I Ching is the oldest Chinese classic text and it is also called ‘the book of changes ’or ‘classic of changes’ This text basically speaks about cosmology which is based upon ancient Chinese traditions or customs. Let us first know the meaning of the title of I CHING which is also called Yi Jing. ‘Yi’ as an adjective means ‘easy and simple and as a verb it means ‘to change’ or to substitute one thing for another. ‘Jing’ here means classic text which says that things are not going to change with passage of time. I CHING combines three meanings. They are ease, simplicity, variability and persistency. In modern East Asia and the Western world, the I Ching is regarded as a symbol of divination. The text of I Ching is represented by a set of 64 abstract line arrangements called hexagrams.

If we consider it from the historical point of view, it has two approaches traditional view and modernist view. I Ching helps us to make decisions, predicting the future and it is also a source of wisdom and inspiration for generations. In the traditional view I Ching was an early Chinese legendary ruler who ruled China between the traditional dates of 2800 BCE-2737 BCE. It is believed that he was bestowed with the 8 triagrams (an auspicious symbol of transformation) supernaturally. The 8 triagrams were supposedly transformed into 64 hexagrams by the time another legendary ruler started ruling China between 2194 BCE–2149 BCE. The 64 hexagrams were recorded in the scripture Lian Shan. The traditional history goes on till 722 BCE - 481 BCE when the Great Chinese philosopher Confucius wrote the Shi Yi, which is a group of ideas on the I Ching.

What started in China many thousand years ago, has reached the doors of modern society. Like many other ancient traditional cosmic sciences I Ching has also been adopted in America and the Western world. Modern day practitioners have learnt the science and put it into practice to heal many problems faced by the modern society. The modernist history of I Ching has been evolving in the last 50 years. Researchers have tried to find out about this science from the research into the Shang and Zhou dynasty and the Zhou bronze inscriptions. When the Western world understood about the benefits of I Ching they started practicing in the same way as Tarot and other similar sciences are practiced. Jewelry based on I Ching has also been created and many designers are working with I Ching practitioners. The modern theory of I Ching has been developed since the discovery of the Han dynasty tombs in Hunan province of China. These findings have helped researchers to get a better view of I Ching.

I Ching is a modern science which has been in practice in the modern society. People have realized the benefits of this ancient Chinese science and have readily adopted it. If you are interested to know the benefits of I Ching you can also visit an I Ching practitioner and wear I Ching jewelry.

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David Weitzman is the author of this article on I Ching . Find more information relating to I Ching here.

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