The "chance" of the hexagram

Question

HelloI'm just curious about the part "and the 'chance' of the hexagram".It refers to the method of divination called I-Ching. You throw coins, build a hexagram (using lines) and try to figure out what its meaning is.The sentence says: The principle behind this method of divination is that you unconsciously throw the hexagram applicable to the issue, and the "chance" of the hexagram is exactly the one concerning your situation.Actually the phrase "throw the hexagram" is also strange to me. You throw the coins not the hexagram.

Avangi · Accepted Answer

NewguestActually the phrase "throw the hexagram" is also strange to me. You throw the coins not the hexagram.

Actually, it's identical to shooting craps.
You really throw the dice, but you say, "I threw/shot snake eyes." "I threw an eleven."

In bowling, "I bowled a 200."

You apply the action verb to the result.

Newguest · Answer

Hi

Thanks for these explanations.

Do you have any idea about: and the "chance" of the hexagram is exactly the one concerning your situation.

To me it means: and the coincidentally created hexagram applies exactly to your situation.

How do you understand it?

Avangi · Answer

I just wrote what I thought about it, but forgot I was on an edit.

"Chance" assumes mystical or supernatural properties. To the scientist, probability is mathmatical, but in the supernatural world there seem to be mysterious influences at play.
Your "situation" is controlled by chance and the path of the coins is controlled by chance. As the actor throwing the coins, you unconsciously link these two chances. - or something like that.
To me, it implies that your subconscious already knows the outcome of your "situation."
But of course your subconscious doesn't know how to read the hexagram, so there are other powers involved.

Newguest · Answer

Hi again.

Your explanations make it clearer, however I'm just curious if my interpretation was pretty much correct.

To me the word "chance" means "coincidence".

So I take that part of the sentence to mean something like: and the coincidentally (chance) created hexagram applies exactly to your situation.

Avangi · Answer

applies exactly to your situation. (You say it does. The author says how/why it does.)

I don't object to it, but you're throwing out the author's main point, regarding the identy of the two "chances":
(1) the chance/coincidence which controls the "situation" you wish to examine;
(2) the chance/coincidence which controls the path of the coins as they form the hexagram.

If you insist that these are coincidence in the scientific sense, you make it impossible for them to be identical.
If you take the position that the randomly constructed hexagram later takes control of your situation, then you destroy its possibility of being controlled by chance.

I assume that while you are throwing the hexagram, you're aware of its purpose of giving insight into the specific "situation" you wish to examine.

The sentence says: The principle behind this method of divination is that you unconsciously throw the hexagram applicable to the issue, and the "chance" of the hexagram is exactly the one concerning your situation.

"You unconsciously throw."

You are the link between the two "chances."

You can't have it both ways. If the two chances are identical, then either one controls the other, or they're both controlled by some mysterious third force. If something controls them, then they're not coincidental.

I don't think you should try to take the "co" out of "coincidental." It refers to the correspondence between two separate things.

The yellow sentence seems to define this phenomenon as a mysterious link between two chances.
You have to ask, "When is a coincidence not a coincidence?"

The "chance" of the hexagram

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