Tag Archives: Earch Chi

8 Trigrams & 64 Hexigrams became a discovery of something implicit in the cosmic order

YinYangThese 8 trigrams are the building blocks of 64 hexagrams that display every possible combination of these lines. It was the first of these sequences that led the 17th century father of calculus, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz to discover the functioning of the binary system. A Jesuit priest, who was based in China, showed the configuration to Leibniz, who investigated further and discovered that if the value of 0 were attributed to each solid line, and the value of 1 to each broken line, it would give the binary notation for the numbers 0 through to 63. The uncovering of the binary code allowed Leibniz to change the path of mathematics for all time.  The I Ching is therefore the earliest known example of binary notation, this being the smallest complete arithmetic number system as well as the language that enables computers to work.

 

Feng Shui – Lifescape Workshops

 Host an Introductory Workshop for your workspace, group or organization

Find out more on having a Home or Office Consult


Read more:

Renee Lindstrom, GCFP,
Feldenkrais® Practitioner since 2007, Value-Based Communication & Empathy Coach since 2004, Art of Placement  since 2000, Founder of Greater Victoria Peace & Intercultural Celebrations since 2010 & Greater Victoria Labyrinths since 2012, #yyj Peace Week Calendar Founder – 2014 & 2015

In Chinese divination philosophy, the tortoise is the foundation of  the cycle of creation – birth, life, death and rebirth

Photographer - Dianne Donnahue

Photographer – Dianne Donnahue

Legends share  that around 3000 BC, the Emperor Fu-hsi (Fu-xi) was meditating by the Yellow River, when a tortoise emerged from the water and the markings on its shell revealed to him the 8 trigrams of the I Ching.

I Ching (Yi Jing) – The Book of Changes – ancient divining system and oldest book in the world

In the Chinese Cardinal Directions symbology the tortoise protects ones back.  It can also symbolize a shield.  In Roman times warriors marching with shields up coming up from behind slowly is a reflection of a turtle’s shell!

8 Trigrams

These  8 trigrams became a more sophisticated system with 64 hexagrams.  In 1143 BC King Wen organised these hexagrams into a system and commentary  creating the structure of the I Ching that we know today.

Around 1000 BC yarrow stalks replaced  the tortoises and in 500 BC Confucius is said  to have added commentaries to the I Ching.

The I Ching  is considered to be a philosophical system based on higher mathematics. It utilises strong / solid lines that are considered to be yang, and yielding / broken lines that are considered to be yin. These lines are combined into groups of 3, which give us the trigrams that symbolically represent:

Upper line – Heaven

Middle line – Humanity

Lower line – Earth


Read more

Feng Shui – Lifescape Workshops

 Host an Introductory Workshop for your workplace, group or organization

Find out more on having a Home or Office Consult


Renee Lindstrom, GCFP,
Feldenkrais® Practitioner since 2007, Value-Based Communication & Empathy Coach since 2004, Art of Placement  since 2000, Founder of Greater Victoria Peace & Intercultural Celebrations since 2010 & Greater Victoria Labyrinths since 2012, #yyj Peace Week Calendar Founder – 2014 & 2015