In acupuncture school, the lessons on Yin and Yang usually stop at the eight trigrams, or Ba Gua. In order to understand the I Ching, it is essential to first understand the Ba Gua, and in the class at the end of July we will be looking closely at the trigrams before we explore the larger hexagrams. Each of the eight trigrams has its own characteristics that will change depending on different circumstances. Once the nature of each of the trigrams is better understood, there are applications for using them in treating the Extraordinary Vessels, taking the pulse, needle technique, Qi Gong, and other aspects of acupuncture practice. We will touch on some of the applications that are possible, and will discuss resources that are available for further study of specific uses of the Ba Gua in treatment.
The trigrams will also be of great use in remembering and defining the hexagrams. As I touched on in the last post, the names of the hexagrams contain information about the overall energy pattern represented and also the balance of Yin and Yang that are present. The names are there to help make the nature of the hexagram more understandable. The truth of the hexagrams, however, is in the symbol. These symbols can each be broken into two trigrams stacked on top of each other. The top is called the "Outer Gua," and it is "over" the bottom or "Inner Gua." When we describe the symbol of a hexagram, if, say, the trigram for Wind is on top and the trigram for Mountain is on the bottom, we say it is "Wind over Mountain." This is a much more useful way of remembering the hexagrams than by the name or number in the book.
There are actually four trigrams that are immediately present in any hexagram, with one or more of them possibly in transition. Going from seeing the two trigrams stacked on top of each other to the four trigrams present in the hexagram requires only a simple progression in conscious awareness. With this new awareness comes a deeper understanding of the movements of Yin and Yang and the ways in which they transform and interact in medicine and in life.
