A Woman's I Ching

The Alchemical Woman A Handbook for Everyday Soulwork This book is a wonderful way to find guidance and answers when you feel stuck or lost. I was faced with a situation that came out of the blue - unexpected and turned my world completely upside down. For days I was worried and anxious and endlessly trying to figure out the best thing to do and the best place to go. I literally had to physically move from my home. One night after an exhausting day of packing and cleaning, I was heading for bed when I felt compelled to throw the I Ching to get an answer to my dilemma. I received a very strong and direct and clear answer through this book - the answer was to NOT DECIDE. I was released entirely from my anxiety and simply let it go, continuing everyday to work on the process of moving, even though I didn't know where I was going to go. Within a few days, I got a call from a friend that lead me to move in with a neighbor who was dying of cancer. It was a life changing experience both to move into the place of Trust that all would work out for me, and to experience being able to serve a woman who was taking her leave of life. Since I've had the book, I've used it many times to help me get clarity and peace of mind. I highly recommend it to anyone who relates to the Universal Truth that knows our deepest desires and the path we are on.

Anyone who is frustrated by the gender exclusivity or arcane symbolism of most I Ching translations would do well to check out Diane Stein's revisioning of the ancient Chinese divination tool. Though the format of the text is standard and familiar, Stein's interpretations of the hexagrams are sometimes radically different from those found in, for example, Wilhelm and Baynes, the translation she consulted during the writing of her manuscript. This I Ching is unabashedly woman-centered: the "Superior Man" has become the "Superior Woman"; the familial roles of father, mother, and first/second/third son and daughter have been replaced by Wisewoman, Priestess, Mother, Daughter, and Sister; the "masculine" principles operative in the universe have been disregarded in favor of the "feminine" principles underlying the feminist concept of matriarchy; some hexagrams have been renamed to better reflect their altered focus. Stein clearly envisions a specific audience; she states in the forward that although her I Ching could be used to great benefit by anyone, it "is designed and interpreted for women" in order to "affirm the needs of women for thought that respects and dis-covers what has been lost and taken from them" (p. 14). This text, then, is an active tool which gives the people who consult it a safe space in which to "try on" the roles of Wisewoman and Priestess, to view both day-to-day happenings and more serious concerns through a feminist and proactive lens, or to spend a few quiet moments pondering timeless philosophical themes. For those who wish to connect I Ching to other metaphysical studies, Stein offers several appendices which correlate individual hexagrams with the Chinese Months, Zodiac Signs, Sabbats, the Hopi Road of Life, the Wiccan Calendar, and the Tarot; those who are familiar with Motherpeace will find that Stein's I Ching, which is perfectly compatible with the Motherpeace philosophy, can only enhance one's work with these Tarot cards. In short, those who approach this book with sincerity and are willing to spend some time getting used to the surface differences from "classic" I Ching translations will be rewarded with timeless--and forward-thinking--nuggets of wisdom.