I was just commenting on Hilary’s blog about the issue of where answers are coming from in consulting the Yi (I Ching):
That’s a great question and I wish it could be answered in some logical way (that wasn’t a request, Chris… 🙂 ) My shifting belief is that we tap, through the Yi, into a shared pool of wisdom; a pool that contains all that is, has been and will be, in all its variations. That we are able to exercise some free will in our destinies is not a case of “creating information” as we go but a continuous “lane shifting” in in a universe where all possible scenarios are contained. This is not to say we are predestined in any way since the “lane shifting” randomness contained in said universe is just too great, if not infinite. In my believe, we can think of the Yi as a cosmic GPS device that tell us where we are at a given moment and an indication of where to go from there to reach a given goal. Mind you, Chris’ theory that any hexagram applies to all situations and vice-versa is perhaps correct in this context but, as such, a Yi answer works as a catalyst for the comprehension of a situation and thus giving a directional clue.
Some other days, perhaps most, the romantic in me truly believes is talking to a live immortal with a sharp sense of humor. He/She is more tangible and immediate to my feelings this way.
L
I certainly don’t pretend to know the answer nor does Hilary, or anybody for that matter, but I don’t believe there are “wrong” answers to the question. The undeniable and historical fact is that the Yi works, it has for millennia and will work like a ticking swiss watch for the archeologists of the year 3,500 that unearth the remains of our long gone and flawed society.
