Dear ,

Synergy. Cooperation. Sharing. Growth. These are a few of the values I’ve always held close in my Yixue 易學 work, training, and study. Much of what I do happens in solitude: quietly sitting with my nose in books, writing, translating, and researching a wide range of topics that I find meaningful and worth exploring.

To some extent, that’s exactly how I like it. There are endless rabbit holes to fall into when you investigate a Chinese character, unpack a principle from Wenwang Gua 文王卦, or sit with an enigmatic line from the Zhouyi 周易. But sooner or later, research wants to become something more than research. At a certain point, you want to bring insights out of their sources and beyond the theory that gave birth to them. Sharing discoveries with like-minded spirits is far more rewarding than keeping them to yourself — and, in my experience, whatever I study needs to be used, expanded, and tested by people who recognize its practical value.

In Johannes Bloemsma I’ve found exactly that kindred spirit.

Johannes Bloemsma & Nourishing Destiny Academy

I’ve known Johannes for many years. His genuine interest in the Yi, combined with his evolving Nourishing Destiny Model for deep insight into personal and business processes, has brought us together as close friends, companions, and fellow teachers in Yixue. Like me, Johannes aims to go back to the source — but where my focus is often on facts, texts, and theory, his strength is practice and application.

I might translate a difficult passage from the classical Wenwang Gua sources and still not immediately see how it should be applied (and to be honest: I’m fine with that). But these texts do have practical value. They deserve to be tested, verified, and turned into something solid and usable. That’s where Johannes excels — and it’s what makes our collaboration so rewarding: I can contribute the theory and annotated translations, and Johannes can bring them to life in practice.

1 + 1 = ♾️

When theory and practice meet in a real synergy between two kindred spirits, the possibilities become endless. If you’ve ever felt that Yi and Wenwang Gua can be profound yet hard to apply, this collaboration is for you. My work brings you the roots and the rigor; Johannes brings the testing ground and the lived practice — so what you learn becomes something you can confidently use.

Recently, Johannes launched the Nourishing Destiny Academy. For me, it’s the platform I’ve been waiting for for many years: a home for courses taught by Johannes, by me, and by other teachers — each bringing their own knowledge and lived experience. From now on, my future courses will be hosted at the Nourishing Destiny Academy, and with Johannes’ support I’ll be expanding my current range of workshops, both online and in person.

Two courses are already scheduled: The Power of the Hexagrams and Wenwang Gua.

THE POWER OF THE HEXAGRAMS

(Click on the picture to hear the text in a video)

The Yijing, the Chinese Book of Changes, is a book of divination that is used by thousands of people all over the world. For more than twenty-five hundred years it is offering advice to those who have doubts and struggle with uncertainties in their lives. But many users of the book find it difficult to interpret the answers that the book gives them. This online workshop wants to help you with that. If you agree with one or more of the following statements, then this workshop is for you:

• I always find it difficult to interpret the answers from the Yijing
• I only use the text of the Yijing, and would like to do more with the hexagrams
• I don’t know how to practically apply the trigrams
• I know that every line in a hexagram has a general meaning, and I would like to use these in a reading
• I have been using the Yijing for years, but I still feel like a beginner
• I want to know more about the Chinese philosophy behind the Yijing
• I want to pick Harmen’s brain on the Yijing
• I want to have more confidence in my own interpretations
• I want to integrate the Yijing into my own profession

If one or more of these statements apply to you then you will benefit from this online workshop. In eight lessons you will learn the power of the hexagrams, how to read them, and make them useful and meaningful for every question that you address to the Book of Changes.

Read all about this (and my most popular) workshop here: Yijing.

WENWANG GUA: UNLOCK THE YIJING 

For centuries, Wenwang Gua 文王卦has been studied and practiced in China as one of the most precise and profound methods of Yijing divination. It reveals patterns and insights that reach far beyond the surface of the hexagrams, offering a clarity that feels almost like opening a hidden chamber of wisdom. Yet in the West, this treasure remains almost entirely unknown. 

Why learn Wenwang Gua?

Every Yijing reading begins with the hexagram — its trigrams and changing lines. For those who have walked the path of Yijing study, these symbols already speak with depth and life, offering guidance that is anything but abstract. Wenwang Gua takes you further. It reveals the hidden structure beneath the hexagram, connecting each line for example to:

五行 · Wuxing · The Five Phases 

The Five Phases are movement. They reveal how energy grows, transforms, and declines — showing the rhythm behind every change in life.

六親 · Liuqin · The Six Relations 

The Six Relations are roles. They uncover connections of support, tension, and responsibility — mapping the web of human and cosmic relationships.

干支 · Ganzhi · The Stems and Branches

The Stems and Branches are time. They root each reading in the cycles of Heaven and Earth — showing when forces rise, shift, and take form. 

世應 · Shi/Ying · Self and Other Lines

The Self and Other lines reveal the dynamic between you and what you face. They show where you stand, and how the 'other' reflects or challenges you.

Together, these layers transform the Yijing into a living map of reality — precise, dynamic, and profoundly alive. 

...and more. Together, these layers transform the Yijing into a living map of reality — precise, dynamic, and profoundly alive.

Hear what the teachers Johannes and Harmen have to say about the format and contents of this exciting course in these three videos!

Read all about this course at the following webpage: Wenwang Gua.

And finally...

2026 feels like a turning point: our collaboration between the Nourishing Destiny Academy and the Yijing Research Center is growing, with new courses and new adventures in Yixue on the horizon. There is so much I want to unfold and share with you, dear reader and student of the Yi. This newsletter is only the tip of the iceberg 😊

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