Book Review by Kartar Diamond

This self-published book came out in 2003. It was never promoted with any conventional book marketing. Students of Master Sang at the time got copies and I used to sell it on my website.  I have only 4 copies left as of the date of this article’s publication, but it appears to also be available on Amazon.

The words “Yi Jing” are often written as “I-Ching,” and this can be a fun and enlightening book for those already familiar with the Yi Jing. As a profound spiritual book, the Yi Jing can answer questions and provide guidance for those seeking insight into whatever may be of concern. God talks to you through this divination system.

Reading an appropriate passage from the Yi Jing can be determined a number of ways and one of the more popular methods is to toss three coins.  Heads or tails, you can build your “hexagram” of six lines. The lines are a combination of solid or broken lines and then you can look up which of the 64 hexagrams your coin toss makes.  It is understood that when you toss the coins, you concentrate and meditate, asking the Creator humbly to give you guidance.

Other ways to get your hexagram include doing calculations based on the timing of when you ask the question, combined with your birth data.  There are also other traditional methods, such as using Yarrow sticks. Divination methods are varied, like reading tea leaves or the markings on the back of a turtle.

For those familiar with the Yi Jing, you know that the answers can feel like they were written in code, mysterious, and worthy of contemplating like a Zen koan.

What distinguishes this modest book from other editions of the Yi Jing is that the sole focus of the answers are tailored to various types of love relationships.  There is a passage you refer to if you are not in a relationship, a different passage if the relationship is new and another passage if the relationship is long term, like a marriage. “Love” questions can also be applied to family members or platonic relationships.

Master Sang could have just as easily written a version of the Yi Jing for Financial Decisions or a Yi Jing series for other topics. But this was the only one he produced.  When Master Sang first came to the U.S. from Hong Kong, he landed speaking engagements, including at USC, as he was already recognized as an I-Ching scholar.

Sang’s creative adaptation has been insightful for me whenever I have used it and it might be handy to use in conjunction with a Tarot reading or another predictive art.

For students of Chinese metaphysics, Feng Shui and Nine Star Ki in particular, it is always helpful to study the Yi Jing. The trigrams, which are paired into hexagrams, have meaning and symbolism which reveal a broader understanding of the trigrams.

We can take Hexagram #31 as an example.  It is titled: Xian-Mutual Attraction. The hexagram contains the trigram Dui above and Gen below.  For a new relationship, the answer is “both of you are burning with passion and desire for each other. Your relationship is at the point that the two of you want to live together.”  When you ask a question of the Yi Jing, you phrase your question for a descriptive answer and not just a simple “yes” or “no”.   For example, you wouldn’t ask the Yi Jing, “Is this person my soul mate?”  But you might ask, “What should I do to draw this person closer to me?” You may be surprised with the answer, especially if the Yi Jing tells you to not pursue the person you are attracted to.

Interestingly, the trigrams Dui and Gen are also referred to as the flying stars 7 and 8 in Feng Shui. What is known about this energetic coding when it exists as an energy field in a person’s house, is that it implies “easy money” and things flowing with ease.

As trigrams, the 7 star represents the youngest daughter and the 8 star is the youngest son. The implication is that the young boy and girl play together, frolic and the sum is greater than their individual parts. As well, the Dui and Gen trigrams are sometimes characterized in talismans for attracting love.  In other words, there are extrapolations and deeper meanings which can be gleaned from Yi Jing analysis, applicable or similar in other disciplines.

Author: Kartar Diamond

Company: Feng Shui Solutions ®

From the Book Review Blog Series