This stunning, recently created I Ching deck has the standard 64 cards in a new artistic interpretation of a classic.  Rendered entirely in black ink on white backgrounds, with red ink and gold metallic ink accents, the deck has a strikingly stark look to it.  The card system has been created to make it easier for the user to concentrate on the meditative part of I Ching readings, as opposed to the once-lengthy and complicated procedures using yarrow stalks and coins.

The way this system works is that you must focus your mind intensely on the question or situation at hand, shuffling the pack of cards while doing so, then you spread the entire deck out in a fan formation and intuitively select a card, then read the interpretation and meditate on it.  The little white booklet which comes with this pack, actually a substantial little book of some 115 pages, does not say whether you are supposed to lay the cards out face up or face down, and your intuition could work in either case, so perhaps it is best left up to the user's discretion.  However, the drawings on the cards are made so that you will have an instinctive reaction when looking at the image on the card, which is rendered in abstract so that you don't automatically "get" the meaning of the card from the artwork.   However, when meditating, you realize you were drawn to it on instinct, so it does work.

Once the first card is selected, that represents the current situation.  You draw one more for the future, then compare the two to see the lines that are not the same on both.  A note: the I Ching works on sort of a binary system, all 64 of the hexagrams are based on combinations of simpler trigrams, which are sets of three lines.  You compare the two cards with their six lines each, and see which lines are unique to the cards and not on both.  Then you read the meditation for each of these lines of change, the ones that are not common to both cards.  These give you a sense of direction to follow in solving the situation.

The little white book gives a short summary or general meaning for each card in the I Ching, then goes on to give a specific meaning for each of the six lines in the card, so that you can immediately see which lines of change and how they apply.  It takes a lot of getting used to, however, I would like to stress that this is the first I Ching deck I've ever seen that made me understand how it worked! so there is obviously something good here.  Aside from the fact that it's artistically enticing, it is also a system that the beginner can use easily.  And it is a system that the user can put to use immediately.  You don't need to take any courses to learn how to use it.

There are 64 cards altogether in the deck.  The cards are printed on a thin, flexible stock, making the deck easy and comfortable to handle.  It is standard sized, although since there are less cards the deck itself is thinner.  A slightly slippery coating on the cards when new breaks in fairly quickly.  The back design is a simple yet intricate red with black lines on it.

Overall, I'd have to say I recommend this I Ching deck highly for anyone interested in learning how to use the I Ching.  I don't know how appropriate it will be for the experienced user; it may prove simplistic.  However, it is excellent for the beginner.  Its artwork is good enough to be a worthwhile addition to any collection.  I highly recommend it.  In addition, oracle decks like this often work well in tandem with tarot decks, and so it may be something a tarotist might want to explore.  Though it is not a tarot itself, it has similar appeal.

Click here for pictures
 
or here to purchase this deck now!

or here to return

 Please use your browser's back button to return from pictures

Review Copyright 1999 by Gina M. Pace

I Ching Deck by Klaus Holitzka and Marlies Holitzka, 1994
Published by AGM AGMuller, Switzerland