no2DO = I Ching Oracle against Actionism

Or: what situation am I in?

Spielfeld

Instructions for the I  Ching Oracle

pause for a moment...

Before playing the I Ching oracle, you should just briefly pause and recall the problem or situation in question as precisely as possible. Visualize the whole case as vividly as possible and focus only on that what actually IS - and not on assumptions or possible solutions. The answer to every problem usually is already within the overall situation and the I Ching oracle just helps you to discover inter­connections that you previously might not have noted. (Sometimes it is helpful to do this part in writing.)

...then move the mouse pointer...

Then move the cursor inside the playing field outlined in gray. At some point just intuitively click our mouse - this determines the oracle's first line. Repeat this process five more times. Once the I Ching Oracle character is complete (all six lines have been determined) you can click on it and are automatically forwarded to its interpretation page.

...and in case you have any questions...

just ask. My contact details and a form for (anonymous) messages can be found by clicking Contact.

What is the meaning of...

no2DO?

no2Do is a further development of the English term 2DO (2DO-list, to-do list, pending items list or task list). The prefix no suggests that quite often the most useful strategy confronting a problem is to do just... nothing - entirely in the spirit of Wu Wei.

...and what is Wu Wei?

Wu Wei means something like "non-intervention" (a kind of no2DO). Contrary to passive, disestablished apathy Wu Wei describes hereby an attitude marked by creative passivity and attentive openness towards the environment. Only when we perceive a situation in all its complexity we can, out of a state of inner calm, act spontaneously and in accordance with the whole. Any action following this principle is done easily and effortlessly, without effort of volition - and is very different from the often completely sterile, intellectually influenced activism our culture rewards so much.

You can read an extensive article on Wu Wei here: Wu Wei. An Approximation

A western approximation...

the book of changes...

The classical interpretation of the oracle can be found in the I Ching, the Book of Changes. All interpretation pages are linked to respective sources.

hexagrams as situative descriptions

no2DO aims to make the ancient oracle game I Ching fruitful for our present time. Thus, on the individual hexagram pages, you will find a two-fold approach:

  • Firstly, we analyze the respective hexagram formally using the interpretation model (Section Dynamics of the Hexagram).
  • Subsequently, based on a Western-influenced theory of meaning, concrete suggestions for one's own individual situation emerge (Section Following the Way of the Dao).

What definitely unites ancient and contemporary approaches is the perspective that hexagrams are descriptions of situations, and that their internal dynamics reveal a natural path of development. In this sense, no2DO is nothing more than an updating transfer, an approximation from the West to the ancient Book of Changes.

My research on the no2DO project began in 2009 and has been steadily progressing since then. In the blog, you will find a detailed discussion of my approach, a comprehensive I Ching Course, as well as individual interpretations of specific hexagrams.

Enjoy!
Karin Ulrike Soika