Identifying Your Core Values with I Ching Insights

Core values are the fundamental beliefs and principles that guide our behavior, decisions, and overall sense of integrity. They act as an internal compass, helping us navigate life with purpose and authenticity. While we may have a general sense of what’s important to us, the I Ching, or Book of Changes, can be a powerful tool for bringing these often deeply held, sometimes subconscious, values into clearer focus. It is a system that insists upon self-knowledge and is particularly suited for thoughtful and reflective individuals. The I Ching’s symbolic language of hexagrams, judgments, and line statements acts as a “map” or “practical navigational guide,” and through the reflective process it engenders—akin to dream interpretation or free association in depth psychology—it helps us identify, understand, and consciously align with our core values. Engaging with its riddles clarifies one’s own “Truth,” and the “Meaning and Principle” tradition emphasizes its role in discerning guiding principles and advancing virtue. This journey of introspection, guided by one’s sincere “heart-mind” (Xin), allows for personal discernment in interpreting its wisdom.

Why Use the I Ching to Identify Core Values?

• Bypassing Surface-Level Thinking: Our stated values might sometimes differ from the deeper principles that truly drive us. The I Ching’s symbolic nature can help access these more profound layers of self, revealing what genuinely motivates and guides us beneath conscious awareness.
• Revealing Values Through Action and Dilemma: The I Ching often presents situations (through hexagrams) that involve choices, challenges, or ethical considerations. Reflecting on how you intuitively respond to the counsel given for these situations can highlight the values you prioritize.
• Observing Patterns: Repeatedly receiving hexagrams that emphasize certain virtues (e.g., perseverance, sincerity, modesty, creativity) in response to various life questions can indicate that these are, or need to become, core values for you.
• Connecting Personal Values to Universal Principles: The I Ching is rooted in an understanding of cosmic order and natural law. It can help frame your personal values within a larger context of universal principles, giving them greater depth and stability.

How Hexagrams Can Illuminate Your Core Values:

When you consult the I Ching with the intention of understanding your core values, consider the following aspects of the reading:

• The Hexagram’s Name and Core Meaning: The very name and fundamental essence of a hexagram can point directly to a value.
  • Example: Receiving Hexagram 15, 謙 (Qiān) - Modesty, might indicate that humility, a lack of arrogance, and a willingness to learn are core values for you, or values you are being called to cultivate.
  • Example: Hexagram 61, 中孚 (Zhōng Fú) - Inner Truth, strongly suggests that sincerity, authenticity, and integrity are deeply held principles.
• The Judgment and Image: These texts often provide direct counsel related to virtuous conduct.
  • Example: The Image for Hexagram 1, 乾 (Qián) - The Creative, states: “Heaven’s movement is powerful. Thus the superior person makes himself strong and untiring.” This points to values like perseverance, self-reliance, and continuous effort.
• The Qualities of the Trigrams: The attributes of the two trigrams forming the hexagram can also suggest values.
  • Example: A hexagram containing 震 (Zhèn) - Thunder (Arousing), might point to valuing initiative, movement, or the courage to stir things from stagnation. A hexagram with 艮 (Gèn) - Mountain (Keeping Still), might indicate valuing stability, contemplation, or inner quietude.
• Changing Lines: Specific advice in changing lines can highlight a value being tested or called forth in a particular situation. If a line advises “perseverance furthers,” it underscores the value of steadfastness in that context. The first line of a hexagram, in some interpretations, often imparts moral or ethical instructions and can reveal one’s true purpose.

Self-Reflective Prompts for Value Identification:

When you receive a hexagram, use these prompts to explore its connection to your core values:

1. Direct Resonance:

   • “Does the primary quality of this hexagram (e.g., ‘Holding Together,’ ‘Joy,’ ‘Limitation,’ ‘Revolution’) represent something I deeply value or believe is essential for a well-lived life?”
   • “If I were to live by the central message of this hexagram, which of my values would I be honoring?”

2. Values in Action/Decision:

   • “The Judgment for this hexagram advises [specific action/attitude]. What underlying value would lead someone to act or be this way?”
   • “If I were in the situation depicted by this hexagram, what values would guide my choices to achieve the ‘good fortune’ or avoid the ‘misfortune’ mentioned?”

3. Values Highlighted by Line Texts:

   • “This changing line suggests [specific behavior/outcome]. What value does this reflect or challenge within me?”
   • “If this line describes a ‘superior person’s’ conduct, what value are they embodying?”

4. Contrasting Values:

   • “If this hexagram represents a challenging situation (e.g., ‘Conflict,’ ‘Stagnation’), what values might be lacking or compromised in such a state? What values would help transform it?”

An Example of Value Identification:

Suppose you are reflecting on what truly matters to you in your relationships and you receive Hexagram 32, 恆 (Héng) - Duration.

• Hexagram Name/Meaning: “Duration” itself points to values like steadfastness, commitment, consistency, loyalty, and endurance.
• Judgment: “Duration. Success. No blame. Perseverance furthers. It furthers one to have somewhere to go.”
  • Prompt: “How important is ‘lastingness’ or ‘endurance’ in my relationships? Do I value perseverance in connection, even through difficulties?”
• Image: “Thunder and wind: the image of Duration. Thus the superior person stands firm and does not change his direction.”
  • Prompt: “Does ‘standing firm’ in my commitments and ‘not changing my direction’ (loyalty, reliability) resonate as a core principle for me in how I relate to others?”
• Reflection: You might realize that while you appreciate spontaneity, a deeper value for you is the security and trust that comes from long-term, reliable connections. The I Ching has mirrored back the importance of constancy as a core value in your relational life.

The Ongoing Process of Aligning with Values:

Identifying your core values is not a one-time event but an ongoing process of self-discovery and refinement.

• Journaling: Keep a record of hexagrams that seem to speak to your values. Note your reflections and how these values play out in your life. Introspection through writing on the divinatory results is highlighted as a way to attain insight.
• Observing Congruence: Use the I Ching to reflect on times when you feel most authentic and fulfilled, or times when you feel conflicted or inauthentic. The hexagrams received can help you understand how aligned (or misaligned) your actions are with your core values.
• Values as a Guide: Once identified, consciously use these core values, illuminated by I Ching wisdom, to guide your choices and priorities in all areas of life.

The I Ching, by prompting deep introspection and highlighting universal principles of conduct, can be an exceptional ally in the journey to clearly identify your core values. This clarity, in turn, empowers you to live a more purposeful, authentic, and ethically grounded life.