I Ching divination: question, casting, and reading

Learn about Chinese divination methods including I Ching, Plum Blossom, and various casting techniques. Understand the philosophy and practice of seeking guidance.

Learn about Liu Yao, the Six Lines divination method—a sophisticated system using hexagram lines with Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches for detailed readings.

Learn the coin casting method for I Ching divination—toss three coins six times to build your hexagram. Simple, accessible, and effective.

Learn the traditional yarrow stalk method for I Ching divination—the original, elaborate ritual using 50 stalks to build a hexagram through sacred mathematics.

Plum Blossom Numerology is a later Yijing divination tradition conventionally attributed to Shao Yong.

Learn the time casting method for I Ching divination—derive your hexagram from the current year, month, day, and hour using Plum Blossom numerology.

Learn the number casting method for I Ching divination—transform any meaningful number into a hexagram using Plum Blossom numerology.

Learn the character casting method for I Ching divination—transform Chinese characters into hexagrams through stroke counting and symbolic interpretation.

Learn the direction casting method for I Ching divination—use compass directions and their trigram associations to generate meaningful hexagrams.

Learn the sound casting method for I Ching divination—transform auditory phenomena like bird calls, knocks, or any counted sounds into meaningful hexagrams.

Learn what hexagrams are in I Ching divination—how they are formed, how to read them, and what the 64 hexagrams represent.

Learn what the Eight Trigrams (Bagua) are—the three-line symbols that form the foundation of I Ching hexagrams and appear throughout Chinese metaphysics.

The Eight Trigrams are all eight possible three-line yin/yang forms: Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen and Dui.

The sixty-four hexagrams are the possible six-line yin/yang forms of the Yijing.

Understand the Qian trigram—pure Yang energy representing heaven, creativity, strength, and the father principle in Chinese metaphysics.

Understand the Kun trigram—pure Yin energy representing earth, receptivity, nurturing, and the mother principle in Chinese metaphysics.

Zhen, Thunder ☳, has one solid bottom line and two broken lines above.

Xun, Wind ☴, has a broken bottom line and two solid lines above.

Kan, Water ☵, has a solid middle line between two broken lines.

Li, Fire ☲, has a broken middle line between two solid lines.

Gen, Mountain ☶, has a solid top line over two broken lines.

Dui, Lake ☱, has a broken top line over two solid lines.

Understand what Yao lines are in I Ching—the solid Yang and broken Yin lines that form trigrams and hexagrams, carrying meaning through their positions.

Understand the primary hexagram (Ben Gua) in I Ching divination—the original hexagram that represents your current situation before any transformation.

Learn what moving lines are in I Ching—lines in transition that transform your hexagram, revealing where change is active in your situation.

Understand the changed hexagram (Bian Gua) in I Ching divination—the transformed hexagram that shows the outcome or direction of change.

The Mutual Hexagram, Hu Gua, is constructed from a primary hexagram's inner lines.

Nuclear Hexagram is a common English name for the Mutual Hexagram, Hu Gua.

The Six Relatives, Liu Qin, are the relationship labels used on Six-Line divination charts: Parents, Siblings, Children, Wealth and Officer/Ghost.

The Six Spirits are Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Gou Chen, Teng She, White Tiger and Black Tortoise, assigned alongside the six lines in one divination convention.

In Six-Line divination, the Useful God is the line or role chosen to represent the subject of a question.