The I Ching, or Book of Changes, is an ancient Chinese classic which describes a system of cosmology and philosophy based on the idea of the dynamic balance of opposites. This philosophy is the base of all Chinese arts, medicine, and acupuncture, and its influences can be seen in T’ai Chi, Qigong, and Feng Shui. The I Ching has been used for over 5000 years for the purpose of making decisions and predicting the future. Since the 1960s, it has become a popular divination method in the Western world, used in the field of alternative medicine.

The I Ching system provides information, advice, and caution which can be understood only by those who know how to read it. It was first developed from a chance method to ask whether people’s intentions were in harmony with the Cosmos. The yes answer was represented by a positive line and the no answer by a broken line. It later developed into a three-lined system by using three coins, and gradually the trigrams were combined into the six-lined hexagram system used today, comprised of 64 hexagrams.

The I Ching’s answers are never yes or no, but rather comment on whether the questioner is in harmony with the Cosmos. The answer provided gives the questioner the information necessary to make a conscious decision. The I Ching encourages questioning of and reflection on the dynamic forces that govern individual actions, and helps the individual return to the self when disharmony results in inner and outer conflict.