Every situation is unique. Or is it!?
All Situations emerge from Combinations of Scenarios. Until you grasp that, you will not have understood Life or this magical ancient book of uncannily intelligent insight known as The I Ching - Yìjīng, 易经.
That’s the original.
And THIS is how it works.
Each of the 64 core Scenarios corresponds to a unique HEXAGRAM: with SIX 🧬 **LINES OF CHANGE** which are either WHOLE, UNBROKEN, YANG lines or SEPARATED *yin* lines. To get 64 unique hexagrams, again, we have to use combinatorial math: each hexagram is composed of an upper and a lower TRIGRAM, of which there are 8 possible combinations of yang and yin, yielding 8x8=64 hexagrams.
Therefore, to use this as a 🔮 **DIVINATION** tool, all you have to do is procure a deck of I Ching cards, ask it a well-formed 🏇🏼**QUESTION**, draw two cards, and then read the 🧬 **LINES OF CHANGE** which correspond to the movement from the first Hexagram card to the second Hexagram card, reading from bottom to top. So, for example, if the first (bottom) line of the first card is yang, and the second card is yin, then that is considered a line of change — whereas if both cards are yang, or both cards are yin, there is no change. Thus, by virtue of the Combinations, there are 4096 unique situations which may arise from the interactions of the 64 cards, even while limiting yourself to only drawing two at a time.
4096 is a fascinating number, because it far exceeds the pattern recognition of the conscious mind — as in, even a very smart person, if given such a task, would struggle to deliberately conceive of so many situations — but probably matches the subconscious pattern recognition that even a normal person has, by the time they reach maturity. What is the significance of this? Simply, that your reading may just uncannily match your unique situation. Especially if you ascribe more than just randomness to the two cards you happen to draw from the deck.
Even if you’re a cynical New Yorker, you must respect the value of pattern recognition and archetypal training. If the 64 core Scenarios are like elements, squaring to 4096 Combinations is like going from a Low Definition screen with 64 pixels to a High Definition 4096 pixel screen. In other words, a screen capable of portraying, capturing and granting insight into the nuanced dynamics of LIFE’s varied Situations, while still remaining archetypal enough to be useful. If you want higher resolution, experiment with cubing to 262,144! Although that is so precise, it begins to be less useful. At least, in the form factor of cards.
With the computing power of the 21st century at our finger-tips, we can begin to imagine The I Ching as a simulation technology — an artificial intelligence, capable of generating stories, with intricate plots and characters — even whole worlds. After all, 64 to the 64th power generates vastly more situations than there are atoms in the universe…
I suggest consulting The I Ching - Yìjīng, 易经 frequently, even on a daily basis, until you get the hang of it, until it becomes a part of you. You’ll know it is working when you begin to recognize which Scenarios are at work in the Dynamics of your life, and you find yourself looking them up to consult the oracular divination appropriate to your ‘unique’ situation.