A case for yarrow stalks

Both the yellow and red yarrow (milfoil) can be respectively found growing in the wild in the northern and southern hemispheres. Diviners can also buy the stalks using the net nowadays. I bought my existing bunch of fifty stalks for a token sum of 100 pence in London back in the mid 1970’s. They are long lasting if you take good care of them. After many years of casting them to consult the Yi, I find it appropriate to make a case for yarrow stalks.

“In ancient times the holy sages made the Book of Changes and invented the yarrow-stalk oracle in order to lend aid in a mysterious way to the light of the gods.” (Shuo Kua/Discussion of the Trigrams) [W/B]

In the Great Treatise (Ta Chuan), the process of consulting the yarrow-stalk oracle is brought into relation with cosmic processes, namely the two primal forces, three powers, four seasons, eight signs (trigrams), intercalary month (s), year and the ten thousand things. The significance of the yarrow is that it belongs to nature, considered sacred, spiritual and round consequently it represents Heaven while hexagrams made by holy sages are considered square to represent Earth. Casting yarrow stalks allows a skilled diviner to know phenomena in Heaven, thereafter its effects on Earth and on Man can be pondered from the lines, trigrams, hexagrams and the images. Furthermore the time taken for a cast (between fifteen to twenty minutes) and the manipulation of the stalks can make the unconscious in man to become active. It has been said that only individuals with a clear and tranquil mind, receptive to the cosmic influences hidden in the humble divining stalks are fitted to consult the oracle this way.

Hopefully my foregoing thoughts can influence or challenge readers to cast yarrow stalks instead of using coins, sticks, wands, marbles or computer programs for Yi divinations. The decision to do so is theirs and theirs alone. For me to remain blameless is the highest good!