Customer Reviews

The Philosophy of the I Ching

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This is another outstanding achievement along with Ms. Anthony's "A Guide to the I Ching". Carol K. Anthony's work can make a genuine claim to greatness and demonstrates astounding wisdom and insight. These two books provide a bridge between the Wilhelm\Baynes I Ching and the modern world. They also grant us an opportunity to reliably access the hidden world of the Sage. In fact they seem to speak with the the authority of the Sage itself. With these three books and a devoted attitude I believe the highest realisations could be experienced. What more do I need to say?

I have consulted this version for about one year and previously consulted the Wilhelm version for about 20 years. I have also looked at other versions and applied them for 35 years.

Carol Anthony's work allows the I Ching to more fully express its insight than any other version. The key to her interpretation is the understanding that the references are psychological constructs rather than physical events. The saying "no" to the ego and the collective mind is part of the process of attaining contact with the "sage" or "great man", our true selves.

Ms. Anthony's insight is like a thunderbolt and reaches to the true heart. I am gratfeul to her. Although I occasionally still consult Wilhelm, which she terms the "feudal" interpretation, her work has taken me to a new level of insight. I have recently had to deal with a difficult problem at work, and I feel that Ms. Anthony's interpretation helped me to achieve better balance in not giving in to the collective mind, and helping me to overcome self-destructive guilt, while at the same time showing me where my own ego might be leading to overreactions. These are truly brilliant insights. Although I am now less accomodating to others in some ways, I am fulfilling my destiny and doing what I really want as well, and learning to acknowledge the inner virtue in others that results in respect to them, even where they participate in the politically correct groupthink that characterizes the collective ego.

One could not recommend this book highly enough. It is meant to be a companion to Wilhelm's "I Ching" and sheds light on the obscure terms that sometimes get in the way for the right internalization of this wonderful book's teachings. It is also an inspiring guide on how to live well, grounded on lofty, yet sensible values. A book you'll turn to many times in your life.

I was pleasantly surprised when I started reading this book. Mrs. Anthony has clearly explained the meanings and meaningfulness of the I Ching -- not an easy task! This book should be required reading for anyone attempting to understand the I Ching and anyone on the the path to self-knowledge. This book goes hand-in-hand with Wilhelm's translation of the I Ching and with Carl Jung's works on the subject. There are a lot of mediocre writings on the I Ching but this one far out-classes anything I have read so far. I enthusiastically give it a five-star rating! I also recommend reading Natural Spirituality by Joyce Rockwood Hudson along with this book.

I have been reading the I Ching for some years and I very much appreciate this author's insight into all the rationale behind this sage and ancient piece of work.

A critic of one of Anthony's other books described her approach as New Age. To me, the pejorative use of that term suggests shallowness, superficiality, and a desire for easy, painless solutions to complex problems. That does not at all describe Anthony's approach.

Although it is true that Anthony uses modern psychological terminology in interpreting the I Ching, her interpretations always seem consistent with more traditional explanations of the various hexagrams. And if New Age thinking typically seeks easy answers, Anthony makes it clear that pursuing the path of the I Ching is a lifelong task involving many setbacks and "starting overs."

For Anthony, I Ching is nothing less than a tool for supplanting the dominance of the ego - with all of its foolishness - with the wiser leadership of our true self. What is our true self? It is the self we were born to be before the pressures of family and society - and our ego's defensive responses to those pressures, deviated us from our authentic path.

And it is somewhat misleading for me to describe the I Ching as a "tool", for Anthony clearly believes that what speaks through the I Ching is the voice of the Sage, an actual Person or Cosmic Force, who responds to our inquiries as a friend and advisor. This force cannot be manipulated by the machinations of the ego, but it is not vindictive. Just as it often urges us to be, it is patient.

And, for those new to the I Ching, I would like to emphasize that the I Ching does not so much "predict the future" as offer advice and direction on how to handle various situations. It never assumes that the outcome is predetermined, but always rests to some extent on our own free choices.

So I found this book to be both readable and wise, a friend itself, and a true help to anyone studying the I Ching for counsel in a troubling world.

I enjoyed the book very much though it seemed somewhat long-winded at times. The book is really suited for someone that wants to make the I Ching a full part of his/her life and not merely an occasional visitor or observer. The author certainly shows that she has made the I Ching a close advisor, friend and tutor of life.