Yi Jing, Oracle of the Moon

Single trigram

  A single trigram tells about the potential of the context: the day or world around you, the subject of your question. Usually it is the situation, but in a wide sense, it can often be the 'time', the ambiance, the actors, your abilities.
  In China, history is rather written according to context that to a linear sequence of time. A history book with only dates and events is useless. It needs context: why was there a battle, a famine or a revolution. And the positive side which is so often missing: what dreams did people have in the 10th century, or how did they live their days.

  The single trigram shows the 'color'of a situation. Is this a bright Fire day, or is it a 'Water' day, one with risk and adventure, or is it a Mountain day on which you can accomplish solid results. And there are the three lines: on a Fire day, your initiative and subject are both yang, clear, good for ideas, but the outcome is yin: finding material and doing the work. On a Water-day, everything is the other way: initiative and subject work on results, the outcome is bright and visible.