Now, you can consult the ancient Oracle of the I Ching without complex interpretations of yarrow stalks or coin tosses. This oracle anticipates change and recommends timely action in all the important areas of your life.

A simple two-card draw will clarify any situation and provide a path to success. While the I Ching Oracle Deck is used to clarify immediate and personal situations with a reading, the Almanac of Gaia is a forecast for the entire year. It is the guiding energy for each week.

This guide is a beginning for you. It provides a simple method to use the I Ching. It also provides a second, slightly more involved method that will require you to use a separate book or guide to the I Ching. We highly recommend The I Ching for Beginners by Mark McElroy. However, there are hundreds of different guides to choose from.

 

Background

 

 

The I Ching, also called the Book of Changes, is an ancient Chinese cleromancy divination tool. It has served both Eastern and Western civilizations over the centuries as a moral and spiritual guide. It is composed of 64 hexagrams that depict all of the situations of mankind.

The normal way of consulting the I Ching is to generate the hexagrams casting yarrow stalks or more recently coins. The caster has a particular question or concern in mind. The toss of the coins generates each of the 6 lines of a hexagram, each of which may be Yin, Yang, or a changing Yin or Yang line.

If the hexagram that is generated has one or more changing lines, changing those lines from Yang to Yin or Yin to Yang will generate a second hexagram. The first hexagram explains the issue. The changing lines explain the evolving situation in the future. The second hexagram offers guidance to deal with the situation.

 

 

The Oracle of the I Ching Deck offers a quick way to use the I Ching without the necessity of casting yarrow stalks or coins. The first and second hexagrams are generated by shuffling the cards and selecting one. That card is noted and returned to the deck. The deck is shuffled and a second card is drawn.

In this manner, it is possible that the same card is drawn twice. That essentially means that hexagram does not have any changing lines and it alone offers guidance on the question at hand.

Should a different card be drawn secondly it is placed aside and the first drawn card is retrieved from the deck.

Now you have either one or two cards.

 

The Simple Method

 

Examine the first card to understand the underlying issue affecting your question or concern.  Then examine the second card to receive the guidance of the Oracle to deal with the issue.

 

The Second Method

 

In the second method, you can determine the changing lines to gain more insight. Compare the hexagrams in both cards. (if you drew the same card twice, there are no changing lines to guide you).

Looking at the hexagrams, examine each line. Those that are different between the two hexagrams on your cards are the "changing lines" from the first hexagram. Use any reference guide to understand their meanings.

In our simple method use the following table as a starting point. Be aware that there are hundreds of scholars and authors that have interpreted the hexagrams. There are many opinions and studies of the I Ching. You will find many viewpoints. You need to find one that fits your beliefs and spirit.

For ease of use, here are some basic interpretations to get you started.

 

Hexagram Number and Name	Approaches to take	Actions to avoid
Hexagram 1 Taking Action	Move forward with purpose	Going it alone
Hexagram 2 Being Receptive	Take the advice of others	Being arrogant and impatient
Hexagram 3 Getting Started	Take time to prepare adequately	Going forward poorly prepared
Hexagram 4 Acting Rashly	Temper enthusiasm with restraint	Ignoring the lessons of others
Hexagram 5 Planning Action	Take time to train and practice	Not planning for contingencies
Hexagram 6 Resolving Conflict	Stand up for your beliefs	Acting against what you know is right
Hexagram 7 Rallying Others	Use gentle leadership	Engaging in conflict
Hexagram 8 Coming Together	Follow enlightened leadership	Avoiding your rightful place
Hexagram 9 Taking Small Steps	Wait for a better opportunity	Ignoring warning signs
Hexagram 10 Walking Softly	Use diplomacy and tact	Being emotional
Hexagram 11 Working Together	Be productive and generous	Being cheap or miserly
Hexagram 12 Falling Apart	Acknowledge your weaknesses	Practicing Situational Ethics
Hexagram 13 Getting Along	Be tolerant and broad-minded	Abandoning your plans
Hexagram 14 Having What it Takes	Have courage and guts	Being intimidated
Hexagram 15 Being Modest	Practice humility	Being conceited
Hexagram 16 Building Enthusiasm	Share your passion	Being manipulative
Hexagram 17 Adapting to the Times	Adjust your approach to the situation	Being dogmatic
Hexagram 18 Correcting Mistakes	Acknowledge mistakes	Justify wrong actions
Hexagram 19 Making Progress	Blaze a new trail	Wasting time
Hexagram 20 Inspecting Progress	Assess growth and progress	Insulating yourself from facts
Hexagram 21 Enforcing the Rules	Be fair and objective	Being biased
Hexagram 22 Seeing Beyond the Surface	Look beyond first impressions	Judging by appearances only
Hexagram 23 Tumbling Down	Be open to new ideas	Avoiding cutting your losses
Hexagram 24 Turning the Corner	Starting over with positivity	Being pessimistic
Hexagram 25 Living With Purpose	Maintain inner peace and directions	Disregard your instincts
Hexagram 26 Controlling Yourself	Be tenacious and dependable	Letting yourself go
Hexagram 27 Nurturing Yourself and Others	Become a mentor	Acting in a self-destructive manner
Hexagram 28 Shifting the Burden	Ask for help	Take everything on yourself
Hexagram 29 Responding to Challenges	Reinvent yourself or approach	Resisting change
Hexagram 30 Setting an Example	Do your best	Following the wrong persons
Hexagram 31 Taking Direction	Follow good advice of friends	Being swayed by others
Hexagram 32 Maintaining Progress	Adapt to ebbs and flows of life	Believing nothing changes
Hexagram 33 Stepping Back	Take time to reflect	Giving up
Hexagram 34 Restraining Impulsiveness	Proceed in a thoughtful fashion	Being irrational
Hexagram 35 Seizing the Moment	Make the most of the opportunity	Acting out of reflex alone
Hexagram 36 Surviving Dark Times	Handle the adversity with courage	Being swept up by evil
Hexagram 37 Establishing Order	Fulfill your rightful roles	Feeling you are above the law
Hexagram 38 Resolving Tension	Find common ground	Being antagonistic
Hexagram 39 Encountering Obstacles	Take a positive approach	Expecting an “easy way out”
Hexagram 40 Maintaining Effort	Be persistent	Quitting halfway through
Hexagram 41 Accepting Limits	Take time for yourself	Assuming you are invincible
Hexagram 42 Transcending Limits	Give more than is expected	Doing less than you are able
Hexagram 43 Pursuing the Best Course	Act in harmony with beliefs	Compromising your ethics
Hexagram 44 Resisting Weakness	Be of strong character	Slip into destructive habits
Hexagram 45 Building Community	Donate your time and talents	Isolating yourself
Hexagram 46 Pushing Upward	Work consistently	Taking a wait and see attitude
Hexagram 47 Dealing with Weariness	Stay optimistic	Pursuing hopeless situations
Hexagram 48 Tapping Potential	Do more than you even dream	Devoting time and energy to busy work
Hexagram 49 Transforming Yourself	Start a new enterprise	Balking at opportunity
Hexagram 50 Embracing Your Calling	Follow your dreams	Living without purpose
Hexagram 51 Handling a Crisis	Keep your wits about you	Giving in to fear
Hexagram 52 Being in the Moment	React, not respond to events	Get caught up in the chaos
Hexagram 53 Taking Things Slowly	Pace yourself	Rushing progress
Hexagram 54 Managing Relationships	Maintain friendships actively	Being selfish
Hexagram 55 Having It All	Take advantage of good fortune	Wasting opportunities
Hexagram 56 Crossing Unfamiliar Territory	Accept directions	Refusing the lessons of experience
Hexagram 57 Exerting Subtle Influence	Take a subtle approach	Trying to change others by force
Hexagram 58 Interacting with Others	Gain the inputs of others	Pushing others away
Hexagram 59 Achieving Unity	Act selflessly	Being prideful
Hexagram 60 Setting Limits	Be thrifty and prudent with resources	Going overboard
Hexagram 61 Influencing Others	See the viewpoints of others	Being deceptive
Hexagram 62 Dealing with Tradition	Honor the past with prudence	Ignoring rules and mores
Hexagram 63 Coasting Along	Have a purposeful direction	Ignoring your priorities
Hexagram 64 Reaching the Goal	Finish the job	Failing to honor commitments