Readings in I-Ching
When people ask for readings they generally do not specify their problem
so that the “reader” doesn’t get lead. However, I-Ching works well only
when a question is specified.
Originally I-Ching used only one line, but an emperor called Fu His
changed the single line interpretation of I-Ching into three line
trigrams; it is said that he was inspired by a mythological beast which
had three stripes upon its flanks.
Now readings consist of 6 unbroken or three pairs of broken lines.
The trigrams represent heaven, earth, thunder, water, mountain, wind,
fire, and lake. Each line combination has a meaning. The meanings were
divined by philosopher priests in tune with the Tao (the Chinese path).
There are 64 possible combinations and meanings. The lines are drawn
from the bottom to top. The six lines together are known as hexagrams.
Each hexagram is representative of a state or process and may represent
a change.
The first three lines of the hexagram are known as the lower trigram and
are seen as the foundation aspect of what is happening (a base unit).
The upper trigram is known as the core/main aspect of the situation.
