Imagine a pond, originally serene without ripples. When a stone is tossed into the water, concentric ripples immediately emerge, extending until the entire pond is affected.
In this pond, every point cannot escape these ripples; none can remain unaffected. Isn't it true? Capturing a ripple allows us to forecast all the subsequent ripples.
If we intercept any "segment" of these "ripples" - their direction, speed, intensity - could we deduce where the next ripple will reach? Could we discern the ripple's previous position? By calculating, we can delineate all past and future ripples based on the current one. We can even retro-calculate back to where the stone was dropped, the epicenter of the event, including the time, size, weight, and impact on the water. While this involves complex computations, it's calculable, not a shot in the dark or an ephemeral event.
The predictive process of the I Ching aligns perfectly with this example. From birth to death, one undergoes a plethora of seemingly unrelated events, appearing random and arbitrary. However, if you maneuver a "time machine" to your life's end, looking back, you'll find your fate's trajectory is unique and interconnected.
The most common method in the I Ching for divination involves casting hexagrams. Tossing three coins six times allows for the derivation of a hexagram. The diviner then uses this hexagram to predict past and future events in the querent's life.
While the process and outcome of casting seem isolated and filled with randomness, akin to intercepting a wave in a ripple, your life's myriad events, both past and future, can be deduced from the current "wave." Just as described earlier, from this current wave segment, one can foresee these ripples. Therefore, based on your present casting, the I Ching naturally forecasts your past and future events.