I Ching and Bifurcation Theory
The yarrow stalk oracle is just one way to access
the I Ching. The usual procedure is:
- Pose a question.
- Perform the yarrow stalk (or some
similar) procedure.
This yields a
number between 1 and
4096 = 64^2,
written directly in the compact
notational scheme of the I Ching:
a pair of hexagrams,
ie, numbers 1..64 in binary
notation.
- Enter the I Ching using the two
hexagrams (if different)
as entry points.
Note: 4032 pairs are distinct, these are
changes, the other 64 cases yield
two equal numbers, nonchanges.
Thus the typical question posed to the oracle
is of the form: what change will result
from ....
This understanding ia the basis of our
comparison between the I Ching and
bifurcation theory.
Bifurcation theory provides an encyclopedia
of changes, which appear typically in
simulations of a natural system in hopes
of predicting its behavior in a "whatif"
scenario.