A Guide to The I Ching

The ancient Chinese method of consulting the I Ching involved the use of yarrow stalks and they are still used sometimes today. Nowadays, however, using three small coins of equal size and type is the most common method. Special I Ching coins can be used if prefered.

First compose your question then, cupping your hands together, shake the coins for a few moments then allow them to fall onto a flat surface.

Each of the six times the 3 coins are tossed to obtain a reading, they produce one of the following results ...

* 2 tails and 1 heads = a broken line
* 2 heads and 1 tails = a solid line
* 3 tails = a broken changing line
* 3 heads = a solid changing line

Draw the lines building the hexagram from the bottom line up. Where there are 3 tails, draw the line with a cross in the center ---x--- and when there are 3 heads, draw the line with a circle in the center ---o---

After 6 tosses of the coins you should end up with something like this for the first hexagram ...

--- ---
--- ---
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---x---
---o---
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Draw a second hexagram in which the changing lines from your first hexagram are altered to their opposites as in the example below.

--- ---
--- ---
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--- ---
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In your I Ching book you will find a chart which gives you the name and number of the hexagrams.

To obtain an answer to your question, read the overall view of the first hexagram and pay particular attention to the changing lines i.e. those with the noughts and crosses. Then read the overall view of the second hexagram.

When you cast the first hexagram and there are no changing lines, simply read through each line of this single hexagram and its overview to obtain an answer to your question. The top line will be especially significant.