I-Ching, the Book of Changes

According to Chinese tradition, the legendary first emperor of China, Fu Hsi, created the I-Ching or Book of Changes. Most scholars, however, place the origins of this Confucianist classic (one of five) in the 12th century BC. From the outset, its main purpose lay in divination.

It is unique, in its way, consisting of 64 hexagrams, that when properly interpreted, contain deep meanings that are still applicable to everyday affairs. In the thousands of years of its use, I-Ching practioners have also used it to predict the future.

The hexagrams themselves are formed from two smaller units, called trigrams. Each trigram is formed of three horizontal lines (solid or broken). Since there are eight basic trigrams, and one appears above the other to form the hexagram, there are 64 possible permutations. Fu Hsi is said to have discovered these trigrams on the back of a tortoise.

In addition to the overall meaning of a hexagram, each trigram has a meaning as well. However, the hexagram is created one line at a time, starting from the bottom line and proceeding upward. The solid lines represent yang (the male principle) and the broken lines represent yin (the female principle). Each line has its own meaning and the I-Ching text explains each of these in turn, finishing with an overall interpretation of the trigram and the hexagram. The text is often couched in terms that were likely familiar to Chinese of the period and seems somewhat antiquated by our standards today. From the beginning however, the verbiage was written in a cryptic and mysterious way such that interpreters were allowed quite a bit of latitude and the use of their own intution in order to create a reading.

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