I Ching (and other Oracles)

In middle school I became proficient in runes, in high school it was the I ching and tarot, while I still have the tools I rarely ever use them any more...I've advanced beyond needing any physical tools to journey inward to the inner world, sometimes called the spiritual realm...the process is sometimes called "crossing the hedge" and in many wiccan/pagan/shaman cultures those that do it are often called "hedge-riders"...

They're still fun to use and very useful for freeing/clearing the mind in order to see the answers we seek...

Connor L. wrote: It's not mystical, except where it is

I amended your quote to reflect my personal beliefs, because in my experience there are three ways divination works:

1. It's B.S. spouted to you by someone wanting to take your money or who doesn't know better
2. It's being used as a psychological tool to get you to open up about problems you may be having that the "oracles" pulled up based on happenstance
3. it's being used as a contact method for some external force in a manner consistent with what it says on the tin

It may be that not everyone believes in or has experienced the third, but it is the reason I highly suggest that people don't "dabble" in certain kinds of oracles, because they are not all created equally. For example, tarot is harmless, but everytime someone new picks up a set of runes without a teacher or a reputable book, I worry ever-so-slightly.

Like a ouija board.... :evil:

Which I used with my friend.....he was quite disappointed as absolutely nothing happened

Bump this!

I love the I-Ching. While I wouldn't say I use it for "answers" (I have a Magic 8-Ball for that ), I use it when situations have multiple pressures at work to really get a feel of where the momentum of the 'whole' is going. The break down of of trigrams for 'past' and 'present' works really well because (especially as an artist) words carry lots of weight, color, and texture, and it is these associations that I "read" or permute in a meditation.

I have found that it's not about "giving a direct answer" as it is more about "giving shape to patterns" and that our skill (regardless of the oracle/divinatory method) in "reading" lies more in our ability to be open enough to our own sense of possibility and actuality. Especially if you get into the "Greater/Lesser (Older/Younger) Yin/Yangs"- it gets quite deep Alice

I think it is there that we really find that it is not the oracle "telling" us anything, but it is more about us "acknowledging" and becoming aware of that particular momenta of the Force.

Adder- I really dig that triangular arrangement!! I just thought about a way to stretch that triangle out to look like the Tree of Life!! Let me get some sketches and meditation sessions on it it, and I'll get back to you!

Good Luck, and Practice, Practice, Practice!!