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There is a great deal of information available about the I Ching - both in books and on the net - so this is not an attempt to be in any way definitive. The aim here is just to provide a very basic skeleton of key points. The instructions on the right give details on using coins and there is a link below that to a table where you can look up your hexagram.
Ancient oracles were based on a simple 'yes', 'no' process.
In the I Ching 'yes' = | (unbroken) and 'no' = ¦ (broken).
Greater differentiation was initially gained by using four pairs: | | - ¦ ¦ - | ¦ - ¦ |
In accordance with the rule of duality each of the three principles has two places.
earth = the two lowest lines
the world of man = the two middle lines
heaven = the top two
These three fundamental powers thus doubled give six lines.
The Tao of earth is yielding & firm - object
The Tao of man is love & rectitude - subject
The Tao of heaven is dark & light - content
The 'light' trigrams are the 3 sons, odd numbers, one ruler and two subjects.
The 'dark' the 3 daughters, even numbers, two rulers and one subject.
Line comments marked with a circle indicate the line as a 'governing' ruler of the hexagram; always of good character, usually in 5th place.
Those marked with a square indicate a 'constituting' ruler which gives the hexagram its characteristic meaning, regardless of character.
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THE COIN ORACLE:
3 coins are thrown;
each throw produces one line;
'Heads' = yin = 2 = earth
'Tails' = yang = 3 = heaven
7 is a positive, (young) yang,
line at rest.
8 is a negative, (young) yin,
line at rest.
6 is a negative, (old) yin,
moving line; -- x --
9 is a positive, (old) yang,
moving line; ---o---
Hexagrams are built
from the bottom up.
Moving lines give
a new hexagram:
a yielding line develops from
a strong line and v.v.
Look up your hexagram ::
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The Eight Trigrams:
| | SIGN | NAME | ATTRIBUTE | IMAGE | FAMILY |
| | | | | Ch'ien | creative | strong | heaven | father |
| ¦ ¦ ¦ | K'un | receptive | devoted-yielding | earth | mother |
| ¦ ¦ | | Chen | arousing | inciting movement | thunder | 1st son |
| ¦ | ¦ | K'an | abysmal | dangerous | water | 2nd son |
| | ¦ ¦ | K'en | keeping still | resting | mountain | 3rd son |
| | | ¦ | Sun | gentle | penetrating | wind-wood | 1st daughter |
| | ¦ | | Li | clinging | light-giving | fire | 2nd daughter |
| ¦ | | | Tui | joyous | joyful | lake | 3rd daughter |
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The primary hexagram is the key to your answer - it's like the stage and scenery of the play, the setting that defines what can unfold here.
When you receive one or more changing lines in your answer, they highlight moments of change, present or future, and reveal exactly where you are within the broader picture painted by the primary hexagram. They may point to important choices, opportunities or dangers, and provide very useful advice on the best way to deal with them. This part of the reading is the most specific to your present situation.
It is traditional to read the bottom line as referring to the present or near future, and the higher lines as referring to a more distant future.
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