TEE TIME - i-CHING TEE

The path I’ve taken over the last few years have been a bit bumpy to say the least, sometimes the thinking required to deal with the problems has needed to be a bit avant-garde. Grit and determination mixed with patience and clarity is a hard mix to keep balanced. I stumbled upon a way to ask questions that some may say allows you to come at problems from a different angle and others may say taps into something ancient and from a higher energy. Either way sometimes problems need a new view.

I designed this t-shirt as a way to thank the I-Ching for the countless ways it has made me see a problem, practical and philosophical advice to overcome the obstacles in my way. In reality it is a ancient Chinese oracle full of accumulated wisdom that you yourself can consult.

The way I was shown is to use three coins, with heads and tails, any coins. You place the coins in your hand and think of the problem or question in your mind or say it out loud. You then throw the coins six times, each time you build part of the hexagram from the ground up. If the majority of the coins is ‘Heads' you place a straight line —- If the majority of the coins are ‘Tails’ you draw a broken line - -. If its all heads or all tails then those are ‘Changing Lines’ and should be marked as such (mark with an X or a Circle or anything). Each throw you make a line and every throw there after you place the new line above, either full or broken and marking those as changing as you go. Eventually you will have a set of six lines three on the bottom and three on top, known as a hexagram. This hexagram corresponds with a number that will then give you a way of viewing the situation or problem.

Sometimes I can go years without needing to look through a different lens at a situation, but when the time comes, you know. I find best practice to consult, look it up and take a walk with the wisdom you’ve received. I know this is definitely not for everyone, its a bit hippy for most, but I do believe if you have found something that works, it is definitely worth sharing. Back when I first found it the numbers would correspond to writings in a book called ‘The book of changes’ but nowadays I will just pump the number into Chat GPT tell it thats it’s I-Ching and what changing lines I’ve had and the corresponding card and wisdom appear, it will even try to interpret it for your situation, but I do find that this is best worked out yourself.

The Monk-Key tee that was inspired by my workings with the I-Ching is based around a buddhist monkey representing the ancient eastern wisdom. Beside the monkey is an I-Ching hexagram corresponding to the number 13 or  ‘Fellowship’, the meaning, people coming together in shared spirit, co-operation, community purpose, very much a tribe hexagram. Its the piece of wisdom from the ;Book of Changes’ that holds the core of Concrete Junglists at its heart. The Monkey represents the rule benders, the table turners, the problem solvers, those with the street smarts, humour and a question mark over authority. He/She is in a yoga pose meaning wisdom with the palm facing out meaning no fear, I come in peace, you are safe. All of these elements and thoughts tug at the ideals of Concrete Junglists. No designs of Concrete Junglists are throw away or can be seen as fast fashion, I love the thought of the tees getting better with age and eventually becoming a tea-towel or favourite rag.

So that’s the Monk-Key t-shirt. Below is a poster of the I-Ching how I understand how to do it and the chart of the numbers. You can either screenshot this to keep on your phone/computer or I have an A2 poster in the shop for a limited time that you can hang for reference.