rachelcat
***See post 6 below for the latest version!***
This is a spread to use with I Ching cards. I am calling it a study spread because, for each Primary hexagram drawn, all of the other hexagrams will always be the same. There are only 64 possible readings with this spread! In other words, the only random card is the first one. All the rest are derived from it. It is basically a study of many ways the hexagrams are related.
I have cobbled together the positions and meanings from Bradford’s online book (www.hermetica.info), Stephen Karcher’s Total I Ching, what Rodney has posted about I Ching Simplified by Michael Secter, and other books and research. The meanings for the Transitional hexagrams are straight from Karcher, and I don’t know exactly WHAT they mean, so feedback, on those positions especially, would be greatly appreciated.
I Ching Card Study Spread
----------------13
----7-----------12
5---1---2---4---11
----6---3-------10
-----------------9
-----------------8
1. Primary. Shuffle and draw your Primary hexagram. This is the main answer and the subject of the rest of the spread.
2. Nuclear. Lines 2, 3, 4, 3, 4, 5 of the Primary. The hidden possibility, subtle inner nature, heart, or core of the Primary. Also the family of the Primary. (There are only 16 nuclear hexagrams, so the ones that share a nuclear are a kind of family.)
3. Seed. Nuclear (2, 3, 4, 3, 4, 5) of the Nuclear. The deepest heart/core, as well as tribe, the Primary. (There are only 4 seed hexagrams, the heads of 4 tribes.)
4. Inverse. Turn the Primary upside-down. (Lines 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 of the Primary.) This is usually the hex numbered immediately before or after the Primary in the regular order. (8 hexagrams are their own inverse.) The Inverse represents normal, expected change, such as growth or obvious cause and effect, from the Primary.
5. Opposite. Change all lines of the Primary. The Opposite represents sudden, unexpected, seemingly random, even shocking change from the Primary.
6. Reverse. Switch the trigrams of the Primary. (Lines 4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3 of the Primary.) The Reverse represents a reversal or switch of the inner (lower trigram) and outer (upper trigram) attitudes of the Primary.
7. Evolutionary. Line 1 is the opposite of Primary line 6. All other lines move up one position (Primary lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 become Evolutionary lines 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.) The Evolutionary shows a possible long-range outcome of the Primary situation.
8. Line 1 Transitional. Change line 1 of the Primary. Line 1 Transitional exchanges information with the Primary (???).
9 – 12. Line 2 – 5 Transitionals. Change one line of the Primary to get each Transitional. These Transitionals are interconnected with (or relate the process to ???) the Primary.
13. Line 6 Transitional. Change line 6 of the Primary. The Line 6 Transitional is motivated by the Primary (???).
This is a spread to use with I Ching cards. I am calling it a study spread because, for each Primary hexagram drawn, all of the other hexagrams will always be the same. There are only 64 possible readings with this spread! In other words, the only random card is the first one. All the rest are derived from it. It is basically a study of many ways the hexagrams are related.
I have cobbled together the positions and meanings from Bradford’s online book (www.hermetica.info), Stephen Karcher’s Total I Ching, what Rodney has posted about I Ching Simplified by Michael Secter, and other books and research. The meanings for the Transitional hexagrams are straight from Karcher, and I don’t know exactly WHAT they mean, so feedback, on those positions especially, would be greatly appreciated.
I Ching Card Study Spread
----------------13
----7-----------12
5---1---2---4---11
----6---3-------10
-----------------9
-----------------8
1. Primary. Shuffle and draw your Primary hexagram. This is the main answer and the subject of the rest of the spread.
2. Nuclear. Lines 2, 3, 4, 3, 4, 5 of the Primary. The hidden possibility, subtle inner nature, heart, or core of the Primary. Also the family of the Primary. (There are only 16 nuclear hexagrams, so the ones that share a nuclear are a kind of family.)
3. Seed. Nuclear (2, 3, 4, 3, 4, 5) of the Nuclear. The deepest heart/core, as well as tribe, the Primary. (There are only 4 seed hexagrams, the heads of 4 tribes.)
4. Inverse. Turn the Primary upside-down. (Lines 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 of the Primary.) This is usually the hex numbered immediately before or after the Primary in the regular order. (8 hexagrams are their own inverse.) The Inverse represents normal, expected change, such as growth or obvious cause and effect, from the Primary.
5. Opposite. Change all lines of the Primary. The Opposite represents sudden, unexpected, seemingly random, even shocking change from the Primary.
6. Reverse. Switch the trigrams of the Primary. (Lines 4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3 of the Primary.) The Reverse represents a reversal or switch of the inner (lower trigram) and outer (upper trigram) attitudes of the Primary.
7. Evolutionary. Line 1 is the opposite of Primary line 6. All other lines move up one position (Primary lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 become Evolutionary lines 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.) The Evolutionary shows a possible long-range outcome of the Primary situation.
8. Line 1 Transitional. Change line 1 of the Primary. Line 1 Transitional exchanges information with the Primary (???).
9 – 12. Line 2 – 5 Transitionals. Change one line of the Primary to get each Transitional. These Transitionals are interconnected with (or relate the process to ???) the Primary.
13. Line 6 Transitional. Change line 6 of the Primary. The Line 6 Transitional is motivated by the Primary (???).