A Brief History of the I-Ching
Program and Astro*Image cards by Michael Erlewine
Text by James Legge
Divination in China dates roughly to the early Shang dynasty, around 1675 B.C. At that time, perhaps the most popular form of divination was the casting of animal bones into a fire, letting them burn, and after they had cooled, studying the fine cracks that formed in the bones. The cracks were interpreted.
The I-Ching or "Book of Changes" known as the "Changes of Chou" was originally known as the oracle of the people of Chou, written down as early as 1070 B.C. Historians have placed the origin of this oracle as early as the 8th century B.C. In other words, the I-Ching oracle is ancient.
And the I-Ching as legend is timeless and it is said that Fu Hsi, perhaps the greatest emperor of China, originally discovered the eight fundamental trigrams that make up the I-Ching hexagrams. Throughout Chinese history the I-Ching has been studied and used by the great sages, philosophers like Confucius, who wrote exhaustive commentaries on the work.
The word "I-Ching" or "Yi Jing" (the more modern Pinyan transliteration) literally means something like "regular change" or the "change that does not change," that is: change we can count on taking place - persistent change. In this regard, the I-Ching is looked upon as a reflection in miniature of the physical and spiritual world we live in. The I-Ching reflects how our inner and outer world moves and changes.
The program includes text by I-Ching expert James Legge, plus Astro*Image cards for each hexagram.
Detailed Analysis
This screen provides an complete analysis of any given hexagram, including text keywords, plus text for the Judgment, The Image, and The Lines.
In addition, each hexagram is examined (with text) in terms of the Four Trigrams that make it up, the Six Lines of which it is composed, and the Three Times (past, present, and future) that it represents.
For any hexagram that has moving lines, the resulting hexagram is displayed with all of the details mentioned above.
The Oracle
This screen allows the traditional single hexagram to be determined, and then interprets it, including complete details if needed. The Astro*Image card for the hexagram is displayed.
The I-Ching Grid
This screen provides a convenient way to access all 64 hexagrams, including interpretations by James Legge of the Judgment, The Image, and The Lines, including all of the moving or changing lines.
History
Also included are a number of articles including, these by Michael Erlewine:
Brief History of the I-Ching
The Hexagrams
The Six Lines
The Four Bi-Grams
The Eight Trigrams
And these by James Legge:
Introduction to the I-Ching
The Linear Figures
User level: Intermediate. If you already know astrology, this gives you an extra, visually-enhanced way of understanding and interpreting it.
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