Images in the heavens, patterns on the earth : the I ching / photographs by Janet Russek and David Scheinbaum ; with an essay by Jonathan Porter and commentaries by Janet Russek.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Russek, Janet.

Contributor:

Scheinbaum, David, 1951-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Yi jing.

Physical Description:

viii, 151 pages : illustrations ; 30 cm

Other Title:

I ching

Place of Publication:

Santa Fe : Museum of New Mexico Press, [2004]

Summary:

The ancient Chinese wisdom of the I Ching has served as a guide to human behavior for millennia, many centuries before Confucius, who probably brought the work into its present form. This most esteemed of classics, cryptic in nature, had its mysterious beginnings in observations of the natural world, its images in the heavens and patterns on the earth. These manifestations of nature were translated into concrete symbols that come to us in the trigrams and hexagrams representing images of things, actions, and qualities. Pondering the highly visual images imparted in the hexagrams of the I Ching, the seeker finds complex responses to questions or situations imbedded in the multiple layers of images that must be deciphered and applied to one's individual circumstances. Among the I Ching's remarkable qualities is its capacity to speak universally through lyrical allegories of the natural and human worlds. Photographers and collaborators Janet Russek and David Scheinbaum have long been students of the I Ching. As landscape photographers accustomed to the teachings of the natural world, the relationship between their work as visual artists and their personal experiences working with the I Ching naturally led them to create this visual companion to the hexagrams in hopes that it will open another door for those who consult the I Ching. The images in this book, taken between 1972 and 2003, provide a brief retrospective of their lives and work as they have faced monumental decisions that confronted them in the course of time. "The ancient Chinese wisdom," they write, "is uncanny in its ability to enlighten a situation, challenging us to question, expand our perspectives, consider the impact of our decision on those around us, and ponder our own lives in the past, present, and future. The I Ching is an oracle, but for us it has also served as a friend, confidant, and wise counselor."

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 148-149).

ISBN:

0890134278

OCLC:

53993075