| I Ching (Yi Ying or Yi Jing), a divination and oracle tool, | | | | Emperor Wen Wang was the founder of the Chou |
| is also known as the ancient Chinese Book of | | | | Dynasty (c. 1111-255 BCE); and according to many |
| Changes or the Book of Transformation. It is a textual | | | | historians, he originally formed the 64 I Ching |
| reference and resource of and about Chinese | | | | hexagrams and wrote the Confucian classic book of I |
| philosophy, prognostication, and intuitive spiritual | | | | Ching. The emperor and sage Fu Hsi (reigned |
| perception based on the concepts of and theories | | | | 2852-2737 BCE) is said to have discovered the eight |
| derived from Yin and Yang, the universal cycles of | | | | (8) I Ching trigrams on the back of a tortoise. |
| transformation or change, wisdom, nature and its | | | | The two primary philosophical schools of I Ching are: |
| elementals (i.e., earth, air, fire, and water), and science. | | | | [a] Moral and Reason (Confucian) School |
| The practice of I Ching dates back some 5,000 years | | | | The Confucian School of studying the I Ching which |
| ago with many practical uses in modern times for | | | | teaches the Art of Understanding the I Ching. |
| predicting future events, outcomes, and activities. The | | | | [b] Symbol and Number (Taoist) School |
| ancient Chinese consulted the I Ching so as to become | | | | The Taoist School of studying the I Ching which |
| more aware of change within their lives (such as with | | | | teaches the Science of Understanding the I Ching. |
| their finances and social relationships) and surroundings. | | | | As mentioned, I Ching is a divination and oracle tool for |
| Although the Book of Changes was originally used for | | | | convening with universal spirituality: |
| divination purposes, it has uniquely influenced Chinese | | | | Briefly, divination is the spiritual art, metaphysical |
| spiritual thought and philosophy in a way that brings | | | | science, and practice of attuning with a single deity or |
| together human beings and nature into a single | | | | deities (such as a pantheon of gods and goddesses). |
| cosmological system within the universe. Keep in mind | | | | An oracle may be defined as a person (such as, a |
| that the I Ching is, in its origin, a book of symbology or | | | | priest, priestess, shaman, medium, etc.), instrument |
| symbols long before and well before it evolved into a | | | | (such as, Tarot, Ouija, I Ching coins and cards, Runes, |
| written language or linguistic form. The Gua are | | | | etc.), or source of divine communication between you |
| displayed and represented as symbols only. | | | | or a psychic medium and the spirit realms. |