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date: 16-Jul-2020
Over on #IRC @tomasino circulated a link to his blog post and CGI script for the I Ching:
The I Ching is an ancient Chinese divination method to help with one's path through life. It may be consulted for spiritual or practical matters, and has a number of "hexagrams" which are symbols that are then discerned or interpreted.
There are a number of techniques to get the hexagrams, but there is an essential element of chance in getting the response. For example you might pose your question as if to an oracle, then throw some sticks, coins or open the I Ching book at random. Some practicioners treat seriously the role of chance and chaotic influence between the questioner and the I Ching response. Mumbo jumbo then, from our modern perspective?
Unexpectedly, a few years back, I spotted a copy of the I Ching book on the bookshelf of a good friend - and its existence initially struck me as out of character. He had become interested when younger but he said it wasn't essential to subscribe to any notion of esoteric causality between the questionner and the answer provided. Rather he had seen it a method that can be fruitful - all the work that is done is in the interpretation of the hexagrams and associated literature of the associated text and how you creatively apply it. The guidance for each hexagram within the I Ching sends you off down a series of possible lines of thought via some open ended questions. And so your own consideration of the applicability of the gnomic advice to your situation for him was where the interesting thoughts happened.
You are doing the creative work yourself, but with a nudge from the ancient sages. Yet at the same time there is a fundamental - and for some, delicious - indeterminacy at the heart of the whole process.
The composer John Cage used the I Ching as part of his compositional process to introduce an element of chance into his music composition, for example to determine the pitch and length of the next note. Cage remarked that other composers based their music on "intention", but rather he was more interested in "non-intention".
In using the I Ching in his composition, Cage realised that one of the possible options that could arise was *nothing*, that is to say one of the possible musical pieces that exists is the one where nothing happens. This concept was behind his most infamous piece "4 minutes and 33 seconds" where the performer approaches their instrument, prepares to play and then does nothing for the duration, packing up at the end.
Cage's piece is often treated as some kind of joke by popular culture, but it was a very serious composition by Cage in spite of his playful approach. When asked what was his favourite piece of all his compositions, he said "The silent one, because I hear it all the time!"
Inspired by @tomasino's I Ching gemini app I've created another "divination" app, this time based on the "Oblique Strategies" system by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt.
The "Oblique Strategies" system was devised as a set of mental strategies to be used to approach a problem from an oblique angle as a way to unblock creativity, particularly in a musical or artistic context. They started out as a deck of cards - and you choose one at random and it has a printed message on it that you apply to your problem or predicament. For example the card titled "Honour thy error as a hidden intention" might guide you to being more generally accepting of your mistakes, or perhaps to see a particular error in a positive light pointing towards an unforeseen, novel solution.
In a similar way to the I Ching, we can do useful creative work in coming at our own problems from a side angle and not head on.
Try the oblique strategies app via the links below - each hour a new strategy is suggested. So you have to come back to get further inspiration.
The general app selects a question for the hour, but if you go for a personal consultation, you will get a strategy chosen just for you and no-one else.
If you are lucky you might even get the "empty" card (what does it mean? good question - Cage proposed his own answer of sorts).
Oblique Strategies gemini app (personal consultation, requires client certificate)
Feel free to share any insights you gain from using it.
Further information about the approach can be found at: