Stabilizing the Heart: I Ching as a Mood Management Tool

The I Ching is an ancient Chinese wisdom guide. It describes the (emotional) heart as a hollow vessel and emphasizes its need for protection and regulation. This presentation shares how consistent practice with the I Ching can help regulate emotions as mass media and larger cultural patterns mimic a "bipolar" oscillation between extremes of rage-fueled activity and the stagnation of despair.

Calming the heart and gaining the self-understanding to illuminate one’s path is the beginning of a journey toward responsible participation in community. The I Ching frequently describes difficult situations on personal and political levels and offers guidance on what the virtuous person does in such times, encouraging hope and the possibility for constructive action. (Please note these reflections are for education and not intended as clinical or medical advice.)

This course offers:

1. Introductory understanding of the I-Ching as a divination practice;

2. A series of I Ching images for mediation and reflection;

3. Recovered reverence for the empty space of the heart; and

4. An example of a path toward emotional recovery that might  be applied to one’s own life.

Video length: 1:07.

Presenter bio:

Hannah Custis is a teacher, writer, and independent scholar. Her research interests include the intersections of mythology, archetypal psychology, literature, and popular culture. Her academic background is mostly in English, and she teaches at a community college in Maryland. She has been facilitating myth-based storytelling and creative writing workshops since 2014 on topics such as grief experiences, monsters and "heroes," and navigating the inner and outer worlds of the writing process. She currently hosts the Mythical Writing Project YouTube channel and is working on a personal essay series that weaves together mythic themes and social commentary.

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