principles, are ascribed to the legendary Fu-hsi, who ruled during the third millennium BC. It is based on the ancient idea of Yin and Yang and is appreciated by the Confucians and Taoists alike. The Book of Changes, called the I Ching, is one of the world's oldest works of literature. They cannot be confined within a rule it is only change that is at work here.' Flowing through the six empty places rising and sinking without fixed law, Firm and yielding transform each other. Its tao is forever changing alteration, movement without rest. Turn to that section and read the text, which will symbolically answer the question you have using ancient wisdom.The I Ching Watch: Introduction to the I Ching 'Changes is a book from which one may not hold aloof.

Find the hexagram where they intersect, which will give you a section number. Consult the lookup table and locate your first trigram in the vertical column and your second trigram in the horizontal column. I Ching translations contain a look-up table at the front and back of the book to determine a pattern of yin and yang responses that become hexagrams, or sets of six yin and yang lines.You will end up with two trigrams at the end of your six coin tosses. The trigrams are the same used for the five elements found in Feng Shui. For each toss, the heads/tails pattern determines whether to draw a yin, yang, or changing line, which create the lines of each trigram.

To determine which section to read, with your question in mind, toss three coins six times.

To do this, you toss coins to determine which section you should read based on the casting of the coins. While you can read the I Ching from cover to cover like you would any other book, it works best when used as an oracle for divination and guidance, which is a form of bibliomancy.

The i ching