INTRODUCTION
By Denny Sargent

(Exerpted from the Introduction of the Book
THE TAO OF BIRTHDAYS)

 Just as the world around us is made up of merging opposites such as day and night, cold and hot, wet and dry, so too do each of us have a dual nature that is constantly changing. Each human being is a unique combination of light and shadow, positive and negative, active and passive, and it is this special blend of characteristics that makes us who we are.
 This book will reveal and explain the characteristics, traits, talents and possibilities you have in life in the form of what is called a Natal Hexagram. You can also use Natal Hexagrams to discover the truth about a friend, coworker or loved one.
 The image above is a symbol of the universal duality which we can think of as the positive and negative poles of a magnet, or as light and shadow, coming and blending together. It is an ancient symbol from China, its origins lost in prehistory, but it is still as important today as it was in the past because it symbolizes each of us, our true natures.
 This symbol is the heart of Natal Hexagram readings. It shows that each of us is a never-repeated blend of the two universal energies. The shadow, negative or passive energy is called YIN, the light, positive or active energy is called YANG. Thus, this symbol is sometimes called the Yin/Yang and one of the most important things about this image is that Yin has a seed of Yang within it and Yang has a seed of Yin within it. This shows that the two are not separate and fighting, but are really two forms of one universal and cosmos-filling power. You can call it God or OM or Universal Mind, but the people who created this symbol call this Great Power TAO.
 In the Bible and other sacred books, it is said that "God created the Heavens and the Earth" and in Taoism (the ancient religion based on the Tao) this is essentially the same; Yang is often called "Heaven" and Yin is often called "Earth." It is from Heaven and Earth (Yang and Yin) that all things flow. The very simple line symbols for Yin and Yang you will encounter in the I Ching (and in this book) look like this:

  ___  ___                                  _______

     YIN                                      YANG

Thus Yin lines are always broken and Yang lines are always solid. According to the Taoists, the whole world and everything in it, living or not living, comes from the Universal Power (Tao) and each being or thing is created with different degrees of Yin/Yang. The more Yang a being or thing has, the more active, energetic, positive, intense and so on it will be. The more Yin a being or thing has, the more passive, shadowy, calm, deep and so on it will be. A lake has much more Yin than Yang, a fire more Yang than Yin, but each  contain some of it's opposite. Nothing is purely Yang and nothing is purely Yin because all come from the same source, the source of all things, the Tao. The Tao is beyond all conception or symbolism.
 Our understanding of Yin and Yang and how they flow together comes from observing Nature. As ancient Taoists developed this philosophy of Yin and Yang, they began to believe that every being or thing could be understood if one could discover exactly how much Yin and how much Yang it partook of. Centuries of this exploring produced the book called the I Ching or "the Book of Changes." It is called this because Yin and Yang are always changing and shifting. Lakes dry up and become deserts, mountains crumble into the ocean and become sand, all is ever changing. This is shown by the flowing/spinning motion of the Yin/Yang symbol.
 To understand the I Ching, we must expand upon the ideas we have covered so far concerning Yin and Yang. Taoists believed that, after Yin and Yang, there were eight basic natural forces, symbolized by things in nature that most clearly showed their basic Yin and Yang aspects. In other words, the ideas of Yin and Yang are abstract, they manifest in our physical reality in more concrete forms. These primal concrete forms are symbolized by trigrams (meaning "three lines"). Later we will explore all of these trigrams, but there are two from which all the others come that we need to look at now.
 What is the most Yang thing in the cosmos? Heaven.
Thus the trigram for Heaven ( called Chien in Chinese) is the one that is completely Yang, it looks like this:
    _______
    _______
    _______
    HEAVEN

The trigram that is the most Yin is the one for Earth (called Kun in Chinese) and it looks like this:

    ___  ___
    ___  ___
    ___  ___
    EARTH

All the rest of the eight trigrams are formed of varying degrees of Yin and Yang, some with more of one, some with more of the other, but it is from Heaven and Earth, the purest examples of Yang and Yin in reality,
that they all evolve.
 Now, the ancient Taoist believed that everything that existed could be symbolized by two primal forces (trigrams) put together, thus creating  six-lined figures called hexagrams. Each of these hexagrams is made up of open or Yin lines combined with closed or Yang lines. As mentioned, there are eight trigrams (the number of possible three-line Yin and Yang combinations) and there are sixty-four hexagrams, that is, sixty-four possible six-line combinations of Yin and Yang lines. These sixty four hexagrams form the basis of the I Ching. Your Natal Hexagram is one of these sixty-four figures.
 When the HEAVEN and the EARTH trigrams form a hexagram, it makes one of those sixty-four hexagrams and it looks like this:
    ___  ___
    ___  ___
    ___  ___
    _______
    _______
    _______
 

 This hexagram, like others, represents a most concrete being or thing. If we wish to symbolize anything or any situation or experience, we can do so with one of the sixty-four hexagrams, this is what the Taoists believe.
 You can also represent any person with the right hexagram, and thus brings us back to your Natal Hexagram.
 Just as everything in the cosmos can be symbolized and understood as a combination of Yin and Yang, so to can all people be understood by discovering the exact combination of Yin and Yang they embody. You are a unique individual, no one is quite like you. You embody traits, characteristics, feelings, talents, thoughts, weaknesses and so on that all come together to make you YOU. Every one of these traits and aspects of yourself can be seen as combinations of Yin and Yang.
 It is believed that each person, when they were born, embodies a very unique blend of Yin and Yang and that this can be discovered by matching them with their Natal Hexagram. Taoists believed that if everything in the cosmos could be understood and symbolized by a hexagram, this must also apply to people.
 What this book will show you is the way to find out what your Natal Hexagram is and from this you will discover what your exact and unique blend of Yin and Yang was at the moment of your birth. By looking at your Natal Hexagram reading it in this book, you will discover how to interpret this pattern of Yin/Yang into specific traits, tendencies and characteristics so you can better understand yourself  (or others) and so grow and evolve into a more balanced being. The forces of Yin and Yang are always seeking balance, and Taoists believe that our job in life is to do the same. We can better balance our true natures by first understanding what they are and then softening the hard aspects and promoting the positive points. We can help others grow by helping them do the same.

 Your Natal Hexagram, as it is interpreted in this book, will be like a mirror and show  you clear traits, characteristics and weaknesses to work with or work on. Unlike the I Ching, this is not a Fortune telling or divination book, but to better understand what your Natal Hexagram to buy the book
THE TAO OF BIRTHDAYS!

But if you want to find out
what your Natal Hexagram is NOW,
Click HERE!

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