Okay, so today I decided to mess around with I Ching, specifically hexagram 36. You know, the one called “Darkening of the Light.” Sounds ominous, right? But I was curious.
First, I grabbed my three coins. I’ve got these old Chinese coins I use, but really, any coins will do. The important thing is to have a heads and a tails side. I assigned heads as 3 and tails as 2 – that’s just how I roll, there is no fixed rules, just keep it consistent.
The Coin Tosses
Then, the tossing began. Six times, I tossed the coins, and each time I jotted down the total value. Here’s what I ended up with:
- Toss 1: Heads, Heads, Tails (3 + 3 + 2 = 8)
- Toss 2: Tails, Tails, Tails (2 + 2 + 2 = 6)
- Toss 3: Heads, Tails, Tails (3 + 2 + 2 = 7)
- Toss 4: Heads, Heads, Tails (3 + 3 + 2 = 8)
- Toss 5: Tails, Tails, Heads (2 + 2 + 3 = 7)
- Toss 6: Heads, Tails, Tails (3 + 2 + 2 = 7)
Building the Hexagram
Next, I started drawing the lines. Remember, you build the hexagram from the bottom up. Even numbers get a broken line (yin), and odd numbers get a solid line (yang). And those 6s and 9s? Those are changing lines, meaning they’re about to flip to their opposite.
So, based on my tosses, here’s how the hexagram took shape:
- Line 1: 8, a broken line (yin)
- Line 2: 6, a broken line (yin) that would change to yang
- Line 3: 7, solid line(yang)
- Line 4: 8, a broken line (yin)
- Line 5: 7, a solid line (yang)
- Line 6: 7, a solid line (yang)
Putting it all together, I had the two trigrams that make up Hexagram 36: Li (Fire) over Kun (Earth). Fire buried beneath the earth. That imagery alone kind of explains the “Darkening of the Light” idea, It represents the situation of light being suppressed.
The Realization
For me, Hexagram 36 felt like a reminder to be cautious and to keep my inner light shining even when things feel, well, dark. It’s about perseverance and not letting external circumstances dim your spirit. The “changing” line on the second place felt. It reminds me of that I should keep my fire spirit and be positive.
Anyway, that was my little I Ching experiment for the day. It’s always interesting to see what comes up, and it definitely got me thinking!
