Why is the I Ching Not Trending?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ส.ค. 2023
- Timestamps:
00:40 I Ching, Levi, Carl Jung, Crowley, etc.
01:59 Spirit intelligences of tarot, geomancy, and the I Ching
03:14 Tarot vs. I Ching popularity differentials
03:36 Barrier of entry?
04:05 The I Ching at any level
--- 05:28 Chatting about Hexagram 6 (The Trial)
--- 06:34 Hexagrams 30 (The Spark), 31 (Mutual Accord), and 32 (The Eternal), narrative of love
--- 06:43 Hexagram 25 (Without Folly), Line 5 “勿藥有喜” interpretation and as a health blessing
--- 07:43 Hexagram 57 (Use Gentle Force) in folk magic and spell-crafting for prosperity
--- 07:50 Hexagram 63 (After the Ending), Line 3 “高宗伐鬼方” historical uses in exorcism rituals
--- 08:21 Hexagram 7 (The Army) “容民畜眾”
--- 08:30 Hexagram 49 (Revolution), Line 3 explaining three axioms for a successful revolt
--- 08:59 Hexagram 52 (Listen to the Wind), comparing exoteric and esoteric implications
--- 09:22 Hexagram 56 (The Wanderer), Line 6
--- 10:25 Hexagram 42 (Burgeoning), oft quoted proverb
10:55 Why don’t memes quote the I Ching the way we quote Rumi or Sun Tzu?
11:10 Speculations for why it isn’t as popular
12:08 Browsing the hashtags for sample content
12:44 I Ching in Human Design?
13:32 Browsing the hashtags continued; responding to social media content on the I Ching
18:15 “Bros” in online I Ching and Taoist discourse
20:00 Question presented and your thoughts
Order I Ching, The Oracle (North Atlantic Books, 2023) via Penguin Random House Retail: www.penguinrandomhouseretail....
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Benebell Wen
Website. www.benebellwen.com
Instagram. / bellwen
Twitter. / benebellwen
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I love i-ching. Tarot will always be my sort of first love in the divination world. However, i-ching is the most complex and sophisticated divination system on this planet, and I have been thoroughly enjoying exploring it and building my library on it.
I would tend to think that the two methods are similar in that they attempt to draw randomly from a set of oracle items and then the user interprets the results and tries to fit them to potential actions and results .
I suspect it is because the I Ching is harder to commodify, in that it's a challenge to gild yarrow sticks. Seriously though, I just read Chris Gosdens' book History of Magic and was struck by how little I knew about Chinese Taoist and shamanic magic vs Western magical traditions. And I grew up with a father who read the I Ching, the Book of Changes was on our bookshelves at home. In the last few years I found a Qi Gong instructor and it got me intrigued by the I Ching though.
I think you make a good point. Lot easier to do a new tarot deck than an I Ching method. Same with Geomancy.
but picking your own yarrow stalks and drying them for use...how cottagecore is THAT?
“It’s a challenge to gild yarrow sticks” ⚰️⚰️⚰️🥹🥹😭😭 such a real thing to say lmao
yeah, those yarrow sticks...and am awful with directions, right or left hand, so i use 4 different color of beads from my vase.
I completely agree that the I Ching should be far, far more popular! I have to wonder how much content on social media on the I Ching is in English, and whether that contributes to it's popularity. But we shouldn't worry. I feel that the I Ching will soon have it's day!
I love the Iching and share info from the Kwan yin - I think Society is still coming into the awareness needed to understand the power of the transmission. I study it and share info on my channel! Thanks for your knowledge I don’t want to appropriate and my goal is to help it reach a wider audience 🌸thank you
I think it is extraordinary that you share and a much needed service. What you are doing is amazing! ❤️🙏
@@BenebellWen thank you so much! 🤍 and thank you for these videos! I get to learn even better ! I def will be reading your book!🤍
I believe that this will be one of the most significant editions of the Classic of Changes published in many years and look forward to reading it.
Agreed! The I Ching presents a philosophy, cosmology and prescription for living a balanced life in tune with Nature. It's almost fine it's not trending though, so as to retain it's potency haha. For the enthusiasts of Carl Jung I highly recommend checking out THE GNOSTIC BOOK OF CHANGES by Michael Servetus. I think you would appreciate this compressive take on the Book of Changes @Benebell Wen! Thank you for your amazing book and videos as well!
I loved this video. I Ching is something I discovered in my teens and had used it off and on for many years, but I never really embraced it until I had more life experience. When I was younger I went immediately to the hexagrams and the changing lines. Now I think more about the individual lines and trigrams - those building blocks of the hexagram - and that's really opened up my understanding of I Ching in a new way.
I find for myself that I Ching requires more contemplation and thought in a way that tarot, runes, ogham and the like do not.
In recent years I think concerns about cultural appropriation have definitely impacted the popularity of the I Ching. It definitely seemed to be all the rage back in the 60s and 70s - particularly with men. Perhaps that had something to do with it being more psychological and philosophical, than intuitive. Many of my women friends and those in the goddess spirituality world found the patriarchal language a turn off.
I enjoyed your I Ching course and hope your book will open up the wonders of the I Ching to lots of new people! Your translation is wonderful.
I don't know if I Ching is comparable to Tarot at all, other than the oracle aspect. imo Tarot is much more approachable to a general audience because of how visual it is. Artists for example like doing their own takes of the Arcanas, and people like looking at them regardless of whether they appreciate mysticism or the occult. The major arcana archetypes are also fairly easy for most people to "relate" to regardless of culture.
I Ching on the surface appears to be more complex to the average person - It's not as literally colorful lol. Runes don't seem super popular either, at least compared to the Tarot. Some have also mentioned how people may find I Ching's Chinese roots intimidating, and that likely plays a role - People in the West especially don't have a lot of access to mystics with Asian roots that they may look to for guidance, and they may not want to dabble in something they don't feel they can understand well enough.
I also feel Chinese culture as a whole can feel very inaccessible to the West unfortunately due to the current geopolitical climate, and also because of how Chinese is a fairly difficult language to learn (I'm saying this as a Chinese person myself lol).
That said your explanations are very interesting, i'd love to see more about I Ching in the future :)
You expressed everything I wanted to say very clearly.
What you have spoken to here is the polarization of consciousness in divergent levels of development regarding the ancient West and East. Tarot and I Ching are not the same as far as level (rank) of Oracle. So their counsel is on different levels spiritually speaking. The Sephiroth here becomes an excellent tool for assessment of concepts in analysis of your comment. You refer to an affinity for the visual aspect of the divinatory tool. One would say that your polarization is in the third triad (the 7th sphere governing images and visualization) and perhaps it could be said that Tarot in its counsel is more appealing to this realm of polarization. Whereas the Yi based on a concise cosmological premise, evidences itself to be toward the 4th through 2nd spheres which are concerned with high spiritual principles. Wisdom has not to do with the clothing a thought wears (words and imagery) only the content of the truth contained as derived from cosmological principles. We are speaking of different hierarchical levels of involvement.
I have wondered about this before many times, and i think many westerners find it abstract enough that it is hard to understand; but i think many more would deeply appreciate the I Ching in the ways i do if they had a teacher like you. Your treatment of the subject is brilliant, inspiring, and illuminating; and without wishing to idolize you, i think you have in every way earned the title
Simu Benebel Wen.
Thank you for being a shining light in the darkness, and an inspiration during tdoubled times.
I just recently discovered your content and I can't stop watching, listening, and (maybe)learning!! So grateful for your depth and breadth of knowledge, your sense of humor, and your tuned-in hand on the pulse of current social, political, and cultural layers that intersect with this incredibly rich material. Thank you for being out there and for sharing your soulful observations, insights, and laughs! I have my own thoughts about why the I Ching isn't trending, but I want to finish watching your video. So good!
Deep. Asian Martial Arts uses it at different levels. Those who practice styles like Tai Chi, Bagua etc use it on many different levels Nuff said.☯️🙏
As mexican I love these videos and I've always been intrigued by the chinese philosophy. Now as an adult I find myself learning more and more about it and I hope to one day be fluent enough to read the texts as close to te original as possible
Your channel is amazing ❤
Westerners want results in 18 months not generations. We want it now and we want it fat free, free trade, organic in a sustainable plastic free cup ....now.
You would've been funny in the 1980s
I think Taoist Cosmology is just very remote to a lot of people in the west and it is considerably more complicated then the Tarot. It was fascinating to hear these perspectives on the I-Ching from western occultists... I also find it to be very clear and pure compared to my experiences with tarot, etc. I never thought of it as being related to the oracle itself -- but this makes a lot of sense. The I-Ching is extremely old... I think it is closer to the true order of change -- and so that might account for it being clearer and less prone to distortions.
Edit -- I'll add that the perception in the west that the I-Ching is more difficult could also be cultural. Tarot is built off playing cards which most are familiar with from a young age... but the dynamics of yin & yang are not really engaged with in the west with any nuance... so that alone is a barrier to entry mindset-wise.
When I see people use tarot cards I immediately think its overly simplistic compared to other techniques they could learn about...I don't mean to be critical of people but I'd immediately be compelled to ask them if they have heard of the I Ching or Sahaja Yoga instead.
Very interesting video!
As a Thelemite, I'm have recently started studying the Yijing only reading the hexagrams (without using the text), and so far, despite my inexperience, it has been very effective, and surprisingly accurate.
You are a messenger of spirit intelligence benebell!!!! Love this so much
Cool search! Excited for your book release!!!
I've been reading the book it changes for a long time. And your observations are astounding. So much so I subscribe to your channel. Keep it going
I absolutely love your content. Thank you 🌹
I’m really excited about this book. I only have one book with side by side translations in English and Chinese, but it’s the Mawangdui texts. I can’t exactly read Chinese but I know some kanji… but when I want more depth, it really helps.
Also, a more thorough explanation of cultural references will be extremely useful. 😄
As someone who's studying the I ching currently and does tarot and oracle amongst other things, my issue is the lack of sources to understand it more in layman's terms. This is partly due to what some people have already stated in that for one there's a heavy apprehension to looking into occult that isn't of your own culture. I myself don't do anything from mainly Caucasian folklore and practices because I'm not that but I still study it because on a whole my focus is to try and find ways we all connect. Maybe someone like Benebel or myself or anyone else in the community that studies the I Ching can help to bridge the gap in understanding but overall I think it just comes down to people in the community not wanting to touch something they feel isn't theirs to begin with due to the lack of understanding what's closed and what's open. There are still many who do closed practice things that shouldn't be that get in trouble for cultural appropriation while there are a lot of open practices such as the Taoist occult that people just think are closed because it's so far from what they understand due to the pagan and occult community being heavily west centered and therefore rarely if ever touching on eastern occult
I'm so glad I found you. You are awesome. I have so much to learn from you.
Loved this! Thankyou ❤
Conceptually, I found it very intimidating... but I am very much looking forward to learning more and your new book!
I Ching was the first thing I got into when I walked away from the cult I was in. I really like it, although I never read that whole book. I haven't used it since starting tarot. Hmmmm, now I'm wanting to pull it out again. 😊❤
Great video sis
I can’t wait to read your book (again) I previewed it on Netgalley, and then I preordered a hard copy a few pages in. Reading about the I Ching on your website even before this was such a revelation for me. It was like finding an old friend. I used to practice and rely on the I Ching 30 years ago, yet the memory had faded. I gave up bcz I could find very few books and they were contradictory. 21yo me didn’t trust my intuition enough and then I turned to runes and tarot and then I gave it all up until a few years ago. All of that to say, I am so grateful you wrote the book I wish I had in my hands decades ago. I hope it finds the audience it deserves.
the more I watch your videos the more exited I become for your new book. One of the hexagrams you read struck me as a type of internal alchemy or a change in perspective/consciousness, and I've become deeply interested in eastern and western alchemy. Also the Asian gentleman talking about the human energy field reminds me of being in alignment Crowley's idea of the true will. As one of my favorite witches Ariel Gatoga would say, if everyone in the world was aligned with their true will, there would be no conflict in the world.
I got a copy of I Ching recently translation by Alfred Huang. I hope you approve of this one. I'm getting through it . There's a lot in it-
Maybe it’s not talked about in USA but I feel like it is more accessible in the UK. I remember learning about the I Ching in my 20’s through various uk based new age and divination based magazines. There were books in my local libraries, and I’ve seen a few oracle decks based on it that are current. I’ve met a couple of people who utilise the system, and in Glastonbury (the home for spirituality and Wicca in UK) I’ve come across workshops about the system.
I just bought your book this week!
I’m interested in I Ching for a long time but there aren’t many modern books in the market and the old ones look intimidating to study.
Anyway, last month there was the I Ching class taught by the i ching master in my country! So I went to the class and shortly after that I am so invested by iching right now!
I’ve always seen the I Ching as a book of processes in humans represented by nature. How a tree grows is how you should grow.
Great observation
I’ve always looked into reliable stuff. I’ve researched a lot of different stuff superficially.
Few of those practices remained solid.
Jyotish (vedic astrology), planetary magic, Vajrayana buddhism practices and, now, Traditional Chinese Medicine.
I’m just getting into Taoism and other forms of chinese occultism, but I’m absolutely into it! Also studying Chinese language and calligraphy - I don’t have someone in-person to train and guide me at the moment, so I’m doing all I can to immerse myself in Chinese culture, history, mindset, etc.
I’m happy to see that other people find the I Ching reliable, so I’ll surely study more about it!
Thank you for the video!
As someone who loves Tarot and other divination methods and also a student of Human Design for the last 5 years … I dived into learning more about the I Ching which led me to your work and this channel! I think the I Ching can SEEM like very intimidating text and therefore less people want to delve deeper. But I have been so fascinated and interested in I Ching for its history and longevity
I will add that Ra (founder of Human Design) is really just an imperfect messenger for the system - it was channeled through him by non-human entity that he dubbed “the voice” and I would like for people to at least try the HD experiment for themselves before disregarding it.
Oooohhh, I love you!
Shhhh... you're gonna get in trouble :P
the i-Ching mixed with some Salvia Divinorum is especially transcendental in a manner of speaking.
thank you for speaking about the yijing 😊
The system I personally found eerily similar to the Yi Jing is IFA.
Excellent video 🙏🏽
I have pre-ordered your book as well!!!
Im growing yarrow so i have stalks then im getting your book im so excited!
My start to witchcraft was I-Ching. The I-Ching is amazing. I have learned so
much. It is so much more interesting than Tarot.
Confuscious said he wished he had another lifetime to stubyt it. Carl Young was equally impressed
Wonderful thank you!!!!
Benebell's face when iching gets compared to ouija: priceless!
I would SO SO SO value an (as deep as reasonable) video on how you evaluate the human design system.
Just one last thing, it's extremely complicated. That's why it's not popular just that simple. It's like a deep deep pool people don't want to dive that deep for the most part
My mom had that version of the I Ching you mention, and it was my initiation into everything occult. I pre-ordered your book and cannot wait to read it.
Thank you❤
First off, thanks for this! I’ve hadn’t thought about it and now have to think a lot about my own past neglect of the I Ching, even as an Asian male, who’s dabbled in tarot, runes, and geomancy before dabbling in the I Ching - despite very much enjoying the Tao Te Ching.
I want to anecdotally validate your idea of “I Ching” / Taoism “bros” because as someone who has also benefitted a lot from… “self improvement bros” I think a lot of “hyper efficiency gurus” hit a critical mass inevitably ten years plus after their initial popularity that usually leads them to Eastern philosophy and so the I Ching, Tao Te Ching by proxy. I feel that this allows a lot of men, myself included even despite being gay, to engage with more “femininity” in life philosophy that can still be tucked away under a lot of abstraction. Phrased another way, it’s easier for a lot of men, I think anyways barring exceptions, to relate to the idea of embracing “feminine energy” through abstraction- an open vessel, the receptivity of land and water, a void space - than to connect to an archetype - queen of wands, the empress, the high priestess.
So then you have bros who have come from bro quotation culture who then sort of… evangelize “a new modality” for men that allows them to embrace more feminine modalities - but you can’t ever fully remove the bro from the BRO. But it’s a funny observation, and I can definitely validate, even if it’s just anecdotal 😂.
There is a lack of ritual and mythical context in western consciousness to connect with i ching, a matter where your work is meaningful. Thank you.
Learned I Ching and Tarot at the same time. I love the I Ching more. It's elegant and I love that it inspired Leibniz to devise the binary number system.
Interesting. I had no idea, but really hadn't thought about it. I just assumed that everyone into the occult was also into iChing. Anyway, I have your book preordered as I haven't found as much about it as I would like and I KNOW that you'll fix that void.
Because there are not so good translations from Chinese literature. That's the reason I found your good book about this. Thank you! 🐯
This video really got me reflecting. I’m a Chinese diaspora person who’s lost access to the language and had to assimilate culturally. I think there’s both animosity towards all things Chinese here in the West. As a result, there’s a range of response from lack of nuance and curiosity to downright racism from non-Chinese people towards living knowledge related to ancient China. To add insult to injury, many Chinese diaspora people also had to renounce their own cultures to survive and as a result, developed internalized racism or at the very least resistance towards learning systems like the I Ching.
Additionally, Chinese is not an easy language to speak and I think people shy away from mispronouncing the names of the deities, elements, etc.
I love this video and this discussion, Benebell. Thank you for writing this book for those of us who are curious to learn more. Such a gift.
And thank you so much for stopping by! Know that you are basically the reason I make these videos and what inspires me to continue making these types of videos. Otherwise I have no idea why I would do this. 🤣❤️
The deep end of the pool can be scary for those who aren't confident in their swimming ability.
New versions of the tarot come out almost monthly with new pictures and new definitions of the cards. The I Ching, on the other hand, has been unchanged since the 1715 Palace Edition. The I Ching needs to be updated, and then it will be more popular. I am working on a version of the I Ching that makes use of fifteen times as many hexagrams and changing lines as the Palace Edition. This manuscript will be finished in about a year, and then I will be looking for a literary agent.
The I Ching is amazing. Good question!!!
Your videos are always so thought-provoking! I'm so excited for your new book. I'm an absolute sucker for anything resembling a textbook (bonus points if it comes with a curriculum *cough* Holistic Tarot *cough*) and I always enjoy your writing style - somewhere between academic and casual conversation - because it makes it easier to take in information. Loving the influx of videos lately. Thank you, as always, for choosing to promote your book in a way that benefits everyone with free content, insights, and materials.
You’re right. I was really big on iching in high school- ah, before the internet.
The Book of Changes is my absolute favorite. The Sage has never misled me. I have done tarot before and sometimes it’s good, okay, or way off. There certainly is a Mystical Intelligence in the Yi-Ching or Book of Changes.
I’m not Asian and I see Chinese Divination, Philosophy, Daoism, Buddhism, Feng Shui (geomancy), and Tea culture fascinating. I think many are sectarian , thus attached to dualism. The concept of non-duality, non-self, or even Bodhisattva way are concepts that transcend Western cultural norms, in fact I would posit, that it is a superior Way of Life.
Your Book of Changes is excellent and high quality. Very generously priced as well for all the information one would get in any book I know of and I own five different Yi-Ching books.
You have done an excellent service to the English speaking people. I have thus ordered your Taoist Book and look forward to cultivating sagely qualities. My experience is The Book of Changes is par excellence Oracle.
Also I saw the bro energy and that’s why I share the Kwan Yin book of changes - the Iching written in matriarchal form- I’m excited to see the feminine coming back to this plane ❤❤
15 years Wang Chung,
And I don't know who to fall in love , now!!! Thank you.
You peromed pantimim. 3 min in
You " yous ii too time to look,". joke
Kenneth John Chapin. 5'6" o-o 28" o-0.
I for one have pre-ordered your book and am looking forward to getting my hands on it. I think the idea that has been out so strong of misappropriating systems from other cultures might be at work here.
I'm with you, Benebell. I love the I Ching and consult it at least once a week. It can be a chore to suss out what it's saying at times but that strikes me as a good thing because you really have to look deeply into the question (and answer). Maybe that's why it doesn't trend; it asks the person reading to think. A guy named Z. Mann Zilla has made up a set of cards to do readings. I haven't bought them because I live in Cambodia and mail isn't that reliable. They can be purchased at Artisan Tarot and I plan to buy a set when I go home on a visit. I imagine it will be a bit superficial but that might spark some interest in others. He does recommend looking at books to supplement his cards. I do weekly readings using a translation by Jon Saint Germain because they are simple, but then I consult the Baulkin translation and, since your book has come out, I add that, too.
I discovered the I Ching through the writings of Joseph Murphy. I bought several of his books including "Secrets of the I Ching" about 17 years ago when I decided to be 'naughty' and read material that was not authorised by the church I was raised in. Just recently I wanted to re-acquaint myself with the I Ching so I had another look at the Murphy book. While Mr Murphy is certainly 'on to' something, I've been bothered for a while by how many times in his many books he quotes dramatic examples of how peoples lives were saved through spiritual insights... and while his stories may be true, it seems strange to me that this guy knew so many people who avoided being in car and plane crashes. So... I figured I should look at another book on the I Ching. After watching a 'Foolish Fish' review of the Benebell Wen book, I downloaded a Kindle version and I am appreciating what seems to be a more pure approach to the subject. It is likely that I will get a paper version of the book as it is a really good one. Thanks for your incredible devotion and knowledge Benebell... best wishes from New Zealand.
The I Ching has a completely different cultural context for most of the West. Tarot, Western Astrology, etc. are all a part of the greater Western culture, even if you don't know much about them. There's familiarity in tarot because of how much it relates to modern playing cards, plus it has clear visuals that depict easy to understand characters and symbols. The I Ching by comparison is much more abstract and requires starting from zero for most Westerners, and even Easterners now. Additionally, tarot cards have been very easy to commodify and there are tons of versions with different art, all of which causes people to promote it more because of capitalism too. In more recent years, there's also likely a fear of cultural appropriation for non-Chinese people practicing the I Ching. Also, racism.
I’ve been studying the I Ching for 34 years. Excuse me 35 years , it has been an invaluable guide
throughout my life, and I still don’t have as deep understanding as you do. I would gladly buy your Translation
My guess is that the western capitalist market makes tarot and oracle decks more prevalent since there are new decks coming out all of the time and less so with I-Ching. There are I-Ching decks but that is not the usual manner to consult the oracle. There are a lot of layers to understanding the I-Ching which many books previously only scratched the surface, so many people in the West are either not familiar with the it or are minimally informed. My hope is that your new book will create more understanding and interest in the I-Ching here in the US and throughout the world. I really appreciate your previous I-Ching self study course and can't wait to read the added material to the subject!
Even I've noticed this.. I Ching has been crazy accurate for me with my divination practice. More than Tarot.
You are absolutely correct!..I have often asked myself the very same thing. I have all sorts of decks, and Lenormand decks….Charms casting is my true love. But, my favorite, and really, my only oracle deck that I use, is the “Tao Oracle” by Ma Deva Padma. For me, I like to cast the coins and then pull the card/or image that corresponds. I really do love some of the images in this deck. I see so many oracles being published. And in my opinion, nothing comes remotely close. ????
Perhaps you are correct, when you say, we may feel that the ancient wisdom of the IChing is to extraordinary for us to wrap our heads around. 💐 Thankyou for the conversation.
I would absolutely LOVE to hear what you know about IRON ABACUS divination!
-a Tao-Yo from a mountain in Taiwan
I absolutely greatly respect and adore the I Ching
Your Practitioner course was what helped me to begin my understanding of the I Ching.
Thank you
I look forward to your book
Thank you for this! As I'm watching through this, I was wondering what do you think of the new ager's fixation on "manifesting" and the origins of this? I was just thinking about feeling there's a difference between divination and, what is termed, manifestation. Maybe there are some overlap? Idk. Not deep into either enough to understand, but I have some serious hesitations towards people who preach about manifestations, as a Chan Buddhist.
Because it requires a deeper level of study and a fast food commodification doesn’t approximate the true knowledge. I think there’s also a perception that it is only for people of Chinese ancestry.
Also, I do think you're right about this bro energy around I Ching; probably more "erudite" and elitist bro energy gathering to study I Ching (because of the intimidation many have around studying it. The I Ching being a specifically Chinese, and less "universalizable" text for Westerners, does not seem as accessible in comparison to Tarot in that many non-Chinese do not have exposure or proximity to something that seems deeply intertwined with the Chinese language component? (honestly, i dont have the knowledge to strongly suggest this lol). As a Chinese-American, I actually have felt similar feelings of intimidation that you mention surrounding the I Ching. I'm feeling a bit more encouraged with this video to take a look!!! I did back in college when I did some research for my Asian humanities professor doing work on the I Ching but felt overwhelmed then too LOL.
I am glad Benebell demonstrated the He Tu and Luo Shu square because those definitely should be learned first before studying the hexagrams or trigrams.
Still new but found the channel via the dao videos.
I recently purchased ICHING The Oracle and have binged your content, it’s absolutely wonderful, the historical representation is riveting! I throughly enjoy human design and gene keys and figured a traditional iching source would be a better way to understand and embody the wisdom. Glad you mentioned human design-as human design and gene keys heavily rely on a “progressive” interpretation of hexagrams. (lol) Human design is headquartered in Singapore and is becoming popular in western metaphysical circles, have you considered content for us lay folks that found a profound love of the iching through these two lenses? Thank you!
Hello, I think perhaps that the i ching is very high 'sattva' and as such it is really only the more sattva folk who are drawn to it, the 'mystery' that is added in other traditions, is rather like putting sugar on top. In the kashmire tradition, we say that there are three upaya or means, to my mind that which is laced with 'sugar' is the most mundane, easiest to adhere to. Where as the uttara, or higher forms are less appealing to those who do not have a such a direct connection with the means itself, rather than the objectification of the means. Thanks again for your videos, and now also your book which has just been delivered to me, I treasure it already! I absolutely love the way that it is bound too, it really is a truly valuable addition to my library, and l think that your book is imbued with such a high dose of sattva, that it will endure for many lifetimes!
Hi Benebell, six months later your video washes up into my feed.
Entertaining video, enjoyed all the sidebars along the different trails you explored around the video topic.
I wondered if you’d had any further reflection or hand movement imagery 😊 in regards to (5:45) Hex 6 Conflict; ‘heaven moves up, water moves down’?
It appears conflict is not ONLY two people or things butting heads but ALSO a force or feeling drawing them apart; whether vertically in the case of Hex 6 or horizontally. Curious how you might you touch on these ideas in relation to Hex 5 in your book?
This contrasting idea of conflict as towards and away from is the kind of paradoxical meditation or enlightening insight I’ve experienced over the years with the Yi Jing. Thanks.
Absolutely fascinating. Look forward to your forthcoming book on the subject!
My introduction to the I Ching was the ongoing sidebar story found printed throughout The Last Whole Earth Catalog, where it was mentioned in passing a number of times as one or another character used it. (Come to think about it, now I gotta go look in my folks' basement, I think the book is still there.) It took a couple of years, but it stuck in my memory and I've been using it on & off since my early college days. So far, the worst "barrier" to entry that I've found is that, unlike tarot, there aren't really a lot of decent *free* smartphone apps for it...
Oh man, thanks for mentioning there aren't a lot of I Ching apps. It's true! I want to connect with others about it via social media, and I'm also not super clear on where to turn in that regard as well. I'm super inspired to do something about it, though, especially moreso after watching this video and reading comments like yours.
I think there are many reasons and I'll choose the snarky one because I can: you can't look at the hexagrams and feel crap while feeling special and "intuitive", which seems to be a popular approach to tarot for a while now. You have to take a book and read and think and that's like super haaaardddd.
Iching is very profound. When I want a very good advice and a right approach to a complex situation, I ask iching.
I’m surprised you didn’t mention how absolutely obsessed Terence McKenna was with the I-Ching. We’re definitely in a psychedelic renaissance of sorts. Joe Rogan for example (pop culture) is a huge McKenna fan.
As far as why I-Ching isn’t trending… I’m happy it’s not. It deserves time & depth, & needs it to penetrate. I knew of it through attending The Jungian Institute in SF. But it took me nearly 10 years before I really became obsessed myself.
All of that being said. I think it’s on the brink of great popularity. I hope your book is doing well. I’ll be ordering it myself now that I know of it. 🖖💗
Philip K. Dick was obsessed with I-Ching. He performed several consultations while writing his books, and for taking personal decisions. Maybe the most explicit influence is found on The Man in the High Castle, where even a personage (crearly an alter-ego of Dick) comments that he wrote a book with the guidance of I-Ching.
I can think of two things. Tarot is more popular because pretty pictures. Yeah there's a few I Ching Oracle decks but it's not the same as three coins or yarrow. The other thing is yijing just feels more academic. It's 2000+ years old. Gotta get a reference book out to do a reading. I like that but most people want the pretty pictures. It would be cool if you made a yijing oracle deck.
Anyway interesting video. Can't wait for your book!
As an older person I came to the I Ching through the Wilhelm translation and that was a translation from the Chinese to German to English. Today we have any number of translations directly from the original ancient Chinese text directly into English. I purchased your translation for the context that you bring to the historical setting in which the I Ching was created and how it developed over time.
I have come to think the the I Ching is not so much about divining the future but more about understanding the Now.
Ok, I am probably not the best candidate. I am just a high school Spanish teacher, who learned the language over time and practice... but I volunteer myself to translate your book into Spanish...! It's a bit of a thing... but it's basically just copies of the I Ching on my bookshelf... which is small admittedly.. but ever since finding your videos, I´ve been on a binge. Tempted to get a dedicated notebook and take serious notes. I´m learning lots, and inspiration is accumulating. And plan to buy your text soon.
let me know if you want a translator....
ps- usually for my senior students towards the end of the year, I like to do a small unit around the I Ching. I explain it to the students and have them consult and reflect on the process and reading in Spanish.
Thanks again for awesome inspiring info and analysis.
I read Tarot and I wil sometimes throw the Iching to accompany a reading for further insight into the situation and i' ve had wonderful results from doing this.
I’d love to learn the I Ching! I can’t wait until your book comes out.
I suspect the lack of widespread popularity has something to do with that old Asian adage that a picture is worth a thousand words, and many people don't find the hexagrams visually intuitive, whereas so many readers heavily rely on their intuition in the picture book quality of illustration in tarot decks. I do have an I Ching deck of cards that is illustrated, but it's limited to black and white slashes of brushstrokes with some red accents and the images aren't particularly evocative in a symbolic manner. Should somebody come out with a fully pictorial deck accented with hexagrams, I think I Ching could become more popular. I admit I'm a bit lazy when it comes to study, but I found the textual nature of I Ching confusing. I couldn't seem to follow or sort through the poetic interpretations. I haven't managed to track down my own Rosetta Stone of connecting information to make it a more usable system for me. ....yet!
Ma Deva Padma's Tao Oracle is based on I Ching, with very attractive and relatable artwork.
oh i’m super interested in the latin america connection. I know that Brazil has a history with Japan and we have many people of japanese descent here, they brought a lot of their culture and brazilians are the biggest weeaboo anime loving population you will get. Maybe it’s a similar situation with China and the spanish speaking countries? Is there a significant immigration event we can trace back in regards to them?
Part of it (for white Americans, anyway) may be wanting to avoid cultural appropriation. We tend to be pretty quick to point fingers at each other over cultural appropriation.
I have such a problem with the furor over cultural appropriation. Cultures are not exclusively owned by people of any ancestry (I am not addressing that to you, just ranting in general) I have used /studied the I Ching for 35 years..In that time I have met quite a few Chinese people both from China and American born. None of them even knew about the I Ching or what it was!
@@barbaramcmahon1786 I totally agree with you, and yet, perceived cultural appropriation was the first thing to come to my mind when you asked the question. It's not that I won't study it. I had a colleague/apartment mate who studied I Ching decades ago. I'll certainly bring it into my deep dive year into the Harris-Crowley Thoth deck.
My personal beliefs about appropriation are much more nuanced than the greater online community. There are keepers of some traditions. If those traditions and the cultures from which they emerge are less than dominant, and the keepers of the traditions believe they should be reserved for use by their own cultural practitioners (peace pipe ritual, for example) then I believe they have the rite to be gatekeepers for that practice. If, on the other hand, the tradition is from a large and dominant culture, and even more so when the people of that culture are selling or presenting the cultural practice and paraphernalia (not the same as selling a replica of a peace pipe, however) for general use and consumption, then I think the appropriation card is off the table.
Ridiculous.
Pretty much I see cultural appropriation tossed around way to casually, even seen Americans of Irish decent told celebrating Samhain, an Irish festival was cultural appropriation.
@@AlbanAwanWow! way over the top, right?
What a curious, adventurous spirit. Never not willing to peel back the layers and share your observations. Always gratifying to spend a few moments with you Ms Wen...♨️
The horror on your face when it was compared to an Ouija board. I was similarly shocked too. Haha.
The I Ching has been trending in my house I’ll tell ya but that’s mostly because I got the SKT and it’s made it easier for me
Edit: I feel an I Ching Revolution coming
I started out with runes then spent 20 years of my life on the I Ching. I find the I Ching moralistic, at least more than other oracles. When I used it with clients it was difficult to reword readings that basically said they were not righteousness, etc. Considering Confucious wrote the wings, there are many ideas such as family hierarchy and obedience and other moral issues. Despite using it for decades I also found it difficult to get enough details to satisfy clients, that is what led to me changing to the tarot.
I had learned that the 'I CHING' is less mystical, and more practical when one heeds the suggestive advice it gives you in an oracle. It is never a conclusion but a suggestion on what choice one should make to further ones path. Sometimes the suggestion is to wait, or to take a back seat in a situation, or not to show ones prowess, because in doing any of the three may hinder ones progression to succeed. Sometimes waiting ones turn is better to cause 'The Creative' to open a door for you; and even so, one must enter in with humility, lowliness and caution.
One can only understand the I CHING by obeying its recommendations for living virtuously among all earthly elements. To live virtuously is to live in godliness, but not all walk virtuously. Thus, - THE I CHING.
Crowley was right. I noticed this too. Other divination tools can be ‘tricky’ and not incapable of steering you in the wrong direction, but the I Ching seems to always have your best interests at heart.
My opinion, and it’s just based on my narrow personal world view and experience with social media (mainly Instagram), is that the I Ching is not “aesthetic”. In Instagram we see lots and lots of cool looking pics and videos featuring not only illustrated Oracle and Tarot cards, but also crystals, talismans, altars, grimoires, old alchemical texts and illustrations, even intricate sigils, images of gods and goddesses, and even if the intention of the post is to educate or to entertain, there’s (most of the time) a aesthetic value to it. After all, Instagram is a social media based on aesthetics, isn’t it? It think that’s why I Ching Oracle cards show up when we search for I Ching, because it is a way of aesthetically present the Oracle in such social media. But it’s just my personal opinion and I more than open to change it.
I agree. I think you're right!
So basically not commodifiable!