The Online Oracle
The Flash version. The I Ching The PHP version.
First Things First: Do you really believe in this stuff?
Elements of the Oracle: The I Ching relies primarily on two basic elements:
Yin Yang
The possible combinations of Yin and Yang in groups of three forms eight trigrams representing the eight basic elements:






Heaven
 





Earth
 





Thunder
 





Water
 






Mountain





Wind





Fire





Lake
A situation is represented by two of these trigrams, one on top of the other. A divination is made one line at a time, with each line having four possibilities: Yin, Yin changing to Yang, Yang, and Yang changing to Yin. Because of the changing lines, a full divination usually results in two hexagrams, one representing the current situation, and one representing the future. (If no lines are changing, then the divination results are that the situation is static, though advice may still be presented.)
 
Reading Your Oracle: Each hexagram has a short poem associated with it, six verses long, each verse corresponding to one of the lines. The verses corresponding to changing lines are italicized, because these are the verses that have the greatest impact on the coming change. In two rare situations (Heaven changing to Earth or the reverse) there is one additional verse per poem, called the dynamic line.
 
In any case, you should read the verses of your hexagrams very carefully. Only you can interpret what they say to you. Some are quite clear, and others are rather opaque. Consider the advice contained within carefully.
 
Cultural Definitions: Because the I Ching has been in use in various forms for over three thousand years, and was primarily used in China, there are some cultural references which may cloud your reading. Here are some of the more common elements:
  • Penalty drink or The punishment is a cup - This refers to a game in which the loser must drink a cup of sacrificial wine. Its implications are a negligible setback or minor penalty.
  • Wife grabbers - Ancient custom in China had a groom's friends and family staging a kidnapping of a new bride as part of the wedding festivities. The implication is something seeming sinister which is actually benign on closer examination.
  • Robes - Robes usually imply some sort of high office. Implications should be left up to context.
  • Consort - When a noble woman was given in marriage, she was accompanied to her new home by a female companion (usually a relative) who would be a second consort to the husband.
  • Colors: black is the color of heaven; yellow is the color of earth
Let the Oracle Speak! Meditate briefly upon your current situation, and then follow one of the following links:
  • If you have the Flash 5 plug-in, you can use this version.
  • This version uses PHP to generate plain HTML.

 

Casting method and translations from I Ching by Kerson and Rosemary Huang.