Prognostication Woolgathering

In the summer of 1972, Springfield Creamery, owned by Chuck Kesey (brother of author, Ken) and his wife, almost lost the business due a competitor's heavy-handed tactics. The Grateful Dead came to the rescue with a concert. Bootlegs have emerged over the years, but this past Tuesday, the official DVD and CD were released.
 
In true "Musings & Doggerel" form, this blog does not concern itself with that.

Searching for a solution to their predicament, the Keseys turned to the Merry Pranksters who turned to the I Ching. This is considered one of the most ancient Chinese texts dating back several millennia. The I Ching does not foretell the future, but gauges the yin-yang of a situation to guide decisions.

During my mind-expanding past, I often referred to the Book of Changes. Tossing the three coins six times reveals hexagrams which refer to descriptions that you contemplate. I cannot say whether I received any true inspiration from the I Ching, but I did find the text thought provoking and heartening.

I also dabbled with the Tarot. Curiously, the card that emerged most frequently in my readings was the Fool. (Insert obvious joke/dig here)

Many would think these soothsaying shenanigans foolish. But the Fool is also a seeker of crazy wisdom, in Buddhist terms yeshe chölwa. This translates as "wisdom gone wild" - think Aristotle, Nietzsche, Schopenhauer and Foucault dressed in Hawaiian shirts drinking Jagerbombs with topless women in Cancun. 

During my first college sortie,  I studied metaphysics, epistemology, and ontology. That was followed by my "lost" period, but the search continued in the aforementioned unconventional areas.


Eventually the responsibilities and demands of the "real world" squelched my cerebral curiosity. I'm still not sure if that was maturity or cowardice. Regardless, it's now water washed under the bridge of time. 


Several years ago, I read an article in the Smithsonian. The author, a statistician, compared the success rate of modern prognosticators (weather and financial markets) to ancient prophecies like the Oracle of Delphi. Their track records were virtually identical. 


Perhaps my augury experimentation was not in vain. With that in mind, this morning I read dove entrails and the signs portend an auspicious outcome. As ever - BB


"Try another approach." - the I Ching