Miami – Cristina Bertrand, LLC announces the publication of the I Ching: Images for Meditation cards. The set of 63 cards (chapters 1 and 2 are represented on the same card), plus three instructional cards, is designed for daily use. They feature an essential component –the image– from Spanish scholar Cristina Bertrand’s new book I Ching: Image, Concept and Action, to be published in early 2009 by Shanghai Literature & Art Publishing House in Mandarin and English version. The publisher will also offer the Mandarin version of the cards. 

Bertrand, who holds a doctorate in Philosophy and Letters from the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain, says the book was born from the challenge of making the profound concepts of the ancient I Ching (Yi Jing), accessible to the general reader. It is based on her doctoral dissertation: “El Sentido de la Naturaleza. Síntesis del pensamiento occidental y chino y su expresión en la pintura del paisaje” (The Meaning of Nature: Synthesis of Occidental and Chinese Thought and its Expression in Landscape Painting). 

I Ching: Image, Concept and Action is arranged according to the 64 images (hexagrams) and concepts of I Ching itself and offers a distilled essence of their meaning, along with the author’s poems and paintings based on those images and concepts. Each chapter begins with a paragraph related to the natural image (as depicted by the painting) and is followed by a paragraph explaining the concept behind the image. The paintings and poems facilitate the union of concept and image, deeply impressing the essential wisdom of the I Ching in the mind. 

Each card in the I Ching: Images for Meditation set represents the part of the book related to the image. The front has a reproduction of Dr. Bertrand’s I Ching paintings, and the back holds the chapter title, the hexagram, a paragraph about the image, and the poem. Designed for several uses, their primary goal is to familiarize readers with the wisdom and ethical contents of the I Ching and to introduce helpful and instructive practices for daily life. 

Uses for I Ching: Images for Meditation Cards 

The I Ching cards may be used for meditation and concentration. Persons who have lost themselves in contemplation of a beautiful landscape understand the power of the temporary abandonment of self. For a brief period, says Bertrand, we are immersed in a reality that is not of our own making, and we enter into another, more meditative, state. Images create powerful impressions on the mind, far stronger than words or abstract thinking. The cards also invite the user to participate in a deep exploration of the landscapes of the I Ching, entering into a contemplation of lake, sky, mountain peaks, or the heart of a storm. Daily use may help readers achieve a clarity of mind and calmness missing in the frenzied pace of today’s world.

Using the I Ching Images for Meditation cards as an aid in character building requires an understanding of each chapter’s meaning. The reader can undertake a deeper contemplation of the natural elements expressed in water, mountain, wind, or fire. The goal is to put into practice the positive qualities symbolized by the image, such as gentleness, strength, modesty, flexibility, courage or caution. Each card strengthens a different aspect of character. Continued use yields greater attentiveness to ethical behavior, building positive personal qualities that enrich the reader’s life as well as the lives of those around him. 

Images are Expressionist Landscapes

Paintings on the I Ching Images for Meditation cards are expressionistic landscapes that were painted after the author’s extensive analysis of each of the I Ching’s chapters and a search for natural landscapes to find those that best represented the chapters’ symbolism and meaning. Expressionism is the opposite of impressionism, which depicts the outside impression that the subject –in this case the landscape– leaves on the observer. The expressionist painter seeks to understand a subject in depth to reveal its innermost reality to those who view the painting.

 Colors are usually strong and powerful in expressionistic paintings. Colors are not seen as the reflection of light on an object, but are used to portray the internal “life” of that object trying to reach the surface. Similarly, the composition of elements in the painting does not follow the traditional rules; elements are arranged to produce a lasting impression in the viewer. It is hoped that the I Ching landscapes expressed in paintings will exert a profound effect on the viewer and a heightened desire to fully understand the wisdom and ethics in the I Ching. 

The cards are available at www.amazon.com

Further information on the book and the cards is available at info@cristinabertrand.com