Aino's Modus Operandi

Episode of reference: "Unholy Alliance"

History
Philosophy
When to consult the Book
How to use the Book
Hexagrams on the show

Without a doubt, the I Ching is an old book. Some reseachers trace its beginnings to the 12th century B.C. Nevertheless, it is thought that the book itself had existed long before that time. An ancient Chinese ruler Fu Hsi (or Fu Xi) is contributed to have created the eight basic trigrams on which the book's sixty-four hexagrams are based. A trigram is a block of three parallel straight lines, each line being either complete (unbroken) or broken. It is claimed that Fu Hsi came up with the trigrams after having observed lines on turtle or tortoise shells, which were used for divination at the time. A small hole was made into the turtle shell and by applying heat (perhaps a smouldering stick) into the hole, the shell was cracked. The lines that resulted from the cracks were read.

The eight basic trigrams were soon combined into the sixty-four hexagrams, pairing the trigrams in every possible combination. King Wen has traditionally been credited for having written brief descriptions or judgements of the hexagrams. Up until this time, approximately 1160 BC, the interpretation of the hexagrams had been left to individual diviners. Tan, King Wen's son, is acknowledged for having written down individual commentaries for each line of the hexagrams.

The Chinese tend to regard the entire system of life as being determined by two forces, yin and yang. These are opposites of one another, and together they create a dynamic tension that could be described as "change within an overall pattern". Each person can either flow with the sway of change and benefit from it, or go against flow and be crushed.

Another important underlying idea in the I Ching is that when one throws the coins, or positions them, one is in touch with, or resonating with, reality. A person is part of of a triad made up by Heaven, earth and human, and it is this triad that creates reality. The person is not a puppet on a string, but rather one of the puppeteers.

One needs to remember this change when consulting the I Ching. Many descriptions of the hexagrams and individual lines may seem odd and highly ambigous.

Three coins system

1. Shake three coins in your closed hands and drop them.
2. Count heads as three and tails as two, and add the value of all three coins. Three heads equals nine, two heads and a tail equal eight, and so on.
3. If the number is odd, draw an unbroken line. If it is even, draw a line that is broken in the middle. Write the numerical value of the line next to it.
4. Throw the coins again to get the second line of yout hexagram. Draw the second line above, not below, the first line. Mark the numerical value beside the line again.
5. Repeat this procedure until you have six stacked lines. Remember to proceed upward from the first line, not downward.
6. Now you have you hexagram. The bottom three lines are the lower trigram, and the top three lines are the upper trigram. Look up the hexagram from the book. In your Book of Changes there can be handy chart of all the hexagrams to make the idenitification and locating of your hexagram easy. The hexagram will always have a name and a numerical value attached to it. For instance, the first hexagram is called Ch'ien.
7. Read the general text for your hexagram. Beyond that, read only the sections for those lines which "changed" or "moved" in your hexagram, in other words the lines that have the numerical value of either six or nine.
8. Having read the hexagrams text and that for any changing/moving lines, now convert the changing/moving lines into their opposites. That is, a line that is broken in the middle becomes complete and an unbroken line is converted into broken. Look up the new hexagram, if your original hexagram did change.
9. The text of the second hexagram is read to further illuminate the instruction of the first one. Do not read the text for any lines, just read the opening paragraph.

Pa Ch'ien or the eight-coin method
Consult the graphic displayed on the right! The eight trigrams are set out in a circle in the order given by Fu Shi. Note that the Chinese always place south at the top.

1. Take eight coins that are the same, and mark one of the coins somehow, for instance with an inkspot or a wax crayon to differentiate it from the others.
2. Take the coins into your hands and turn them until they are mixed up.
3. Pick a coin from your hand and place it on the Ch'ien trigram, the south one, number 1. Take another coin and place it on the Tui trigram, southeast, number 2. Then, the third coin on the Li trigram, east, number 3. Continue placing the coins in the numbered order, until the marked coin is placed upon a trigram.
4. When the marked coin lands on a trigram, stop placing the coins because you have received the trigram which forms the bottom three lines of the hexagram that will answer your enquiry.
5. Then shuffle the coins again and proceed as you did in the last two points of the list. Let us say that for the first bottom trigram the marked coin was placed on the seventh trigram, Ken. The top trigram is Tui. The complete hexagram is number seventeen, Sui.
6. Now, remove two unmarked coins and shuffle the remaining six again. Place a coin beside a line in the hexagram, starting from the bottom and moving upwards. When the marked coin is placed beside a line, it is this line that will yield the specific answer to the inquiry. In our example, let's think that the coin landed beside the top line.
7. Finally, go to the hexagram and read the general section for the hexagram and for the marked line. For our example, the Book gives:

   The hexagram: Agreeing with. Great success. It is helpful to behave with propriety. There will be no mistakes.
   The line: The official changes. He is fortunate because of his wise behaviour. He is credited for going out through the gate to join his friends.

   Kind of confusing and bewildering, huh? The book does give more in way of interpretation for this hexagram and line, so we aren't left with just those ambigous notes.

Hexagrams on the show
In the following I've included the three hexagrams that appear in the show. One hexagram is used for three different instances. Unfortunately, the things that were said on the show about the hexagrams don't match with what I've found in my I Ching books.

On the show: Max Turner and purple knee bands.
What was said on the show: "His hair is cut off and his teeth taken. Oppression at the hands of the man with purple knee bands. It furthers one to make offerings and libations."
The hexagram: Number 30, Li, Fire, To Shine Brightly, To part.
The hexagram's text: "Cling to the power of higher truth" or "To part. It is useful to stand firm and behave well. This will bring success. Take care of the cows. There will be good fortune".
Some clarification: The trigram Li (Fire) appears twice in this hexagram. The hexagram stands for the human need of guidance and support in difficult situations. In these situations one should cling to proper principles, to what one knows to be good, true and correct. Doing so, one will meet with success.

On the show: George's question of whether the Braves will get into the series or not this year.
What was said on the show: "All are in accord. Remorse disappears.   A man strives onward in association with others whose backing encourages."
The hexagram: Number 46, Sheng, Pushing upward, Rising up.
The hexagram's text: "Activity grounded in truth brings progress and good fortune" or "Rising up. There will be great success. He tries to see the great man. He does not worry. Moving to the south will bring good fortune."
Some clarification: It is time when great progress can be made through effort of will. However, it is essential that one's all activity is characterised by humility, conscientiousness and adaptibility. One can ask for help from those who are in the position to give it. The time is ripe for progress if one puts forth an effort that is innocent, sincere and balanced.

On the show: George asks the I Ching if they'll find the killer.
What was said on the show: "Danger is at hand. It furthers one to desist.   A man wishes to make vigorous advance but circumstances present an obstacle."
The hexagram: Number 17, Sui, Following, According or Agreeing With.
The hexagram's text: "Do not argue with what is; simply follow the progress of truth" or "Agreeing with. Great success. It is helpful to behave with propriety. There will be no mistakes."
Some clarification: All obstinacy and selfishness have been abandoned in favour of virtue. Every day there are new developments and the old will be replaced by the new. There are serious problems that restrict you, but acting in accordance with others brings good luck. Everything will run properly as long as you behave properly.

On the show: Sam asks if Lechansky will turn against Deems.
What was said on the show: "One must go through the water. It goes over one's head. Misfortune. No blame. Applied to politics this means: if at times of uncertainty we give up alliance with those below us and keep up only the relationships we have with people of higher rank, an unbalanced situation is created. The unusual has reached its climax and to finish one's task, the water must rise over one's head."
The hexagram: Number 46, Sheng, Pushing upward, Rising up.
The hexagram's text: "Activity grounded in truth brings progress and good fortune" or "Rising up. There will be great success. He tries to see the great man. He does not worry. Moving to the south will bring good fortune."
Some clarification: It is time when great progress can be made through effort of will. However, it is essential that one's all activity is characterised by humility, conscientiousness and adaptibility. One can ask for help from those who are in the position to give it. The time is ripe for progress if one puts forth an effort that is innocent, sincere and balanced.

On the show: Sam asks how she will find Jack.
What was said on the show: "Six in the beginning means that one sits oppressed under a bare tree and strays into a gloomy valley. For three years, one sees nothing."
The hexagram: Number 46, Sheng, Pushing upward, Rising up.
The hexagram's text: "Activity grounded in truth brings progress and good fortune" or "Rising up. There will be great success. He tries to see the great man. He does not worry. Moving to the south will bring good fortune."
Some clarification: It is time when great progress can be made through effort of will. However, it is essential that one's all activity is characterised by humility, conscientiousness and adaptibility. One can ask for help from those who are in the position to give it. The time is ripe for progress if one puts forth an effort that is innocent, sincere and balanced.
Very cool trivia: I was able to track down the hexagram that has the answer to Sam's question. ;) It is hexagram number 47, K'un, To Surround and Wear Out. This is what I found as the text for the first line of K'un hexagram:

"He is sitting exhausted under the barren trees. He wanders into a dreary valley. Nothing happens for three years."