A Deeper Look at the I Ching

Course Description

This course with Qi Zhang is a special opportunity to enter the often baffling world of the I Ching with an expert guide. Qi interprets the dynamics, symbols and myths of the I Ching with her deep knowledge of Jungian psychology. She also speaks from decades of life experience and family immersion in the life of the I Ching.

Qi opens this course by recapping the relationship between the 8 trigrams and the elements they represent.

In her introductory course to the I Ching, also available on the Jung Platform, Qi presented the elements of nature as energy units that interact with each other. The 64 hexagrams of the I Ching represent these 8 elements in all their possible couplings. Throwing the coins or yarrow stalks creates a hexagram that is an elemental mirror image of our life moment. The creative potential of Heaven, the receptive capacity of Earth, the properties of water, fire, thunder, mountain, lake and wind all reflect our inner states and outer postures in the world. Their combinations portray the many subtle shades and hues of social relationships, cosmic phases and inner moods.

In the following 7 classes Qi Zhang moves deeper into the mysteries of the I Ching’s wisdom. She discusses how balancing creative and receptive energies is related to what Jung called individuation. She explores how the Chinese images of the dragon and the mare correspond to Jung’s ideas about the anima and animus. She shares how fire and water can help us understand the interplay of head and heart. She discusses how the I Ching views time as cyclical rather than linear. Finally, she closes the course by offering another way the I Ching helps us tell our own story.

Get inside the I Ching with someone who’s found the door. Let it show you where you are and help you take your next step.

This course is ideal

• For anyone who wants to get closer to this fundamental sacred text of China.
• For newcomers to the I Ching or advanced students who want to approach it from a Chinese and Jungian perspective.

Course Overview

Class One: The elements and iChing

In this class, we will recap the 8 trigrams learned in the iChing introductory course. We’ll dive into the association between the elements and the I Ching trigrams. This will provide another spectrum to understand the energy exchange, expand our metaphorical library, and understand the function of the combined energy in play. 

Class Two: Feminine and Masculine in play (part 1) – the Dragon

The whole of individuation for any man or woman is generally about reshaping the balance of feminine and masculine energies in our daily lives. In Jungian terms, the mission of a woman is to develop the animus, and for a man, the anima. In this class, we will take a thorough dive into the myth of the Chinese dragon. We’ll look at its origin, symbolic meaning and its great relevance in Chinese culture. We’ll consider how it manifests the “potential” in any human being. 

Class Three: Feminine and Masculine in play (part 2) – the virtue of the Mare

Mother, the Great Mother, the earth, the mare…. Similar to the Dragon class, in this class we make another deep exploration into the feminine energy expressed in I Ching symbols. With vivid examples and broad associations to the myths and stories embedded in the long history of Chinese culture, this class will deepen our understanding of how to embrace and embody the virtue of the great Receptive energy. We’ll learn how relevant it is to bring the Creative force alive.  

Class Four: Feminine and Masculine in play (part 3) – the interplay

Now we come to the exploration of how the Creative and the Receptive may serve each other and may also combat each other. What are the results they bring? How to recognize these two energies in play and what can be useful interventions to influence the balance? The exploration of the dynamic relationship between the great feminine and masculine energies will lead to some profound realizations and understanding about the many changes that happen in our daily life and in the world. 

Class Five: The wisdom of water

In this class, we will dive into the wisdom the water hexagram Abysmal to unpack its full meanings and its relevance in our life. You will discover how you can benefit from the adversities in life, and tap into the inner compass and resourcefulness in testing times.

Class Six: The wisdom of fire

In this class, we will explore the meaning of fire, its immense power in facilitating personal and societal development, and the art of mastering fire to ensure a lasting light and brilliance. More importantly, we will delve into your relationship with knowledge and how deeply “knowing” the fire will enable you to create new relationships with “not-knowing.”

Class Seven: When fire and water come in play

In this class, we explore the wonderful myths, conflicts and harmony between our heads and hearts. We’ll look at the deeply hidden meanings in this interplay between the two forces, how they connect to the universal myth from various cultures, religions and become the essential seeds in our civilization. We´ll also make an interesting sidestep to expand into Chinese medicine.

Class Eight: I Ching and time: cyclic movement in nature

The I Ching has its own way of telling time. Differing from the mechanical clock time, the I Ching’s time telling is determined by its energy lines, following the sun’s eclipse cycle. It’s the most accurate and ancient way of understanding the universe and the signs and impact of the energy shifts which result in the way time progresses. Instead of understanding it as a linear progression, this class aims to expand our way of understanding time by understanding energy!

By the end of this course you will

• Describe the interplay of yin and yang, masculine and feminine energies and our role in balancing them.
• Apply the Chinese associations with the images of the dragon and the mare, fire and water.
• Recognize the compatibility of many Jungian concepts with the organic view of the I Ching.