Chapter 1. This book presents the cosmological background of the I Ching and its many concepts. It describes the Tao, the binary system of numbers that forms the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching, the Sage who speaks through it, the I Ching view of existence, and the hidden Cosmic order that underlies all apparent chaos. Thus rather than: 'In the beginning there was chaos,' one sees that 'In the beginning there was order.' Chapter 2 describes what in the I Ching is called the 'superior man' or 'noble Self' as the unconditioned true self; the 'inferior man' is seen as the socially constructed self-image, or ego. The 'superiors' or 'helpers' described by the I Ching are revealed as inherent character-traits, such as natural modesty, natural kindness, and the capacity for patience and perseverance. The 'inferiors' are discussed as aspects of the bodily self that speak, as when they say, 'I am hungry, I am tired.' Also discussed are the many references in the I Ching text to cultivating the true self and that imply self-development to be necessary if we are to learn how to harmonize ourselves with the way the Cosmos works.// Chapters 3 and 4 discuss the anonymous wise Sage who speaks through the I Ching, and the attitudes that are important on the part of the I Ching student if he is to gain the Sage's help.// Chapters 5, 6, and 7 describe the process of self-cultivation undertaken when we accept the Sage as our teacher. It describes how the Sage teaches us mostly in real-life learning situations, so that what is perceived in the head is transmitted to the heart as wisdom. It also describes many important I Ching principles, such as coming-to-meet-halfway, and working through the power of Inner Truth.// Chapters 8 and 9 describe the more technical aspects of the I Ching within the context of its historical development: the development of the lines, trigrams, and hexagrams. It also describes its traditional methods of use, but gives an entirely new method discovered by the author that enables the student to understand its messages very precisely.
Carol K. Anthony majored in creative writing at Ward Belmont College and the University of Iowa (1950), but did not find "her medium" until a friend brought her the I Ching in 1971, during a mid-life crisis. It was seven years later, when she realized that the notes she was keeping each time she experienced an "Aha," (to something the I Ching was trying to get her to understand) were something also of potential help for others. These notes would become her first book on that subject -- "A Guide to the I Ching." Ms. Anthony has been sharing her "Aha!s" ever since in one well-received book after another: four by herself until 1994, and three more in collaboration with Hanna Moog, a translator of all her books into German, and an expert publisher's editor on the I Ching for Eugen Diederichs Verlag.
Ms. Anthony states of her relationship with the I Ching, "It came to me at a time of personal crisis, and helped me in ways I could not have imagined. It showed me that times of crisis are also times of opportunity -- the opportunity to connect with the unique inner resources each of us possesses, but may have forgotten. They are the very resources we need to make our lives meaningful. The I Ching is a guide for this journey. It shows us that when we value and are true to ourselves and to our potentials, the whole Cosmos comes to our support. Today, more than ever, this 3000 year old book and its philosophy is needed
