This video lecture course is an overview of the eight trigrams (八卦, Bā Guà). It is part of a companion course series leading up to the release of my third book, I Ching, The Oracle.

Ba Gua Correspondences Table

• Reference Download (PDF)
• Reference Download (DOCX)

Timestamps provided in the video description box (you’ll have to watch on the YouTube platform). Apologies, the editing and audio are a bit choppy. The timing of the slides and voiceover narration are off in a few places.

The downloadable graphics shared in this blog post are for anyone putting together their tabbed three-ring binder or organizer of reference material on Taoist mysticism.

For a recap of the video lecture, here’s the origins of the eight trigrams, credited to Fuxi, where the Four Faces correspond with observations of nature:

And the two arrangements of the trigrams:

Fuxi’s Early Heaven Ba Gua, whereby the sequential order of the trigrams (Heaven, Lake, Fire, Thunder, Wind, Water, Mountain, Earth) forms an S shape or infinity symbol, following the formation and flow of the Taijitu (the yin-yang symbol you see at the center of the arrangement).

Centuries later, King Wen’s Later Heaven Ba Gua rearranges the Early Heaven per the Lo Shu magic square, which tracks the movements of the Wu Xing planets (i.e., Mars corresponding with Fire in the 9 south position after the summer solstice; Venus in 7 west position during the autumn equinox; Mercury in the 1 north position at the cusp of the winter solstice; Jupiter in the 3 east position during the vernal equinox).

Note also how the Later Heaven (King Wen) arrangement corresponds with the directionality of the Four Guardians (azure dragon in the East, dark tortoise in the North, white tiger in the West, and red phoenix in the South).

Whereas in the Early Heaven (Fuxi), Fire corresponds to the East for the rising sun and Water, corresponding with darkness and the unknown, to the setting sun in the West.

The Early Heaven’s thesis is that the Tao is constant, cyclic Change. The Later Heaven’s thesis is that such Change follows certain laws, and if you know those laws, you can anticipate and even successfully navigate the flow of Change.

Here’s a fun comparison table on the Early Heaven and Later Heaven trigram arrangements:

Fuxi’s Early Heaven Arrangement 伏羲先天八卦	King Wen’s Later Heaven Arrangement 文王後天八卦
Primordial Sequence	Alchemical Sequence
Before Heaven: Cosmic origin; pre-creation	After Heaven: Post-creation; experiential world
Pre-celestial Yuan Qi (元氣, primordial Qi)	Post-celestial Hou Qi (後氣, acquired Qi)
Essence and substance (tǐ, 體)	Function and application (yòng, 用)
Stillness; calm (jìng, 靜)	Movement; energized (dòng, 動)
First principles (lǐ,理)	Temporal affairs and worldly events (shì,事)
Laws that govern Heaven	Laws that govern Earth (nature) and Humanity
A structure and order beyond space and time	A structure and order that governs space and time: cycles and seasons
Symmetry & balance 乾坤對峙	Dynamic rotation, flow of energies
Archetypal, metaphysical mapping	Practical divination & worldly application
Original principles behind Wu Xing 五行 correspondences	Practical deployment of Wu Xing 五行 in the cycles and seasons of Change
Prenatal Celestial Jing 先天之精	Postnatal Celestial Qi 後天之氣
伏羲八卦為體 “Fuxi’s trigrams are essence…	文王八卦為用 …King Wen’s trigrams are function.”
先天主靜 “Early Heaven governs stillness…	後天主動 …Later Heaven governs movement.”
先天者，道之理 “Early Heaven is the principle of Tao…	後天者，事之宜 …Later Heaven is the propriety of affairs.”
伏羲八卦，易之體也 Fuxi’s Early Heaven arrangement of the trigrams is a diagram of the cosmic order, revealing the formula for Creation. It represents the essence of the I Ching. This is the principle 太極、兩儀、四象、生八卦	文王八卦，易之用也 King Wen’s Later Heaven arrangement of the trigrams is for functional operations in alchemy and divination. It reveals the formula for manifestation and the application of the I Ching.

The Eight Trigrams

1. HEAVEN (Qian): The skies. Will, Genius, Purpose; Creativity, Inspiration, Artistry. The CREATOR harnesses genius from beyond. To inspire and to be inspired. Divine blessings. Create order from chaos. Clarity of mind and intention.
2. LAKE (Dui): The marshes and wetlands. Harvest, Multiply; The Womb; Exchange, Commerce. Joy and contentment. The GUARDIAN is one who protects, defends from danger, who nurtures prosperity, the one who preserves well-being, growth,
3. FIRE (Li): The blaze; light. Clarify, Enlighten, Attract; Intelligence, Expansion. The PATHFINDER is one in constant movement, seeking to arrive at the next milestone, pioneering toward new destinations.
4. THUNDER (Zhen): Shockwaves; electrical charge. Incite, Provoke; Show of Force; Clearing the Road. The AGITATOR is one who shakes the sleeping awake, who stirs that which is going stale or stagnant.
5. WIND (Xun): Movement of the air and gases. Gentle Influence; Fertility; Cultivation; Rhetoric. Wind carries seeds to be sown and fertilized; carries fire and water. Wind can temper, and wind can move others. The DEVELOPER is resourceful, and produces something better from that which already existed.
6. WATER (Kan): The hydrosphere; fluids of life. Catharsis; Reflection; Healing, Medicine; Depths; Darkness, Margins; the Arcane, and so this is the HEDGE DWELLER, one who subsists fluidly by the outer bounds and along thresholds. Water is the carrier force for medicine and healing. Water is also considered a dark force, the realm of the unknown and the occulted (think: depths of the ocean). Fear and treachery.
7. MOUNTAIN (Gen): The mound; peaks and steep elevation. Stabilize, Sustain; The Peak; Stillness; Self-Control, Endurance; Serenity, Knowledge. Mountain is the absence of motion; it is forbearance and silence. It is self-control and abstinence. Mountain is patient endurance. The SOLITAIRE is one who finds the answers from within.
8. EARTH (Kun): The field; soil. Receive, Enrich; Receiving; Reaping; Underworld. Earth is the receptive force of possession, to be conferred something. According to the Ten Wings, Earth is the Way of Heaven. The CHANNEL is one who embodies the power to direct forces in a focused way toward a particular goal or object. It is to tune in to bands of frequencies and transmissions.

Eight Immortals Overview

1. Han Xiangzi 韓湘子, artistic and musical prodigy
   1. Path to Immortality: Divine Blessing
   2. Ritual Tool: Flute; Instruments for Melodic Ritual Music
2. Zhong Li Quan 鍾離權, warrior general who trained to become an alchemist
   1. Path to Immortality: Alchemy
   2. Ritual Tool: Fan
3. Lu Dong Bin 呂洞賓, leader and elite scholar; member of the literati
   1. Path to Immortality: Sutra recitations
   2. Ritual Tool: Peach Wood Sword
4. Cao Guo Jiu 曹國舅, born into royalty; justice seeker; fights corruption
   1. Path to Immortality: Renunciation
   2. Ritual Tool: Yin and Yang Thunder Clappers
5. He Xian Gu 何仙姑, shamaness 女巫, Taoist priestess 道姑; patron of witches and priestesses
   1. Path to Immortality: Fairy spirit guide
   2. Ritual Tool: Lotus
6. Li Tie Guai 李鐵拐, physician, pharmacologist; patron of healers and hedge dwellers
   1. Path to Immortality: Solitary Practice
   2. Ritual Tool: Medicine Gourd
7. Zhang Guo Lao 張果老, alchemist, occultist, necromancer
   1. Path to Immortality: Mystical Potion
   2. Ritual Tool: Shamanic Fish Drum
8. Lan Cai He 藍采和, eternal youth; trickster, idealist, and dreamer
   1. Path to Immortality: True Lightness and Purity of Heart
   2. Ritual Tool: Plantae and Fungi; Basket of Flowers

Immortal 八仙	Time Period (Legendary)	Ritual Tool 法器	Trigram
Zhong Li Quan 鍾離權	Han, 202 BC – 220 AD	Palm Leaf Fan 芭蕉扇: Revives the dead, transforms stones into gold and silver	Lake
Li Tie Guai 李鐵拐	Han, 202 BC – 220 AD	Iron Rod 鐵拐 & Gourd 葫蘆: Resilience in spite of physical setbacks; elixirs and universal medicine; control over spirits; social justice and charity	Water
Zhang Guo Lao 張果老	Tang, 618 – 907 AD	Fish Drum 魚鼓 & Iron Rods: Often with a donkey; longevity, eccentricity, unorthodox solutions, ingenuity	Mountain
He Xian Gu 何仙姑	Tang, 618 – 907 AD	Lotus 蓮花: Heals and purifies; brings spiritual enlightenment; Buddhist moral cultivation	Wind
Han Xiangzi 韓湘子	Tang, 618 – 907 AD	Flute 笛子: Music revitalizes life, brings prosperity and abundance, calms and mediates peace	Heaven
Lu Dong Bin 呂洞賓	Tang, 618 – 907 AD	Demon-Expelling Sword 降魔劍: Warrior who fights against evil and ignorance; banishes demons; cuts through falsity; inner alchemy	Fire
Cao Guo Jiu 曹國舅	Song, 960 – 1279 AD	Jade Tablets or Imperial Castenets 玉板: Nobility, moral rectitude, elegance, spiritual refinement, law and order, justice	Thunder
Lan Cai He 藍采和	Five Dynasties, 907 – 960 AD	Flowers & Herbs, or Flower Basket 花籃: Joy, happiness, no worldly attachments; healing all ailments; tranquility of mind	Earth

This blog post with a downloadable pdf handout relates to the Eight Immortal Orders that the Spirit Keeper’s Tarot: Revelation decks are sorted into, but incidentally provides more information about the Eight Bodhisattvas.

More reference tables and diagrams for free download here:

Reference Tables & Diagrams