The Visionary I Ching

We live in a time of accelerating change, a period when things are changing so rapidly that it feels chaotic. While change may indeed be more furious due to technological and cultural transformations, life is always in a state of flux. In fact, change has always been the only constant, the one thing that we can absolutely count on.

The key to success and relative happiness in a time of accelerating change is the art of change management. The central skill of adaptation -- making timely adjustments and taking advantage of change -- is better decision-making. Indeed, making good decisions is the executive skill in the life of everyone, whether it be on a personal, social or organizational level.

Fortunately, ancient Taoist sages long ago left us a powerful and profound change management tool in the form of their great classic: the I Ching, or “Book of Changes.” Perhaps the oldest book in the world, the I Ching is much more than a book; it is a psychologically sophisticated system that stimulates intuition in order to view how things evolve, to interpret changing conditions from a broader point of view, to help with timing and other visionary decisions going forward. The more I personally have used the I Ching for insights or advice during the past four decades, the stronger my feelings of reverence and gratitude for it have grown. The I Ching has helped me with almost every major decision in my adult life since the day I was introduced to this oracle-book as an undergraduate at the University of California in Berkeley.

In that carefree period of my life as a college student, the problems I was most concerned with involved the fascinating but confusing terrain of relationships. Despite a predilection for philosophy and a record as a top student, as a teenager my testosterone-fueled attraction to girls was stronger than my academic and spiritual interests. So, when a charming University of California co-ed offered to show me how to cast a “reading” -- using an ancient Chinese book that would give back wise counsel -- she already had my attention. Skeptical of her ‘oracle,’ but happy to spend some time with her, I played along.

She instructed me to write down a topic of concern or name of someone I was having dealings with. Without taking the process seriously at all, I scribbled down something. Then she had me toss three Chinese copper coins six times, and showed me how to construct a “hexagram” from the way the coins had landed. She looked up the response in her large book which, as it turns out, was the popular Wilhelm-Baynes translation of the I Ching. I was more interested in her, but I was curious to see what the oracle would come up with.

In that very first reading of my life, the I Ching ignored my query and instead reflected my smart-aleck energy with Hexagram #4, titled “Youthful Folly,” which describes an immature student who lacks respect for the teacher. This gave me pause. Almost chastised, I asked my new friend if I could try it again. My question was just as trivial, but this time I was testing the I Ching, just to see what would happen. Once again it ignored my meaningless query and replied “questioning the sincerity of the seeker.” Whoa…it was testing me right back!

In hindsight, I see that the I Ching was offering me a chance to learn what it is about. In the 40 years since I accepted that invitation, I have benefitted enormously from its help. In return, I have composed this modern, useable version of the I Ching to make it easier for others to share in the same benefits.

There have been several pivotal times in my life when I’ve used the I Ching to help me make what turned out to be life-changing decisions. On occasion, it helped me to renew a sense of direction, strengthen my sense of purpose or overcome a fit of self-doubt. Sometimes the time is right to steer ourselves onto a more inspiring and more authentic pathway, but we have trouble seeing, considering and grasping the opportunity. On a few rare occasions, I Ching readings prompted me to make a huge and risky decision -- such as my decision to leave a well-paid executive position to publish a multimedia version of the I Ching in 1989 -- which was a wild and crazy idea, even though it was based on long-held personal fascinations of mine. Whether I used a book version or, later, the I Ching software that I produced, I turned to the Book of Changes for guidance and a refreshed sense of direction, and continue to do so. At the same time, out of respect, I’m careful to neither misuse nor overuse it. My policy is to turn to the I Ching when I have a dilemma that logic can’t handle. No worries on that front…life provides an abundance of those -- in the areas of relationships, timing, negotiations, politics and many more!

In the early years of my personal I Ching use, I used the Wilhelm-Baynes version that my pretty friend had introduced to me, which has always been the best-selling translation and widely considered the most authoritative (to some extent because of Carl Jung’s forward to the book). As my desire to study the I Ching in depth grew, I acquired dozens of different versions. For many years I used, read and compared the text of several whenever I would consult the I Ching. I always included it in the set I would refer to, but over time I became increasingly aware of the Wilhelm version’s limitations. My forays into Chinese history supported the idea that the version Wilhelm translated, from the Chinese texts that he had access to, reflected some of the political biases of 19th century China (perhaps to shed favorable light on the rulers of the Qing Dynasty, who were in power during the 19^th century when he was translating with the help of a loyal Chinese subject). Working from ancient writings, the Wilhelm text -- required by social conditions at the time to reflect the cultural limitations of dynasties, Confucianism, etc. -- was marked by the Chinese versions of a patriarchal and militaristic slant. In addition, the English translation of Wilhelm’s German translation by Baynes carried over a slightly stiff Germanic and academic flavor.

Some 2600 years ago Confucius spent a good portion of his life studying and writing about the I Ching. His commentaries, which have hugely influenced the text, reflected his social philosophy, with an emphasis on doing one’s duty and knowing one’s place in a rigidly defined hierarchical society. Of course, I could use the classical translations and make allowances for antiquated cultural aspects, and this is what I myself -- and most of the other I Ching users I knew -- did for years. At the same time, even though I respected the time-honored traditional aspect of the I Ching greatly, I imagined how the language and imagery could better speak to modern users (especially including women). I could not relate to the sexism of “the superior man” or the meaning of common phrases like “the army marches to the southwest.” Having used the I Ching for over twenty years at the time, I had come to hope for a modern version that would be more accessible to, and satisfying for, psychologically sophisticated modern users like myself.

At the time in 1988 that the lightbulb idea of I Ching software was going off in my mind, I was employed as a VP of Marketing for a high-tech Macintosh software company. Although I was fascinated by the future potential of interactive multimedia software (especially once something like CD-Roms were invented a few years later), the technological aspects of my industry did not satisfy my creative desire. I was not an engineer and the job of marketing data communications systems had left my creative side high and dry. I was feeling a lack of personal mission or an inner sense of direction. I was at a crossroads. To make things worse, I had lost respect for my employer and saw little hope of the company’s abusive culture changing for the better. So, as I had done for twenty years when facing a confusing dilemma, I turned to the I Ching for counsel.

During one particularly tough week at work, things got so stressful that I actually brought my large Wilhelm-Baynes I Ching into the office so I could consult it, if and when I should feel a need for inner rebalancing. After using it a few times over the next couple of weeks, I noticed that along with practical, psychological advice on coping with and adapting to changes, my readings also seemed to be encouraging me to seek out greener pastures. I knew, however, that leaving my job would require a major leap of faith on my part. Portland, Oregon was a small market for software marketing positions in those days. Nevertheless, the I Ching was persistent. I was stuck, it indicated, and in need of a “breakthrough.”

Ironically, using the I Ching at work for the first time in my life gave rise to a new idea. I noted that I was getting a lot of benefit being able to refer to it on the front lines. It was helping me to adjust to chaotic circumstances on a daily basis and was improving my timing and responses. It was reminding me that there are times to assert oneself, times when it is best to do nothing and just let dark clouds pass, and times when it’s good to retreat (or run like hell)!

Finding private space in the office (like some closet) to toss three copper pennies was awkward, not to mention lugging around a large book. I thought of how convenient it would be to have an I Ching that I could access via my Macintosh. This idea also revived visions of multimedia software that I had carried for 15 years. I envisioned a software program that would use a mouse to replicate traditional I Ching casting methods, would perform the “busy work” of recording the lines and constructing a hexagram as well as look up the relevant text, keep a journal of past readings (in order to possibly study changes and their evolution over time) and, via a multimedia approach on the first mainstream graphical computer -- the Macintosh -- incorporate soothing sounds and beautiful art to support a feelling state of focused relaxation. Now, this was 1988. CD-ROMs had not been invented yet. The only option for loading multimedia art and sounds -- which take a lot of room -- was multiple floppy disks, a cumbersome installation project to say the least. Nevertheless, I looked around but could not find the I Ching or any divination software of any kind -- with or without multimedia features.

Naturally, I consulted the I Ching to inquire if I should try to produce I Ching software! (Note: Up to that point in my career I had no experience with the design or development side of software). In response to my query, which I had carefully meditated on, I got the hexagram “Enthusiasm,” changing into “Abundance.” Seeing that the oracle was encouraging me to go for it, I thought long and hard for the next couple of weeks, seeking advice from personal advisors at the same time. I considered the limitations of my financial resources, but I also became fascinated by the idea. In spite of a multitude of ‘reasonable’ reservations, I felt compelled to give it a try and see what came out of it. To this end, I ended up spending most of my life savings on a free-lance programmer and an artist to help me develop and produce a prototype (the rest I spent on early marketing).

This creative inspiration turned into a tiny startup business when I decided to set up a company, Visionary Software, to publish this intersection my two fascinations -- the I Ching and multimedia software. I was inspired by a vision of using technology to support spirituality by providing “ritual space” that could actually help a lot of people make better decisions -- driven by an intuition that was more open and awake with the help of an ancient oracle.

As this creative project got going, it was clear that a software version of the I Ching would need its own I Ching interpretive text -- text that I would have the legal rights to use. Writing such a book -- even a relatively short one like the interpretations of the I Ching’s 64 archetypes (or “hexagrams”) -- was going to be an extra load of work. But, here again, I perceived that the world needed a more modern, individualistic, non-sexist and nonmilitaristic version of the I Ching. At the same time, I wanted to make sure that my new text would be in alignment with the Wilhelm-Baynes version -- in terms of essential meanings. It would certainly use language that was non-Germanic and I wanted it to reflect the I Ching’s original Taoist spirit, which predated the strong Confucian influence by centuries. Such a text, it seemed to me, would be both energetically authentic and most suitable to the temperament of modern Westerners who might access the I Ching via personal computer (or, later, the Internet).

Considering my respect for the oracle, it was imperative that the program work in an authentic way -- both mathematically (which was the easy part) and energetically. For instance, I felt we should not use a “random number generator” program to automate the casting of the lines (even though that would be easiest to program). We had to figure out how to use a computer to cast the coins in way that ensured the process of casting would not interfere with the personal energetic connection that would be required to generate a truly meaningful coincidence for oneself (what Carl Jung called a “synchronicity”). In my view, the lines of the hexagram must be generated by the casting of the user, not by an automated computer routine.

The final product took a year to produce (and almost broke me financially), but I eventually was able to publish and package it on multiple floppy disks. I called this first product of mine Synchronicity. The result was not the world’s first divination software product, but one of the earliest multimedia programs of any kind. Our first product was to be the cornerstone for the more elaborate Oracle of Changes CD-ROM that came nine years later, the popular websites (I-Ching.com and Tarot.com) that followed, The I Ching text is now provided via our current non-profit site, Divination.com, this ebook and finally the best-selling Visionary I Ching Oracle Cards app. All of these presentations of the Visionary I Ching have attracted millions of visitors over a span of more than 27 years as of this writing.

The Visionary I Ching e-book and app provide a modern but faithful version of the ancient classic, with the addition of beautiful paintings by watercolor artist Joan Larimore. Furthermore, we have included fascinating historical and psychological information the I Ching and how I Ching divination works in Part II of this book, after the 64 hexagrams, for your possible interest.