To give the book its full title – Tao of Chaos: DNA and the I Ching – Unlocking the Code of the Universe. The author is Dr Katya Walter, and this paperback version was printed in 1996. It is recommended reading if you want to understand the inner workings of I Ching.
First, a little background on the author. Katya Walter gained a PhD with a multidisciplinary emphasis at the University of Texas in Austin. It was after this, in 1985, whilst teaching there, that she tried I Ching for the first time, and then, discovered that it actually worked, and further, its accuracy – and this was her ‘Aha’ moment – that it might form a basis in the new science of patterned chaos. This led to five years of post-graduate research at the Jung Institute in Zurich, where Marie-Louise Franz first noticed the odd structural similarity between I Ching and the genetic codes. This was followed by a year of teaching at the Jinan University of Canton, where she concurrently researched ancient Chinese culture and literature, especially that relating to I Ching, and the Chinese way of life. Then, the author started to write about her discoveries.
Now for the book review itself (although the above is in the book), the author has a deep understanding of I Ching, and the writing style is easy to follow, as she relates her personal experiences, frustrations, thoughts, research, and findings. Although, in some places, deep concentration is required to completely follow the logic and simple mathematics (it is more of a visual and logical problem than mathematics) of the process that she is explaining for a complete understanding. This is especially true when comparing the I Ching Hexagrams with DNA, RNA, and the atomic map of DNA base pairs.
The author shows that DNA is a spiral of evolution, entrainment and change, both analogue and linear: the same plan appears in the 5000-year old I Ching. A description is given of how the DNA spiral of our linear-minded Western science (yes-no, win-lose, goal oriented, quantitative based) relates to the analogue (both-and, process, qualitative based) style and thinking of the ancient I Ching. The author demonstrates that the genetic code and I Ching function through the same chaos patterns, and that the physical DNA can be translated mathematically into the psychical system of I Ching. Quote:
Overall, the author is intrigued by consciousness and how it relates to a master code that generated the universe, and that life is an expression of chaos patterning with an emphasis on spiritual growth: this comes clearly through in the book.
What follows is the main chapter headings, and a summary of content for each, as given in the book. This will enable you to get a better, qualitative, feel for the book contents.
A full bibliography is given, for use in any follow up reading.
As well as showing the all-pervading nature of I Ching in life, nature (for example, the same structure exists in spider’s webs and sunflowers), the universe, and showing the role of complimentary chaos. The book offers many other things too. Reading the book will increase your knowledge and understanding of I Ching; how it relates to the patterns and relationships in your mind, from the DNA level, through the surface level, up to the upper level of the higher universe. Also, by following some of the consulting suggestions in the book, the experience of using I Ching in your life can be quite revealing, as well as being quite disconcerting and painful: that is, in revealing your ego’s dominant patterns over time (for me, this happened in just under a week!), and hence, the areas where work needs to be done on the ego self for you to evolve, to make any progress along the Way (for me, this was personally confirmed after doing the recommended consulting’s: patterns came up that were thought to have been resolved! However, ‘Help is on its way’! That is, by using I Ching – although, perhaps, help in progressing arrives in an unexpected manner!).
Once again, highly recommended reading for anyone interested in the working of I Ching.
First, a little background on the author. Katya Walter gained a PhD with a multidisciplinary emphasis at the University of Texas in Austin. It was after this, in 1985, whilst teaching there, that she tried I Ching for the first time, and then, discovered that it actually worked, and further, its accuracy – and this was her ‘Aha’ moment – that it might form a basis in the new science of patterned chaos. This led to five years of post-graduate research at the Jung Institute in Zurich, where Marie-Louise Franz first noticed the odd structural similarity between I Ching and the genetic codes. This was followed by a year of teaching at the Jinan University of Canton, where she concurrently researched ancient Chinese culture and literature, especially that relating to I Ching, and the Chinese way of life. Then, the author started to write about her discoveries.
Now for the book review itself (although the above is in the book), the author has a deep understanding of I Ching, and the writing style is easy to follow, as she relates her personal experiences, frustrations, thoughts, research, and findings. Although, in some places, deep concentration is required to completely follow the logic and simple mathematics (it is more of a visual and logical problem than mathematics) of the process that she is explaining for a complete understanding. This is especially true when comparing the I Ching Hexagrams with DNA, RNA, and the atomic map of DNA base pairs.
The author shows that DNA is a spiral of evolution, entrainment and change, both analogue and linear: the same plan appears in the 5000-year old I Ching. A description is given of how the DNA spiral of our linear-minded Western science (yes-no, win-lose, goal oriented, quantitative based) relates to the analogue (both-and, process, qualitative based) style and thinking of the ancient I Ching. The author demonstrates that the genetic code and I Ching function through the same chaos patterns, and that the physical DNA can be translated mathematically into the psychical system of I Ching. Quote:
Quote:
Overall, the author is intrigued by consciousness and how it relates to a master code that generated the universe, and that life is an expression of chaos patterning with an emphasis on spiritual growth: this comes clearly through in the book.
What follows is the main chapter headings, and a summary of content for each, as given in the book. This will enable you to get a better, qualitative, feel for the book contents.
A full bibliography is given, for use in any follow up reading.
As well as showing the all-pervading nature of I Ching in life, nature (for example, the same structure exists in spider’s webs and sunflowers), the universe, and showing the role of complimentary chaos. The book offers many other things too. Reading the book will increase your knowledge and understanding of I Ching; how it relates to the patterns and relationships in your mind, from the DNA level, through the surface level, up to the upper level of the higher universe. Also, by following some of the consulting suggestions in the book, the experience of using I Ching in your life can be quite revealing, as well as being quite disconcerting and painful: that is, in revealing your ego’s dominant patterns over time (for me, this happened in just under a week!), and hence, the areas where work needs to be done on the ego self for you to evolve, to make any progress along the Way (for me, this was personally confirmed after doing the recommended consulting’s: patterns came up that were thought to have been resolved! However, ‘Help is on its way’! That is, by using I Ching – although, perhaps, help in progressing arrives in an unexpected manner!).
Once again, highly recommended reading for anyone interested in the working of I Ching.
