The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines an omen as "an occurance or phenomenon believed to portend a future event". Some related words are "forerunner, harbinger, herald, precurser".
An simple example of an omen is the folk saying "Red sky at night, sailor's delight"; a portent of good weather to come. We tend to look for omens, or towards help from less-than-rational means when circumstances bring nothing rational and useful to hand. An example is wearing your lucky shirt to a sporting event-the last time you wore it, your team won, so why not? Or maybe you'll pick up a coin you spot while walking, for good luck.
There are simple ways to seek omens. One is to just close your eyes while standing in front of a window with a question in mind, then opening your eyes and seeing what your eyes are drawn to. Or walking in a bookstore randomly until you feel drawn to a book, picking it up, and only then reading the title and learning what it's about.
An omen is something that occurs naturally that becomes infused with significance. A bird, a bug, a tree, can become symbols with ties to one's life. The universe is delighted to share these discoveries with us. Everyone meets with omens from time to time.
The Yijing is an omen system; the lines, diagrams, and stories are formally paired omens of the sort that occur in natural life. The oracle is packed with images of trees, plants growing, thunder, streams, lakes, and all manner of things very naturally seen along a life's path. Instead of taking a walk to see what you may see, throwing the coins is an alternative that scatters unmistakable omens in front of you.
After considering your question and tossing the coins, you receive an encounter with omens. This leads to experiencing synchronicity and seeming coincidence in a deeply personal, meaningful way. A Yijing reading can be a key to new insight.
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