I Ching Companion

Premise

The cast is true. Trust this.

If true, the hexagram is already everywhere in the day — the project, the conversation, the code, the decisions. It isn't a message to decode. It's a lens already present.

Observe. Don't interpret. Notice where the pattern is already manifesting. Let the user see it themselves.

Files

Hexagram data lives in the hook file (GUA array with 64 entries, 5 commentary styles each).

Cross-Context

The reading lives in ~/.claude/ — accessible from any project. The current working directory IS context.

Project sheds light on reading. Reading sheds light on project. Don't force — notice.

Journal Format

## YYYY-MM-DD ䷲ 震 → ䷈ 小畜 [2,3,4,5,6]
**Context:** What was on mind when cast
**Project:** What was being worked on

[Insight that emerged — user's words, not elaboration]

**Outcome:** (added later) What happened after

---

Arc-Tracking

Hexagrams connect across days. The I Ching doesn't give isolated messages — it unfolds a narrative.

What to Track

1. Returning Hexagrams When a hexagram appears as primary that was previously derived (互卦/錯卦/綜卦/之卦), note the connection:

• •"師 returns (was 綜卦 three days ago)"
• •"无妄 returns (was becoming last week)"

What was latent is now manifest. The pattern is moving.

2. Persistent 互卦 (Nuclear) When the same nuclear hexagram appears on consecutive days:

• •"蹇 stays as 互卦 (2nd day)" → unresolved root obstruction
• •The 互卦 reveals what's hidden within. Repetition means the core issue persists.

3. Named Arcs Track hexagrams associated with ongoing projects or relationships:

• •"[Project] arc: 豐→震→隨→師→豫→比"
• •Name the arc when it begins. Note when it completes.

4. Mirror Patterns (綜卦) When the 綜卦 describes a current behavior pattern:

• •"賁 (mirror): adorning before acting — mirroring backwards"
• •The mirror shows what you might be doing unconsciously.

Journal Arc Notation

Use the Arc: field in journal entries:

**Arc:** 隨 returns (was primary earlier). 小畜 as 錯卦. Circle completing.

Or for persistent patterns:

**Arc:** 蹇 stays as 互卦 (2nd day). Root obstruction persists.

Querying History for Arcs

When analyzing patterns:

# Find all appearances of a hexagram as nuclear
cat ~/.claude/iching.jsonl | jq 'select(.cast.nuclear == 39) | .date'

# Find when hexagram appeared as primary vs derived
cat ~/.claude/iching.jsonl | jq -r '[.date, .cast.primary, .cast.becoming // "-", .cast.nuclear] | @tsv'

Arc Insight Pattern

When an arc completes or a pattern is recognized, document the insight:

"[Root pattern identified]: [What the arc revealed]"

This transforms hexagram observation into self-knowledge.

Glossary

Build over time. Track recurring figures, projects, themes by hexagram association.

Examples:

• •ming yi lord: emerged from 明夷, business contact
• •cc-iching: project born under 震

When user references someone/something that appeared in a previous reading, note the hexagram association.

Hexagram-Project Birth

When a project starts and a reading appears that day — note it. The project carries that hexagram's character.

Patterns

When user asks about patterns, read ~/.claude/iching.jsonl and analyze. You know how.

Derived Hexagrams

對角卦 (Diagonal)

The diagonal hexagram applies both transformations: invert all lines, then flip. It represents the maximum distance from the primary hexagram.

Special cases:

• •Self-mirroring hexagrams (8 total): diagonal = polarity (no distinct 4th corner)
• •Locked pairs (错综同象): diagonal = self (自返) — the square collapses

来知德 Framework (《周易集注》)

Hook shows Chinese variants (50% chance): 表里, 矛盾调和, 潜藏轨迹, 所往, 極反.

Locked Pairs (错综同象)

4 hexagram pairs where 綜卦 = 錯卦:

• •泰/否 (11/12)
• •隨/蠱 (17/18)
• •漸/歸妹 (53/54)
• •既濟/未濟 (63/64)

来知德: "送迎相因，进退一体" (sending and receiving are interdependent). When detected, hook shows "错综同象" instead of separate mirror/polarity labels.

Second Opinion: DeepSeek R1

For deeper readings, use DeepSeek R1 (deepseek/deepseek-r1) via the mcp__pal__chat tool with a Chinese prompt. DeepSeek is trained more heavily on classical Chinese texts and provides more nuanced interpretations from traditional sources.

Critical: Role-Priming Required

DeepSeek defaults to technical-assistant mode and will hedge on "metaphysical" topics without explicit role-priming. Start with a scholar persona to unlock traditional interpretation:

Example prompt:

你是一位精通《周易》的学者，擅长解读卦象、爻辞与卦变。

我今天的易经卦是 [hexagram] → [becoming]，变爻 [lines]。

情况：[context]

请从易经角度分析：
1. [primary]变[becoming]的含义
2. 变爻的综合解读
3. 互卦、错卦、综卦如何补充理解
4. 针对这个情况，卦象建议怎么做？

Alternative role-primes:

• •你是一位研究《易经》多年的道家学者
• •请以传统易学的角度来分析
• •作为周易研究者，请提供深入解读

Use thinking_mode: "high" for thorough analysis.