Alright, let’s talk about something I’ve been tinkering with lately – mixing I Ching with Tarot cards. It sounds a bit out there maybe, but I got curious and decided to just jump in and see what happened.
How I Got Started
So, I’ve used Tarot cards on and off for years, you know, just for myself, pulling a card here and there. And I had this old I Ching book lying around, the one with the coins. I’d occasionally toss the coins but found the interpretations kinda dense sometimes. One day, I was looking at a Tarot spread I’d done, and it felt like it needed… something else. Another perspective. And I thought, hey, what about that I Ching book?
My first attempts were pretty basic. I didn’t have a specific “I Ching Tarot” deck or anything fancy. I just grabbed my regular Rider-Waite Tarot deck and my three old Chinese coins.
My Messy Process
Okay, so here’s roughly how I started doing it. It wasn’t super scientific, more like feeling my way through.
- First, I’d think about my question or the situation, same as always. Get centered, shuffle the Tarot cards.
- I’d pull maybe three Tarot cards, lay them out. Look at them, get a feel for the story they were telling.
- Then, while keeping the Tarot reading in mind, I’d grab my three coins. Shake ’em up, toss ’em six times to build the hexagram, you know the drill.
- I’d write down the lines, figure out the hexagram number, maybe the changing lines too if there were any.
- Then came the part where I tried to make sense of it all. I’d look up the hexagram meaning in my book.
The real trick was trying to see how the Tarot cards and the I Ching hexagram spoke to each other. Sometimes it felt like they were saying the exact same thing, just using different words. That was pretty cool when it happened.
What I Found Out
Honestly, sometimes it just made things more confusing! Like having two people talking at once. But other times, it was surprisingly helpful. The I Ching often gave a broader, more philosophical view, like the underlying energy of the situation. The Tarot cards felt more like the specific characters, feelings, and actions playing out on the surface.
For example, I might pull Tarot cards showing conflict and struggle (like the Five of Swords). Then the I Ching might give me Hexagram 6, “Conflict.” Okay, pretty direct match there. But the I Ching text might talk about the wisdom of not pushing the conflict, or seeking mediation. The Tarot showed the what, the I Ching added a layer of how to approach it wisely.
It wasn’t always that neat, though. Sometimes the connection was way less obvious, and I’d just sit there staring at the cards and the book, scratching my head. It forced me to think differently, try to find a bridge between the two systems.
Tweaking Things
After a while, I started trying it the other way around too. Sometimes I’d cast the I Ching first to get the main theme or advice, and then pull a Tarot card or two to clarify a specific aspect or maybe represent the ‘human element’ within that bigger picture. That felt a bit different, maybe more grounded sometimes.
I never got super rigid about it. No complex custom spreads combining the two. It was more about using one to shed light on the other when I felt stuck or wanted a deeper dive. It’s like having two different advisors; they might not always agree, but hearing both perspectives makes you think more.
So, Do I Still Do It?
Yeah, occasionally. It’s not my go-to every single time I touch my cards or think about the I Ching. It takes more time and mental energy. But when I feel a situation is particularly complex or I want that blend of immediate imagery (Tarot) and ancient wisdom (I Ching), I pull out both. It’s just another tool in the box, something I experimented with and found my own way to make it work, sometimes. It’s been an interesting little side project, that’s for sure.
