The paradox that often occurs amongst I Ching students, is the little, and sometimes the total lack of trust placed into the oracle who give us the answers. Some think that answers come from the subconscious mind, others have mentioned theories like synchronicity, but generally the experts focus on studying the classical Chinese text.
And yet, by trusting the oracles we can verify the correctness of our interpretations. One of the causes of this problem is the judgment of the hexagram 4 which strictly prohibits (once again, in the original text) asking more than one question or else the oracle will not answer us. The second cause comes from the fact that we don't understand all the oracle's answers. Both linking together perfectly to build a great misunderstanding: if the oracle is misunderstood, it is because we have asked too many questions and the oracle does not want to answer us anymore.
It is a misunderstanding because the oracle has more subtle ways to set us back on the right track, when we make such a mistake. For example by indicating us that we don't listen with the line 6 of the hexagram 21 (or in other cases the 37,1). Without going into the text
details, many hexagrams (such as 19 and 8) and lines (such 45,1 and 20,2) are here to remind us that the oracle is not here to punish but to help.
The truth is that each oracle answer makes sense, even if it is not always obvious at the first look. When a reading is not understood, it is possible to ask another question under the condition that it is thoughtful. What must be avoided, is to ask the same question twice in a row. This will be discussed further on.
That is how, when I have decided to write my own version of the I Ching text, I have asked the oracle to validate every text that I wrote.
To conclude, I will say that the oracle is a spiritual guide, able to evaluate our progress. You can ask the oracle for various reasons but it is when you won't be able to find a solution that you will receive the best help.
