– 3 CYCLES OF STUDY – INITIATION –
YI JING – THE BOOK OF CHANGES
Study the Yi Jing with distance learning
This 3500 year-old book is one of the fundamental sources of Taoist wisdom. It meets the aspiration of the human being to observe and understand the natural changes of the universe. It enables us to better understand the world around us by understanding the changes that animate it.
Yi Jing can also be translated as “Classic of Simplicity”: any given change, regardless of the field or level of complexity, comes from the simple and unchanging transition between the two extremes of Yin and Yang. This binary reading allows us to better understand the changes that shape our world, either in military strategy, medicine or meteorology. The “Yi” character (change and simplicity) consists precisely of the sun (Yang) and rain (Yin), each one invariably following and preceding the other.
This binary view of the world, with six levels of complexity, leads us to understand and study everything, because it is possible to translate everything as Yin / Yang alternation. “A practitioner who knows the Yi Jing cannot be surprised by the changes of the world”: he is surfing the events of everyday life, in accordance with the laws of nature.
Our study extends over three levels and six aspects: it describes the judgments of the hexagrams, the laws of numbers and time, and keeps the secrets of the use of Taoist Magic.
There are no limits to what the Yi Jing can teach, it is a real source of wisdom defining the mechanisms of the universal changes, from which we can better understand our life, our mind, our body, but also our relationships with others, as well as the chaotic world around us.
If this ancient text may seem abstract at first, it is because it requires a lively teaching, experienced in the reality of practical applications, and not a lettered, intellectual vision, to be fully appreciated and applied concretely in our world. This cycle of study will therefore establish a solid foundation in understanding the Yi Jing for clear and practical use in everyday life, the primary purpose of the Book of Simplicity.
’Yi’ relates to change. Indeed, flux – or continuous change – is the key concept of the Yi Jing. Change is the only constant in life, and there is no exception to this rule.
Evolution, transformation, alteration – call it by any other name, its effects are still far-reaching and encompasses every law – natural or manmade – known to our universe.
You find yourself at the crossroads of a major decision. Maybe you have several options at your disposal, only you don’t know which option is best for you.
As humanity advances and progresses, so do the complexity of the dilemmas and challenges we face daily. Unfortunately, we need answers. We need these answers fast, and we need them in detail. After all, a simple answer is what could well decide the outcome between ‘make or break.’ The bottom line is: who do we turn to when we have pressing questions and need answers that don’t start with “maybe,” and “chances are”?
Change is the only constant; but we need to understand it, not fear it. We can only act accordingly when we understand what’s going on.
Yi Jing is about allowing us to get specific answers to specific questions. But before we’re able to do that, we need to understand the nature of ‘change.’s, that works well on almost every site.
THE 3 CYCLES OF STUDY
THE STUDY OF JUDGMENTS AND STROKES
This cycle exposes the history of the Yi Jing and the drawing methods: Each question requires introspection and particular use of yarrow stalks, the Gui Kang, which are the sticks used in ancient shamanism. This cycle also presents the meaning of each hexagram, a symbol made of Yin and Yang strokes, changing or not, and which represent the movement of the situation we are asking about. So we study in that course:
- The judgment of the hexagram, a text which gives its global meaning, what needs to be done and not done. We also study the meaning of this message on different areas of life such as work, relationships …
- The six strokes composing each hexagram: each one represents a particular aspect of the situation. A changing stroke brings our attention on this aspect and gives us accurate information on how to deal with it.
THE STUDY OF THE GREAT IMAGE
The Great Image is a short text expressing the relationship between the two trigrams, which are three-line figures structuring an hexagram. This image gives us more precise information on how to apply the message of the drawn hexagram, into our daily life. We will see that each hexagram corresponds to a physical, meditative, and energetic practice, which will bring us the answers to our current needs. This cycle makes it possible to understand the relationship between oneself, our actual situation, and the type of practice that smoothens the relationship between oneself and the world.
THE STUDY OF CALCULATION
This cycle brings us the origins of the ancient Taoist I Ching. We will see the associations of each hexagram with the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, which are expressions of every aspect of a situation in terms of Yin and Yang and the 5 Elements. The placement of these branches and trunks on each hexagram and their mutual relations, from the relationship between the five elements, is behind the sometimes obscure texts of judgments and mutant lines of the hexagrams and will bring new light on these .
We’re talking here of a calculation for every aspect of a given situation and the person concerned will be translated in terms of Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, and studied according to their relationships, ruled by the 5 Elements Law. We will thus get a clear view of the mechanisms and potentials underlying each situation in terms of space and time, but also the psychology of its various actors, its obvious and hidden issues, and the directions it may take according to our personal decisions.
YI JING INITIATION
Plum Blossom Divination, or Mei Hua Yi Shu , is an ancient Chinese calculation Method based on the Yi Jing . Shao Kang Jie , who was also known as Shao Yong , discovered Plum Blossom (Mei Hua Yi Shu) Divination during the Song Dynasty.
The Plum Blossom methods do not require the use of coins, yarrow stalks, dice, tortoise shells, or any other object as a tool to derive a Gua. Instead, the use the mind, images, and numbers.
Sometimes when you think of a distant friend for no reason, then the telephone rings and you are just surprised to find that this distant friend is calling.
Many things are taken as omens: anything out of the ordinary, no matter how small; something or someone coming from a certain direction, birds fighting, a girl falling out of a tree, a strange expression on someone’s face, or the Time and Date. These are all the things that can be translated into Gua and analyzed.
The ancient Chinese believed that the Cosmos is a big Tai Ji while every other thing is a small Tai Ji. Different Tai Ji may or may not be in phase. Those that are in phase may resound with each other.
That is why some seemingly random and unrelated things can happen at almost the same time. Modern scientists call this Synchronicity.
There are two ways the Universe uses to send a message to us. One is to let us know something before it happens. It is sent by letting our attention be drawn to some strange events or phenomena.
The other is to reply to our inquiry. Some diviners can interpret the message by intuition. This requires special blessing from Heaven to have such ability. For most people, a systematic method can be used.