How do you cast and read the I Ching?

The I Ching, or Book of Changes, is one of the oldest books in the world, with roots in ancient China more than two thousand years ago. It is consulted as an oracle. A question is posed, a hexagram is cast, and the text attached to that hexagram is read as counsel. Unlike systems that claim to predict a fixed future, the I Ching is built around the idea that situations are always in flux.

What a hexagram is

A hexagram is a stack of six lines. Each line is either broken, called yin, or unbroken, called yang. Six lines with two possible states give sixty-four combinations, and the book assigns a name and a passage to each one.

Casting with three coins

The coin method is the most common today. It is repeated six times, once for each line, building the hexagram from the bottom up.

• Assign each coin a value. Heads counts as 3, tails counts as 2.
• Throw all three coins and add the values. The total is 6, 7, 8 or 9.
• A total of 7 is a steady yang line. A total of 8 is a steady yin line.
• A total of 9 is a changing yang line. A total of 6 is a changing yin line.
• Record the line, then throw again for the next line, moving upward.

Changing lines and the second hexagram

The changing lines are what make the I Ching a book of changes rather than a book of fixed answers. If any line came up as a 6 or a 9, it is read as being in the process of turning into its opposite. The reader notes the first hexagram, flips each changing line, and reads the second hexagram that results. The first describes the present situation, and the second describes where it is heading if the change plays out.

How the reading is used

The text for a hexagram is poetic and open. A reader relates it to the question, pays special attention to any changing lines, and treats the second hexagram as a direction rather than a guarantee. The counsel is usually about attitude and timing, such as when to act and when to wait.

The honest limit

The I Ching does not report facts about the world or name dated outcomes. Its value is reflective. The randomness of the cast and the openness of the text push a person to look at a problem from an angle they had not considered. Read that way, it is a tool for clearer thinking about how to meet a changing situation.

Common questions

What if no line changes?
Then there is a single hexagram and no second one. The reading rests on that one passage, which describes a stable situation.

Is the yarrow stalk method different?
The older yarrow stalk method produces the same four line types but with slightly different probabilities. The coin method is a faster approximation that most readers use today.