How to Cast the I Ching: The Three-Coin Method
Casting the I Ching is a ritual of focused attention. The traditional three-coin method is the most accessible and widely used technique. It requires only three coins, a quiet space, and a genuine question.
Preparation
Sit quietly. Formulate your question with care. The I Ching responds best to questions about situations rather than yes/no queries. Good: “What should I understand about this career decision?” Poor: “Should I take the job?” The former opens a dialogue; the latter demands a prediction.
Hold the three coins in your hands. Take a breath. State your question — silently or aloud. The moment of casting is the moment of sincerity.
The Six Casts
You will toss the coins six times, once for each line of the hexagram, building from the bottom up. The first cast determines the bottom line (line 1); the sixth cast determines the top line (line 6).
For each cast, toss all three coins together. Count heads and tails:
| Heads | Tails | Result | Line | Value | Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | Old Yang | Solid line changing to broken | 9 | —⚊— (moving) |
| 2 | 1 | Young Yang | Solid line, stable | 7 | ———⚊——— |
| 1 | 2 | Young Yin | Broken line, stable | 8 | —— ⚋ —— |
| 0 | 3 | Old Yin | Broken line changing to solid | 6 | —⚋— (moving) |
Key rule: Old Yang (3 heads, value 9) and Old Yin (3 tails, value 6) are changing lines. They are the most important part of the reading because they show where movement is occurring.
Recording Your Cast
For each cast, draw the line at the appropriate position, starting from the bottom. Mark changing lines distinctly — a circle on a yang line or an X on a yin line.
Example record (bottom to top):
Cast 6 (top): — — (1 head = young yin)
Cast 5: ——— (2 heads = young yang)
Cast 4: ——o— (3 heads = old yang, changing!)
Cast 3: — — (1 head = young yin)
Cast 2: ——x— (0 heads = old yin, changing!)
Cast 1 (bottom): ——— (2 heads = young yang)
Building the Hexagram
Group the lines into trigrams:
- Lines 1-3 (bottom three) = Lower Trigram
- Lines 4-6 (top three) = Upper Trigram
In the example above, the lower trigram is ☲ (Li, Fire) and the upper trigram is ☴ (Xun, Wind). Consulting the hexagram table gives us Hexagram 37: The Family (风火家人, Jiā Rén).
The Yarrow Stalk Method
For those seeking a more meditative approach, the traditional yarrow stalk method uses 50 stalks of yarrow (Achillea millefolium). The process is longer (15-20 minutes) and involves repeatedly dividing the stalks into piles, counting by fours, and interpreting the remainders. The probabilities differ slightly from the coin method, giving a more nuanced distribution. However, for most purposes, the three-coin method is equally valid and far more practical.
Modern Alternatives
Smartphone apps and websites can generate hexagrams instantly. These are perfectly acceptable — the I Ching is about the moment of asking, not the mechanics of random number generation. However, many practitioners find that the physical act of tossing coins creates a deeper sense of presence and intentionality.
After Casting
Record your hexagram and the date. Note which lines are changing. Read the Judgment and the Image of the primary hexagram first. Then read the specific line statements for any changing lines. If you have changing lines, also identify the transformed hexagram — the hexagram that results when all changing lines flip (yang becomes yin, yin becomes yang) — and read its Judgment as well.
Continue to Day 70: How to Read the I Ching for guidance on interpreting your hexagram.