Yarrow was traditionally used for casting oracles with the help of the I Ching, otherwise known as the Book of Changes. 50 stalks are used, one is put aside and the rest are counted and sorted six times, building up the hexagram. Yarrow has been connected with spirituality and receptivity for thousands of years in many traditions.
The yarrow stalks contained in these handmade oracle pouches grew wild in the Catskills of New York. They were harvested with respect and care not to deplete the environment, as a result I have a limited supply each year.
The pouches containing the stalks are handmade from material from thrift shops.
The yarrow stalks are about 5″ long. The pouches are 7″ long and 2″ wide.
I did an I Ching reading recently, and to my surprise I got Ch'ien (The Creative) in which all lines are solid. Solid lines are either numbered 7 (Young Yang) or 9 (Old Yang). (See how to count yarrow stalks). When I read the special section about what it means when all lines are nines--it made me t ...
The longest day of the year is actually one of my favorites if I am in the North or South hemispheres, as I know the days are gonna get longer and sunnier from here on out. It has been a recent thing for me to get involved in these cycles of nature, so I am still trying to figure it out. I have lear ...
Chinese philosophy holds that life force, or qi, comes from breath and food. I recently came across a very special book called The Feng Shui Cookbook: Creating Health and Harmony in Your Kitchen by Elizabeth Miles. Although this book is small and easy to overlook it is a very different breed th ...
With the global mind shift moving into high gear, more people are getting interested in other ways to slow down and live consciously. As a result we are regaining respect for many things we had dismissed because we did not understand them. Using yarrow stalks to read the I Ching is one of these thin ...
