The I Ching, known in Chinese as the Yijing and in English as the Book of Changes, is among the oldest written texts in human history. Its roots reach back to the Western Zhou period, roughly 1000 to 750 BCE, where it began as a divination manual before evolving into a foundational cosmological and philosophical text. It has been studied continuously for more than three thousand years, shaping Taoist and Confucian thought, influencing philosophers from Confucius to Carl Jung, and remaining as relevant now as when it was first consulted by kings.

There are moments in the treatment room when something shifts before I have done anything at all.

The patient settles onto the table. Their breathing changes. Whatever has been moving too fast in them begins, almost reluctantly, to slow.