The I Ching or ‘Book of Changes’ is an ancient Chinese writing which originates about 1000 BC. I became interested in this classic through my studies on early Taoism, and the yin-yang concept. Now I’ve starting using the I Ching for myself, and the interpretations for me have been fascinating. I hope this brief article might interest you to explore the I Ching for yourself. If you already use it I’m interested in your comments.
A good introduction to the I Ching and how to use it is the following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM0tfQ1fUXs
Another introduction is by Kari Hohne / Café au Soul
Kari Hohne has a website with an introduction to the I Ching – https://www.cafeausoul.com/oracles/iching – and interpretations of the I Ching Hexagrams as she understands them – https://www.cafeausoul.com/iching/hexagrams. Her book, expands on this, and is listed below.
Another resource for learning the I Ching is Belinda Doveston’s YouTube channel I Ching Café. She says, “The I Ching Cafe is a platform to learn more about the wonderful depth and relevance of the I Ching in a relaxed and practical way so that you can apply its value in your life, business and relationships.”
There is a very interesting 20-year-old video recording of Terrance McKenna speaking about the I Ching. He talks about the history and power of the I Ching as a personal tool for getting into alignment with the Tao. This video explains well the worldview of the I Ching in contrast to ‘Western’ wordviews.
Translations and Further Resources
Richard Wilhelm’s 1923 translation of the I Ching, then translated into English from German in 1950. The Forward is written by the famous psychologist Carl Jung.
Alfred Huang, The Complete I Ching: The Definitive Translation (Inner Traditions, 2010).
Antony Cummins, The Ultimate I Ching: An Illustrated Step-by-Step Guide to the Book of Changes (Watkins, 2022).
Paul O’Brien, The Visionary I Ching: A Book of Changes for Intuitive Decision Making (Divination Foundation Press, 2013). Paul is the person interviewing Terrence McKenna in the above YouTube video. He also produced the phone App Visionary I Ching which is easy to use.
Kari Hohne, The Essential I Ching: 64 Degrees of Nature’s Wisdom (Way of Tao Books, 2015).