I went to a lecture last night that was supposed to be about I Ching. I read up a bit about it on the internet but couldn't really find a site that said it all in an easy to understand way As it turns out I knew more than he did! The guy that did it knew what he was talking about but had no idea how to get it across in a lecture. He just started by saying that you threw coins and interpretted them. I mean come on! It would have been good if he could start with the basics like it's Chinese and approx. 3000 years old!

Does anyone know of any good web sites, books, organisations that could give me more info about it? I'm fascinated by Chinese and Japanese culture at present and I actually have 3 coins that came in a Feng Shui pack I got year ago so I thought I'd give it a try.

I Ching, although not personally used by me, is regarded as one of the easiest to grasp method of Divination. I really can't talk much about it as I haven't tried it myself but I know a few people who do.

If two people got the same result then they still are interpreted differently by the people. Its not nessisarilly them who answer but the message in your own interpretation that is the divination.

I suggest going to a forum and finding out many peoples perspectives to find how about it as there are no set in stone rules or boundries only what the user feels right. I suggest forums.wiccauk.com have a browse and if no luck just start up a thread.

As for history of I Ching, it would be really interesting to find out.

I believe the original I Ching used yarrow stalks. Coins aren't necessary, you just need six (I think it's six, though the fact that you have three seems to contradict this) things that can give you two results and an equal chance of getting either. The results you get (say, heads, tails, heads, heads, heads, tails) you then look up in a list of what they all mean, which you should be able to find online.

Turns out I know more than I thought.

I know you can use Yarrow sticks but I'm not sure how. I hear it can be quite complicated and go on forever with that methods

You only need 3 coins. You throw them 6 times each. You use the number 3 for heads and 2 for tails (if you are using an ordinary copper coin). You add the number you get e.g. 2 heads and a tail = 7. Once you have 6 results these correspond with the different lines in the hexagram and then you interpret that. You can either meditate on the result and see what happens or use the interpretations in the books.

I could go into it in more detail but I'd need to be able to draw and I don't have the facility to do that on my work computer.

Does anyone know of a good book with history, interpretations?

I might just check out wiccauk.com. I haven't been there for ages. Not since I decided being a Wiccan wasn't for me.

Syd Barret wrote a track based on the I Ching, called 'Chapter 24', its very good. Thats all I know about it though...

http://www.taopage.org/intro_wilhelm.htm

http://www.zhouyi.com/

These may help Pixie.

Ta mate! I already found the 2nd one when I did a google but most of the links are broken The first one is great but the images don't appear so that kinda defeats the object

Thanks muchly for having a look for me though. Very much appreciated. I owe you a pint at the next meet!

Hmm, try this there is some text, but it shows the layout and workings of I Ching.

http://www.solidsoftware.com.au/I_Ching/I_Ching.html

This one may also help

http://surrealist.org/iching/

But on the 3rd edit i post the best.

http://www.tribalsmile.com/iching/

Excellent! Me, myself and I-Ching!

You must be almost as bored as me today!

Yep off work my IBS, is playing me up. And the pills i was given made it worse.

Anyway it was something to do, the last one was in list number 18, on google.

Urgh IBS! I get that but not very often. I've had it bad in the past tho. I find Polos great for that. Suck a mint, it calms the stomach. Also massaging peppermint essential oil in a carrier base into your stomach in a clockwise motion is supposed to help the spasms. Try peppermint tea too. You have my sympathies *hugs*

What pills were you given. The doctor refused to give me any

On topic, try asking the I Ching if the above works!

Ummm Peppermint oil capsules, caused me ALOT of problems. (thats what they gave me)

On topic, maybe I Ching could help (quick on topic thing there)

I was going to say that...

I'm always first when it comes to Syd sweetie

Some people don't even bother with the coins anymore, they just get a book fo the I Ching definitions and flip randomly to a page to read their prediction for the day, which seems like a fair enough method to me!

I've a friend who has the I Ching symbol for 'the middle road' cut into his back. He had it done at a body mod place in San Francisco a couple of years ago, I've got loads of photos of it happening

Not Sacred Rose by any chance!?

Post the pics then.

I'm going to buy a book this weekend if I get a chance. Give it a whirl

With regard to the I Ching - The Book Of Changes, the best place to look I've found is http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk

It's got an excellent, clearly written translation for download, and a good guide to the use of the I Ching. If you want to try the yarrow stalk method, you can do so quite easily without the effort of getting stalks - use a pack of cards, minus jokers and two other cards, so you've fifty cards. They tuck between the fingers quite easily too!

I've tried this method and found it uncanny at times.

I was mainly interested in the coin method as I actually have 3 coins to use. I bought a book the other weekend called "Total I Ching: Myths for Change" by Stephen Karcher. It's got background and definitions and seems quite easy to read. The lady on your recommended web site is very complimentary about it. Lucky really as it was the only decent one Waterstone's had!

I'll be damned if I've found time to read it yet!

I CHING... that's the noise I make when I wear all of my armour rings at once!!

*giggles and runs off*

Sorry Sam *hugs* only teasing!!

Yer and I could make many racist jokes. But that's bad and rude so I'm gonna sit here and listen to the beautiful sound of Sarah's armour rings

Hee-Hee!! I'm chinging again!! *runs off tapping metalic fingers together*

*Runs after Sarah with euphoric grin on face*

Stop spamming my thread you two! I thought someone had something interesting to say about I Ching but NOOOOO I find you two playing silly beggars *knocks heads together and send them on the direction of 'Daft'*

Behave!

Does anyone have anything useful to add to this thread?

NO!

*ching, ching, ching ching*

C'mon Sam, what do you expect from two drunken cheerleaders!!

I expect you to stay in your drunken cheerleader thread!

*slaps Franken-Sarah back across to 'Daft'*