Excellent research @erh.germany! @futuremind might also be interested in reading this!

I'm somewhat familiar with Taoist philosophy, having studied it in depth at some point in my past, but I also feel like I have only scratched the surface of that complex esoteric practice. Taoist themselves say that when you think you understand it, you don't.

There are different translations of the I Ching, and this is difficult business. Usually, the translations are filtered through the cultural lens of the translator. In the example that you gave, I can see some of this as they attempt to give meaning to the hexagram and regarding some of its elements as 'evil'. Ritsema and Karcher take a different approach. Instead of assuming or imposing meaning to the hexagram, they simply present the archetypal images as they appear in "the Chou-i-che-chung, Kang Hsi or Palace Edition of 1715." This is powerful because in this manner, the meaning of the hexagram is only revealed after the divination is carried out. The hexagram (Li- Radiance) that I used in the example has no meaning, it is neither "good" or "evil", it is inert. I just picked it randomly for demonstration, so it is neutral. If I were to ask a question and conduct the divination procedure, then suddenly the hexagram is active and interpretation can be attempted.

As I mentioned, there is much more that I could not discuss in the post because of the depth and breadth of the topic. I plan to go into more detail later when I actually carry out the procedure and report the results. But there are a few things that I can mention now as way to demonstrate the approach taken by Ritsema and Karcher.

After the divination procedure, you produce a hexagram. As you saw in the animation, this hexagram will be composed of old and young lines, also open (broken) or whole (solid). When an old line appears, it will turn into it's opposite. So in the random example I provided with the radiance hexagram, the lines 1, 3, and 5 (from the bottom up) will turn into their opposite. Old yang changes to young yin; and old yin changes to young yang. This produces another hexagram. So now you have two hexagrams as part of the answer. Yikes!

Once you have obtained the hexagram(s), then you can read the text and translate its meaning. The authors then break down the description of the hexagram into several topics: image of the situation, outer and inner aspects, counter indications, sequence, contrasted definitions, symbol tradition, image tradition, associated contexts, and transforming lines. The parts that you quoted in the example are the transforming lines, so the descriptions are missing all the other components around it, including the secondary hexagram.

Ritsema and Karcher's translation of the text is even more open to interpretation than the example that you gave. It is less definite. It's the difference between reading a message drawn by a plane in the sky and just looking at little fluffy clouds. The Ritsema and Karcher translation of the I Ching is more like a bunch of little fluffy clouds. They provide the original wording and then describe the different types of contexts/images/archetypes associated with each word. It is not as definite as the translation in your example. To demonstrate, the intial transforming line (Old Yang) is described as follows:

a) Treading, polishing therefore
Respecting it.
Without Fault.

b) Treading, polishing it respectfully.
Using castin-out fault indeed.

Below the translation, they describe the associated contexts of each translated word. They inspect every single word and provide the wider contexts and meaning. For example:

Treading- LU: step, path, track; footsteps; walk a path or way; course of the stars; act, practise; conduct; salary, means of subsistence. The ideogram: body and repeating steps, following a trail. Image of Hexagram 10 (Lu- Treading).

Polish, TS'O: file away imperfections, wash or plate with gold; confused, in disorder, mixed. The ideogram: metal and old, clearing away accumulated disorder.

Respectful, CHING: reverent, attentive; stand in awe of, honor, inner respect; contrasts with courtesy, KUNG, good manners. The ideogram: teacher's rod taming speech and attitude.

And so on. They provide the wider context of the translated text, not the precise interpretation of the lines. The interpretation of the line (and the overall meaning of the hexagram) occurs only after the divination procedure. This is just for one of the lines! There are several more pages of text associated with this particular hexagram. Then there is the secondary hexagram created when old lines transform into their opposite. Wow! A tour de force! I'm beginning to question my decision to embark on this path. I should've consulted the I Ching. lol!

As you can see, the attempt here is not at interpretation before the question has been asked but after. This is why I find other translations limited; they treat the I Ching like a tarot deck instead of a search engine. It is always good to consult those other translations, however, because even though the authors did a thorough job with this one, it is appropriate to look at alternate explanations.

Thank you so much for engaging in this thoughtful manner. You're right, divining is not very precise, which is why we don't see this technique in CEO boardrooms and scientist's laboratories, though I've heard that a few mavericks have made a fortune by consulting it.

Stay tuned for the next part as I continue this crazy journey.

Radiance- LI, fire and brightness radiate light and warmth, attached to their support; congregating people see and become aware. Radiance ends the yang hemicycle, consuming action in awareness. Connection to both inner and outer: light, heat, consciousness bring continual change, the Fiery Moment. Radiance spreads outward, congregating, becoming aware and changing.

Ritsema and Karcher, 1995