Introduction to the I Ching

As the oldest, greatest, and most enigmatic of the classical works, the I Ching has captured the intrigue, fascination, and imagination of countless generations. The I Ching as we know it today is a compilation of answers of inquiring minds, accumulated across millennia comprising observation, knowledge, and wisdom of the cosmos and humankind’s lived experiences.

In this Introduction to the I Ching, we will examine the work both for its philosophical and divinatory applications, what the oracle is (and what it is not), and explore the following topics:

• A brief history of the I Ching

• How and why the I Ching works

• Overview of the texts of the I Ching, including the main body (the oracle), and the accompanying Ten Wings

• A broad understanding of the 8 trigrams, an overview of the 64 hexagrams, and what they represent