. . . but what's that growing on the verandah? Papyrus! Here are fifty stalks each as long as my index finger! I was initially drawn to the I Ching from the mathematical/logical aspect and have always tried to exercise a certain Confucian pragmatism when it comes to fate and chance, but hey, it's always good to explore the things you mistrust and here was an opportunity to try out the ritual of the I-Ching and experience the poetry. Fifty stalks is way more involving (and ritualistic) than three coins! This morning my papyrus stalks told me that "nourishment of the small" would move, as long I didn't let the rim of the wheel disconnect from the hub, to the pigs and fishes of "inner truth". "Wise government and good craftsmen attend to quality" I am charmed! Things that the Oracle has told me . . . Nothing personal of course, but here's a few that hit home: "The power of the creative witholds action building up such a store it brims over." - "If we have direction we are not looking for one" - "To expect more than there is will loose the value of what we have, To savor this gives nourishment" - "We do not rely entirely upon providence, We do not rely entirely upon our plans. We take both, And if we do not see ourselves as separate, They become one." Each of which, of course, is clearly expressed in 1/8th of one of these paintings! Thoughts Regarding Fate/Chance
I have only consulted the oracle twice so far, and each time the advice given has seemed pertinent - even strengthening. Would it be any different selecting a page at random?
The ritual with the fifty stalks is quite involving and painstaking. There is much activity with the right hand and holding with the left. I very much like how the stalks are counted in groups of four, representing "completion" and these are no longer important - it is the remainder where the action is. Nigel Richmond says there is space for both conscious and unconscious participation in the ritual and this seems important. My conscious choice has always been for will rather than chance - but in practice I wonder? For me the interesting thing that this exploration has uncovered is that there is nothing subjective about the I Ching - it presents a system for analyzing movement, and then explores the consequences of this system according to it's own rules. The more I study the more I admire the logic, consistency and completion that this system has. | 
