Divination
Procedure for the Casting of a Hexagram
Both
the systems of I Ching and Liber Trigrammaton rely on the basic Trigrams to
develop their explanation of the cosmic order.
The Classic of Changes goes on to combine each of the 8 Trigrams with one
another to create the 64 Hexagrams.
Likewise, the 27 Trigrams revealed in Trigrammaton can be combined with
one another to form a total of 729 Hexagrams.
These Hexagrams denote all the numbers from 0 to 728, and they establish
the universe of discourse within which the Trigrammaton Qabalah is to be
developed. In order to create any
Trigram, and therefore any Hexagram, a method must be established which can
produce a Tao, Yang, or Yin line, either changing or static.
This
method of generating a particular Hexagram of Trigrammaton relies for its
inspiration on the yarrow-stalk method of I Ching. When this method of creating
a line is used, there are sixteen possible outcomes for each casting of a
line. These possible lines are
distributed in the ratio of:
7/16: static Yin 5/16: static Yang 3/16:moving
Yang 1/16: moving Yin
First of all it should be noted that
the number of possibilities is the number of different lines to the second
power: 4 x 4 = 16. Secondly, the four
numerators of these ratios are the set of the first four odd numbers: 1, 3, 5,
7. Thirdly, it is seen that by adding
the probabilities, the overall chance of a Yang line being chosen is 8/16, and
likewise for the Yin line. Fourth, a
disparity is introduced in the ratios between the static and the moving
lines. The static lines as a group are
three times more likely to appear than the moving lines, being a ratio of 12/16
for the static lines versus 4/16 for the moving lines.
The
method of divining a Base-3 Hexagram will utilize these four aspects of the
yarrow-stalk method:
One:
the number of probabilities will be the number of different lines (9), taken to
the second power (81).
Two:
the numerators of the nine probability ratios will be the first nine odd
numbers;
1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17.
Three:
equal probability (27/81) of casting, or becoming, a Tao, Yang, or Yin
line.
Four:
the greater likelihood of static lines versus moving lines (45/81 vs
36/81).
There are two additional parameters
necessary to isolate a single sequence.
Five:
the total number of changes created by the various lines will equal zero, (this
leaves 6 possible sequences).
Six: the 48th I Ching Hexagram, The Well, determines the probability of 9/81, (isolating one unique sequence).
|
FROM |
TO |
PROBABILITY |
CHANGE |
|
FROM |
TO |
PROBABILITY |
FROM |
TO |
PROBABILITY |
OVERALL PROBABILITY |
|
|
Tao |
Tao |
17
of 81 |
0 |
|
|
Tao |
Tao |
17
of 81 |
Tao |
Tao |
17
of 81 |
CAST OR BECOMING |
|
Yang |
Yang |
15
of 81 |
0 |
|
|
Tao |
Yin |
9 of 81 |
Yang |
Tao |
7 of 81 |
Probability of Tao: |
|
Yin |
Yin |
13
of 81 |
0 |
|
|
Tao |
Yang |
1 of 81 |
Yin |
Tao |
3 of 81 |
Total
is 27/81, or 1/3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yin |
Yang |
11
of 81 |
-1 |
|
|
Yang |
Yang |
15
of 81 |
Yang |
Yang |
15
of 81 |
CAST OR BECOMING |
|
Tao |
Yin |
9 of 81 |
2 |
|
|
Yang |
Tao |
7 of 81 |
Yin |
Yang |
11
of 81 |
Probability of Yang: |
|
Yang |
Tao |
7 of 81 |
-1 |
|
|
Yang |
Yin |
5 of 81 |
Tao |
Yang |
1 of 81 |
Total
is 27/81, or 1/3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yang |
Yin |
5 of 81 |
1 |
|
|
Yin |
Yin |
13
of 81 |
Yin |
Yin |
13
of 81 |
CAST OR BECOMING |
|
Yin |
Tao |
3 of 81 |
-2 |
|
|
Yin |
Yang |
11
of 81 |
Tao |
Yin |
9 of 81 |
Probability of Yin: |
|
Tao |
Yang |
1 of 81 |
1 |
|
|
Yin |
Tao |
3 of 81 |
Yang |
Yin |
5 of 81 |
Total
is 27/81, or 1/3 |
The total of the changes in the 81 lines is:
(-11) + (+18) + (-7) + (+5) + (-6) + (+1) = 0
There are only two ways to subdivide the
series of the first nine odd numbers such that each of the three subsets equals
27.
These sets are: (17, 9, 1); (15,
7, 5); (13, 11, 3); or (17, 7, 3); (15, 11, 1); (13,
9, 5).
The first group represents the probability
of the Cast lines of a Hexagram,
The second group represents the probability of
the Becoming lines.
This relationship is most easily displayed
on a magic square of nine cells.
Following the rule of magic squares, every
row, column, and diagonal adds to 27.
The columns are the Cast lines, and the rows
are the Becoming lines:
|
|
|
|
THE |
CAST |
LINES |
|
|
|
|
|
YANG |
TAO |
YIN |
|
|
|
THE |
TAO |
7 |
17 |
3 |
|
|
|
BECOMING |
YIN |
5 |
9 |
13 |
|
|
|
LINES |
YANG |
15 |
1 |
11 |
|
The magic square of nine cells bears a close resemblance to the Chinese ideograph of the word Ching, which is the name of the 48th Hexagram, the Well. This ideograph symbolizes the Chinese practice of laying out a village plan such that there are eight fields on the perimeter of a square, each held separately by the farmers, while the central field, the ninth, is the place for the Well, which all hold in common. Normally the Well is considered the repository of Yin, the power of Water. Since the value of 9 is found in the center of the magic square above, the probability of 9/81 is given to Tao changing into Yin. This shows that at the center of the Well of existence is the Tao. The Tao mutates into Yin, and therefore becomes the water in the Well.
The probability of 9/81 is
in the center of the series, and by using this hinge as the act of Tao
becoming Yin, the reverse, Yin becoming Tao, must have the
probability of 3/81. This plays a large
role in the next step, the integration of the 81 probabilities with the 81
lines revealed in Liber Trigrammaton.
The simplest way to choose one line among 81
different possibilities is to have a collection of 81 different objects and
choosing one from among them to indicate a particular line. The number 81 is easily accommodated by a
deck of Tarot cards, so long as there are three wild cards added to the 78
cards of the standard deck. These three
cards will represent the 3/81 probability of a Yin becoming Tao, and thus will
correlate with the three final Yin lines of the Book, the 26 Trigram. The other 78 lines of Liber XXVII can then
be matched with the 78 cards of the Tarot.
The Major, Minor, and Court cards are mapped onto the distribution of
the lines, while at the same time these lines can distribute the 81
probabilities for divination.
The Tarot cards are attributed to the
various lines of the Trigrams as follows:
The Trigrams of the Four
Elements receive the three Court Cards that represent the sub-elements of that
suit, except for the doubled Elements.
Thus the Fire Trigram has a line for Watery, Airy, and Earthy Fire, which
are Queen, Prince, and Princess of Wands.
The Prince is the only male, and is attributed to the male Yang line at
the bottom of the Trigram, while the females are attributed to the Tao lines. The reverse is true in the Water Trigram,
where the Princess takes the female Yin line, while the males take the Tao
lines. This balance and counter-balance
hold true for all four Elemental Trigrams.
The positive and negative
poles each get two Court Cards; both males on the positive pole, and both
females on the negative pole. These
poles are topped off by the Ace of Wands and the Ace of Cups.
The set of 12 Zodiac Trigrams contain 36
lines, and these are attributed to the 36 small cards, with the three cards of
each sign occupying the lines of the appropriate Trigram, in ascending
order. Thus the Aries Trigram takes the
2, 3, & 4 of Wands, and so on for the other signs.
For the Classic Trigrams, each Planetary Atu occupies a
Yang line of its appropriate Trigram.
The other two lines of the Trigram are occupied by the Zodiac cards that
are ruled by that planet. Thus Saturns Atu shares a Trigram with Capricorn and
Aquarius, etc. Since the Sun and Moon
rule only one sign apiece, the remaining lines of their Trigrams are given to
the Elemental cards of Fire, (Aeon), and Water, (Hanged Man).
Concurrent with placing the Atus on a line of Tao, Yin, or Yang, it
remains to be determined how these three kinds of lines will be broken down
into static or moving. The method
employed is to treat the Trigram sequence of Liber XXVII as three sets of nine,
and group the three kinds of lines accordingly.
Tao static line has
the probability of 17/81. These are the
17 Tao lines of the left column.
Tao changing to Yin
has a probability of 9/81. These are the
9 Tao lines that appear in the middle column.
Tao changing to Yang
has the probability of 1/81. This is
the sole Tao that appears in the right column.
Yang static has a
probability of 15/81. These are the 15
Yang lines in the left and middle columns.
Yang changing to Tao
has a probability of 7/81. These are
attributed to the 7 Planetary Trumps.
Yang changing to Yin
has a probability of 5/81. These are
attributed to the remaining 5 Yang lines.
Yin static has a
probability of 13/81. These are attributed
to the 13 Yin lines in the left and middle columns.
Yin changing to Yang
has a probability of 11/81. These are
given to all the Yin lines in the right column, (except for the Final Trigram).
Yin changing to Tao
has the probability of 3/81. These are
given to the three Yin lines of the 26 Trigram,
(these three Yin lines all collapse back into Tao, the
Stainless Abode, the Zero Trigram).
{The overall amount of the changes in the
lines balances out to zero, but if the line-values within the Trigrams are used
on the Trigram itself, then the 24 Trigram, for example, would become the 13
Trigram. To keep this balanced, the 13
Trigram is so arranged as to become the 24 Trigram. Overall, the 7 Planetary Trigrams, which total 130, become 7
other Trigrams, which total 93. This
provides a way to determine which of the Yang lines of these Trigrams are
becoming Tao, and which are becoming Yin.}
In the chart below is the allocation of the various types
of lines to the 78 Major and Minor Arcana.
The line to the left of the Tarot card name is the type of line cast;
Tao, Yang, or Yin. The box to the right indicates whether the cast line is
changing or not.
|
LINE TYPE |
TAROT KEY |
STATUS |
LINE TYPE |
TAROT KEY |
STATUS |
LINE TYPE |
TAROT KEY |
STATUS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ace Disks |
Static |
|
Ten of Swords |
becoming Yin |
|
Ten of Cups |
becoming Yang |
|
|
Ace Swords |
Static |
|
Nine of Swords |
Static |
|
Nine of Cups |
becoming Yang |
|
|
Fool |
Static |
|
Eight of Swords |
Static |
|
Eight of Cups |
becoming Yang |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Queen Wands |
Static |
|
Four of Cups |
becoming Yin |
|
Devil |
becoming Yin |
|
|
Princess Wands |
Static |
|
Three of Cups |
Static |
|
No-thing |
becoming Yin |
|
|
Prince Wands |
Static |
|
Two of Cups |
Static |
|
Universe |
becoming Tao |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
King Cups |
Static |
|
Seven of Wands |
Static |
|
Magus |
becoming Tao |
|
|
Prince Cups |
Static |
|
Six of Wands |
becoming Yin |
|
Hermit |
becoming Yin |
|
|
Princess Cups |
Static |
|
Five of Wands |
Static |
|
Lovers |
becoming Yang |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Queen Swords |
Static |
|
Ten of Disks |
Static |
|
Aeon |
becoming Yin |
|
|
King Swords |
Static |
|
Nine of Disks |
becoming Yin |
|
Lust |
becoming Yang |
|
|
Princess Swords |
Static |
|
Eight of Disks |
Static |
|
Sun |
becoming Tao |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
King Disks |
Static |
|
Four of Swords |
Static |
|
Moon |
becoming Yang |
|
|
Queen Disks |
Static |
|
Three of Swords |
becoming Yin |
|
Art |
becoming Yin |
|
|
Prince Disks |
Static |
|
Two of Swords |
Static |
|
Fortune |
becoming Tao |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ace Wands |
Static |
|
Seven of Cups |
Static |
|
Empress |
becoming Tao |
|
|
King Wands |
Static |
|
Six of Cups |
becoming Yin |
|