How to Read the I Ching Hexagrams

The I Ching hexagrams are based on eight basic trigrams, each of which represents one of the compass points, as well as one of the forces of nature. Reading them takes some intuitive skill, some sense of what your life is and where it's going, as well as a meditative consultation of a well-written book that explains what the 64 possible combinations can mean.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Fifty yarrow stalks
• Three coins

1. Determine what question you would like to have answered. The I Ching is built for more than "yes-no" questions. Rather, the use of the hexagrams is to help you see what your situation is like, and how it can be unfolding.
2. Use a method for creating the hexagrams that works for you. The traditional method is to use yarrow stalks. A common method now is to simply use three of the same coins. You create each line, starting with the bottom line, by a throw of the coins: two heads gives you a solid line, while two tails gives you a broken line. Three heads gives a changing solid line, and three tails gives a changing broken line. See the resources below to find out how to use the yarrow stalks to create your kua.
3. Arrange the two trigrams, from the bottom up, and this will create one of the 64 possible "kua" (pronounced "gwah") that you use to interpret the I Ching's answer to your question.
4. Look for the corresponding kua in the book you've chosen for consultation, read it, and carefully consider the interpretation given for that kua and how the information given may relate to your particular question.
5. Consider the placement of the lines in the kua. Lines 2, 4, and 6 require weak or broken lines, while lines 1, 3, and 5 require strong or unbroken lines.

Tips & Warnings

• Clear your mind as you approach this consultation. You must act with sincerity, recognizing the need to not control the process intellectually, and to let your unconscious take over.