3. How (not) to consult the Yijing

If you like my content: buy me a coffee! ko-fi.com/harmenmesker
Debunking some commonly accepted rules and assumptions. Audio is sometimes a bit out of sync but it is the thought that counts.
Music credits:
Knight Read-a-Lot slapstick music: 'Lively Lumpsucker' by Kevin MacLeod
The cards mentioned at 10:59 are by Adele Aldrigde: www.ichingmeditations.com.

[@jimmybee440]

I miss being in regular contact with you. You encouraged me to engage the Yi with abandon and fearlessness and a spirit of childlike joy. Thank you. I try to offer the insight you so generously gave to me to anyone who shows genuine interest. I am so happy you started this channel. Now more than ever.

[@YiTubeChannel]

Hi James, I wanted to contact you several times but every time something came in between. You'll hear from me asap! 🤗

[@jamesnammack7535]

Here is another rule. Stop saying that you are asking the I Ching a question. Rather, you are asking the living Universe a question, and it is replying to you through the I Ching. When you talk with someone on the telephone, you do not think that you are speaking to the telephone. You understand that a telephone is you link to the person at the other end. Likewise, when you use the I Ching or any oracle, you are using the oracle as a link to speak with the living Universe. So instead of saying that you are asking the I Ching a question, it is more correct for you to say that you are asking the Universe a question.

[@a.k-ichingwwgdivinationbus6103]

Very good video showing what to do and don't so that people able to build the correct idea of it! keep making good video!

[@Alan108108]

Thank you (and your son!) for a very informative - and entertaining video. I'm new to learning about the I-Ching, and finding your videos very helpful.

[@candidx7057]

Thank you, Harmen, for keeping it real.

[@HenkMelching]

Brilliant statement. Thanks for this very helpful 'document'! This will be the gold standard of use. A set of trigrams is all you need. I love this.

[@HenkMelching]

The right word for total video, after another view, "A benchmark for Yijing use".

[@gordonsirek9001]

Your analysis of Hexagram 37 Line 2 has given me food for thought and insight into how to approach the I Ching in the future.

[@bdriz818]

Great information on the I Ching and interesting approach to the learn it. Your son so cute and what an Interesting and creative way to get your message across! Thank you so much!

[@laraadamczyk]

That's fantastic. Thank you very much for this brilliant insight.

[@jasonmeade2669]

Excellent video! Poor Knight Read-a-Lot, so tired from consulting multiple translations... Thank you for discussing the importance of the quality of the question versus the quality of the answer. I, too, fell into the trap of thinking that I needed to phrase my questions perfectly (I think Carl Jung's foreward of Wilhelm's book put that idea in my head) but have since concluded that my initial reaction to an answer is probably best. Keep up the good work!

[@ognyanv]

An excellent video, worth a big pile of "standard" Yi Jing books (which frequently do more damage than help). Please keep the good job going on!

[@davemason913]

The Hitchhiker's reference went down well with me 😁 thanks for such a clear guide. I haven't consulted the I Ching yet now after reading Alfred Huang's book and putting the knowledge of this video with what I have read I am ready😀

[@MazelTov1981]

Amazing video. Very helpful. Keep uploading more videos.

[@YiTubeChannel]

Thanks :-) I'll do my best. (It helps that it is fun to make these videos.)

[@mystickahayag]

Thank you so much for this enlightening and fun video. You are my Yijing mentor. 😊 PS Sylvian is adorable.

[@YiTubeChannel]

Aaaw, thank you 🤗 I will tell that to him, he will like that. Happy Yi studying! 🙂

[@peterfarnsworth9495]

I wish i had come across this video before I purchased some books which i find now are mainly interpretations would have saved some time and money. Good video very useful /

[@ellenvanveen7337]

DANK jullie , Harmen en Sylvian voor dit SUPER filmpje, met de heldere - down to earth uitleg =inzicht brengend in al onze vóór- onderstellingen.....Met een BIG SMILE naar Sylvian!! He is COOL !

[@YiTubeChannel]

Ha dank Ellen, fijn dat je het filmpje weet te waarderen. Ik zal je complimenten doorgeven aan Sylvian :-)

[@advandepol7537]

Thanks. Very funny, entertaining and illuminating.

[@boylecopperuk]

Thanks for the video ,very informative

[@KevinShamisen]

I know gold when I see one, the insight here was just that

[@Thisisspacemusic]

I like your son's reference to "The Hitchhiker's Guide.." :)

[@YiTubeChannel]

I KNEW someone would recognise it! Finally.

[@nicolero8130]

Thank you for your recommendations. I tried my first time Yi consultation. Got hex 13, 'tongren'. I interpreted it as 'soulmates' and went on the Chinese authentic text line by line. It very accurately described the situation and predicted its outcome :D (同人于郊‧無悔) I was laughing at the accuracy. The books with comments do not give such interpretations, they actually drive you away from what is for you to hear.

[@YiTubeChannel]

I see you have found your personal connection with the Yijing. Good job! 👍

[@emreigdemir1627]

Thank you for the video 🙏 been very helpfull to me . İ have alfred huang completed i chıng book . What are yorthoughts on this book ? Thank you

[@Thisisspacemusic]

great video!

[@YiTubeChannel]

Thanks Dan :-)

[@Thisisspacemusic]

@@YiTubeChannel you're welcome! :)

[@lordosaya]

Thanks for your great videos. :) I have a copy of the Wilhelm version, but as per this video, I'm interested in getting a version that is a more direct translation of the yi without the extra interpretations. Which books would you recommend? Or otherwise, if I were to use the Wilhelm version, is there a way to further minimise getting caught up with the said interpretations?

[@YiTubeChannel]

You could get a copy of Stephen Field, 'The Duke of Zhou Changes', or Richard Rutt, 'Zhouyi'. The latter not only contains an annotated translation of the Zhouyi but also essential historical information that every serious Yi student should know about. Good luck with your study!

[@lordosaya]

@@YiTubeChannel will look into it. many thanks. 🙏

[@crimineldusmoothie4734]

Hi Harmen, amazing video ! I have a question: is it possible to calculate an hexagram for another person? Could diviners in ancient China do this? Best regards

[@YiTubeChannel]

Yes they could, and there are several ways to do this. One way is Heluo Lishu 河洛理數 in which a Chinese bazi 八字 horoscope is converted to hexagrams.

[@booksintamil]

Hi , thanks for the video 👍 how is the i-ching Oracle related to five elements and Chinese astrology ??

[@YiTubeChannel]

The Yijing is being combined with the Wuxing and the Stems & Branches, and more, in the Wenwang Gua 文王卦 system of divination. What you are looking for is described in this system.

[@booksintamil]

@@YiTubeChannel thanks👍

[@to.pacheco]

So, what books do you recommend that are closer to the original text? I mean, more of a translation than an interpretation?

[@YiTubeChannel]

I advise Richard Rutt's Zhouyi, Stephen Field's The Duke of Zhou Changes and Dennis Schilling's Yijing.

[@dakotaparmley4928]

I’m curious as to how you decide to interpret multiple changing lines. Some translations don’t mention this, while others devise complex rules regarding how one should treat having multiple changing lines. I’ve heard some people say that all of them should be dealt with, as to not disturb the original “vocabulary” of the Yijing, whereas others, such as Alfred Huang, have ways to make it so you only pay attention to one. Thoughts?

[@YiTubeChannel]

That's a good topic for a future video 🙂

[@MazelTov1981]

Here a compilation de rules: www.russellcottrell.com/VirtualYarrowStalks/rules.htm

[@rickschrager]

When are you going to publish a word for word translation of the Chinese text?

[@YiTubeChannel]

That is a work in progress: www.yjcn.nl/wp/translation-notes/ . Might take 10 years or more to finish.

[@Thisisspacemusic]

did my first I ching cast last night! I asked a fairly deep question but nor sure what the answer means?! If I gave you a little info do you think you could help me interpret the hexagram, it's no rush! :)

[@YiTubeChannel]

Sure, but maybe you could also share it on FB? Your case might be informative to others as well.

[@Thisisspacemusic]

@@YiTubeChannel that's fine 🙂

[@NanaSmithRealEstate1]

Brilliant

[@Eaglez27]

Thank you for the informative video from both of you. I was wondering about time frame. Can I toss the coins and read later? Can the situation change depending on the actions you make? Or do I need to be specific of the time, like if the question is about within days, weeks, 3months, in a year? Can the situation change in a few days and I’ll have to toss the coins again? Also can we use electronic apps to toss coins. Much thanks, enjoyed the video.

[@YiTubeChannel]

1. Can I toss the coins and read later? Yes. 2. Can the situation change depending on the actions you make? Yes. 3. Or do I need to be specific of the time, like if the question is about within days, weeks, 3months, in a year? It helps if you know for yourself which time frame you are addressing, but there is no need to put it in the question. 4. Can the situation change in a few days and I’ll have to toss the coins again? The advise of the Yi would not change just because the circumstances changed. There is hardly ever the need to consult the Yi again about the same topic with the same question. 5. Also can we use electronic apps to toss coins. Yes, most of these apps work fine.

[@Eaglez27]

@@YiTubeChannel Thank you for your wealth of knowledge, your answers cleared up a lot of things for me. I see that we flow with our learning process, not rigid in rules, and the Yi Ching answers according to our understanding. Bless you sir, will continue practicing 🙏🏼

[@leggozombieslayin]

A few years back I bought Browne Walkers 'interpretation', not knowing much about the I Ching and thinking it was an actual translation--as the copy misleadingly said. Eventually I noticed the sort of general-self-help style of language in the book; passages from any two different hexagrams seemed quite similar, as if i could land on any hexagram and it would give me the same advice: "be accepting, don't be angry" and things of that sort. This is frustrating because it gave me the impression that it doesn't matter what I land on, that it's always similar answers, which led me to doubt the I Ching as a credible oracle/source of divination

[@YiTubeChannel]

Which version of the Yijing do you currently resort to?

[@518alf]

Thank you for the video. I consulted the I Ching and got hexagram 43. I'm not sure what it means. Appreciate any help.

[@YiTubeChannel]

Hi Alvaro, without any background information about you, your situation and/or your question it is impossible to give any hint on what it might mean to you. Why did you consult the Yijing? Did you have any moving lines?

[@candidx7057]

Words commonly used in general for 43 would include 'breakthrough' and 'proclaiming'. The caution is to calm down before proclaiming or announcing, and to not be personally offensive.

[@marjanpennings7949]

Blij met jullie twee!

[@maheshfeb3]

Hello Harmen thank you for your insights. Chanced upon I Ching after a few days of looking for signs through another video and got the link to your channel. Maybe another sign.. Thanks for the clarity on the translations. To me I would like no interpretation whatsoever as it defeats the whole purpose of letting the universe speak and doesn't matter if it sounds good to me or not. That is if you are looking for the truth. Many thanks again to you and your son . Love and prayers

[@candidx7057]

The older I get the less I know for certain.Your comments about Yi always answering your question regardless of emotions etc, it will always give you what you need, does not resonate well in me. What we want at a given time may not be what we need, and often our emotions are behind the question. Yi can first correct the state of mind, and then the mind is prepared to receive a 'straight-up' answer to a question. However, I'm no more certain that's how Yi is, 100% of the time, than I am of the next words from someone's mind. What I can say is, that's how I work with it, and think that's how it works with me.

[@YiTubeChannel]

If the Yi would not always give you what you need then what is the point of consulting the oracle? Emotions might be behind the question but to me that a) does not mean that these emotions affect the answer of the Yi (I think not - I don't think we have any influence on the outcome), and b) shows that it can be dangerous to ask questions. Surely emotions can affect your interpretation, so it might be good to wait with the interpretation when your emotions are keeping you from seeing things as objectively as possible. But maybe it all boils down to one question: how do you believe the Yi communicates with you? If you believe it reflects what you put in your question, or that its answer is affected by your state of mind or other factors, then that believe will be found in your view of the answer. My personal experience has taught me that for me it really does not matter how or when I address the oracle. I have learned to see the answer of the Yi as something that is always beneficial to me, it always helps me, as if meaningful chance is intended to restore the balance when balance is needed. What we want may not be what we need: indeed, but I believe the Yi always gives you what you need, and if that is also what you want then that is a nice bonus. Most people have not decided how the Yi communicates with them. They just do what they read in the books and take that as gospel. It is better to think about what you are actually doing and make the necessary choices yourself. The Yi is a very personal oracle (as are all oracles I think.) If you have found its voice there is nothing it will not say to you. And you will always understand its answers.

[@candidx7057]

"But maybe it all boils down to one question: how do you believe the Yi communicates with you?" Maybe. I 'believe' consciousness or entanglement together with the Yi means that it knows to whom it is speaking. A pragmatic person, for example, would find your explanation completely logical and therefore effective. A meng, such as myself, would tend to feel their way through a conversation with the Yi. Either way would work so long as both are on the same page, assuming there has been enough acquired experience to be aware of the misleading interpretations.

[@YiTubeChannel]

@@candidx7057 Ah yes, well said. You have found the 'rules' or method that work for you. I can only wish that every Yi-user ('Yiser'?) will find his/her own method.

[@candidx7057]

A WiserYiser? You renew my respect for scholarship because knowledge has not covered your wellspring.

[@svenchristensen6987]

According to James Legge the plant-oracle-method ie. yarrow-method are mentioned in the book of history Shu Ching. Quote: ".... In the Shû King, in a document that purports to be of twenty-third century B.C., divination by means of the tortoise-shell is mentioned (The Shû II, ii, 18); and somewhat later we find that method continuing, and also divination by the lineal figures, manipulated by means of the stalks of a plant, the Ptarmica Sibirica, which is still cultivated on and about the grave of Confucius, where I have myself seen it growing (The Shû V, iv, 31)...." (I Ching, The book of China, Legge, Tynron Press, Scotland 1990) ------- this being true this method is much older than the coin method.

[@YiTubeChannel]

It is true that yarrow stalks were used as a divination method since the Shang dynasty, and the Baoshan divination journals show that there were several kinds of yarrow stalk oracles. The current Yijing method, however, is reconstructed by Zhu Xi and we don't have a clear description (or examples) of it before his time.

[@svenchristensen6987]

@@YiTubeChannel OK, Thank You Harmen. And I guess Zhu Xi reconstructed it out of the description in the Ten Wings, Right ?

[@YiTubeChannel]

@@svenchristensen6987 I think so yes, after criticizing others who had tried to do the same but with different results. It seems the description in the Ten Wings can be explained and practiced in several different ways.

[@marad997]

Estoy aquí viendo el vídeo pero no entiendo nada jaja.Quiero subtítulos en español por favor...Ojalá eso sea posible en algún momento. Saludos y ya tienes una nueva suscriptora

[@YiTubeChannel]

Hay subtítulos en español - haga clic en el icono de configuración :-)

[@YiTubeChannel]

Lo siento, tienes razón. Solo el 4to video tiene subtítulos en español. Los otros videos esperamos que tengan subtítulos en español pronto.

[@marad997]

@@YiTubeChannel listo ya lo solucione si se puede pero si o si tiene que estar en modo escritorio para poder configurarlo.Gracias te sigo por el grupo compendiu

[@suziez1627]

Not all of these rules are truth. You can ask anything, not only important things. Do not do in places like bedroom or bathroom. Must shower or wash hands beforehand. Don't ask questions you already know the answer. Don't fool or having fun with deities by just trying out. etc

[@YiTubeChannel]

The rules that you mention are all rules invented by humans, not by the Yi. The oracle will still work if I consult it in a bathroom, or don't wash my hands, or ask questions I already know the answer of, etc. It is not a matter of 'truth' - what matters is, what are the reasons behind these rules and do you personally find them valuable or do you just follow them because someone else said you should do that? Rules are not bad, but they should be used with the right intent.

[@suziez1627]

@@YiTubeChannel Thank you for explaining