• Why use Coins?
• Lines, Lines, and More Lines
• The Divination Process
• The Statistics of Divination
• The Method of the 16

(A few of the ideas offered here originated with a great book called The I Ching And You by Diana ffarington Hook. She makes a lot of references to God and Heaven, which may or may not apply to your belief system. In my own mind, I tend to replace God and Heaven with The Universe and take it from there.)

The I Ching was first consulted using tortoise shells, and later the stalks of yarrows (flowers grown in many places of the world). The use of forty-nine stalks has an organic spiritual history, connecting oneself with a link between Heaven (the creative or yang principle) and the earth (the receptive or yin principle).

The yarrow stalks are still a popular method, but this technique requires an extensive amount of time (I haven't tried it personally, but I've read that even experienced yarrow stalk'ers need 20-30 minutes for each reading). I find that using the coins, I can perform a reading within about 10 minutes, and that is with lots of "empty" time concentrating on, or simply becoming one with, the question.

The use of coins has a similar spiritual background, based in history and imagery. While it is not necessary to use authentic bronze Chinese coins (which are round, with a square hole in the center), these have a very pleasant connection with I Ching symbolism and legend.

I prefer using Chinese coins (available at most large flea markets and coin shops, and should be rather inexpensive) for the following reasons:

• The circle represents the yang principle, heaven or God, without beginning or end.
• The square represents the yin principle, the earth or matter which has dimensions.

When I found my coins, I took special care with them. Many authors recommend that you polish them and boil them in salt water. I believe this is to cleanse the coins, and to refresh their energies. (This allows you to "start over" with the coins, and form your own personal relationship with your new coins.) Once you handle your coins, do not let others touch them. This is because your coins become an extension of yourself, and your guide to communicating with your higher consciousness.

I store my coins in a small, hand-made leather pouch bound by a leather strap ending with some cool-looking beads. This protects them from the usual stuff (dust, etc.) and preserves the energies contained within them. Plus, the pouch itself becomes a sacred part of my sessions with the Oracle. (You can store your coins in just about anything; just feel good about it -- that's what is important!)

Choose one side of your coins to be "heads" and the other side to be "tails." It does not really matter which you select, as long as you never vary from your choice. (Some Chinese coins have printing on one side, while the other side is blank -- typically we use the printed side as "heads" and the blank side as "tails.")

• To the Heads side, we associate the value 3 (three). This represents the yang or positive principle, and indicates the three-fold nature of the Godhead (Father, Holy Spirit, and Son). It also indicates man, made in the image of God (spirit, mind, and body, or higher, middle, and lower self).

• To the Tails side, we associate the value 2 (two). This represents the yin or negative principle, and indicates the limitation and duality of our relationship with the Universe or God. It also indicates the duality of spirit and matter, and also thoughts and our senses.

The I Ching describes hexagrams, which represent the complete set of all things. Within its wisdom resides the depths of all knowledge. These hexagrams are constructed from two trigrams, each of which is built of three lines. Thus, a complete hexagram has six lines. There are eight possible trigrams, and when these are combined together (a lower trigram and an upper trigram), we get the sixty-four possible hexagrams.

Let's start by looking at the fundamental building blocks of it all, the lines. The four lines are:

• 6 = Old Yin

  The Old Yin line is a moving or changing line, and represents a situation that is too weak or negative. It is in a state of flux or transition, and moves to its opposite (a Young Yang line) in order to resolve its conflict. These, along with Old Yang lines, are a primary focus point of our studies.

• 7 = Young Yang

  The Young Yang line is a stable, balanced line, and represents firmness, strength, and masculinity. It is not changing, and forms a solid basis for our hexagrams. These lines lend themselves to the "whole," the imagery of the trigrams and the hexagrams.

• 8 = Young Yin

  The Young Yin line is also a stable, balanced line, and represents yielding, passiveness, and femininity. It also is not changing, and forms the foundations for our hexagrams. Like Young Yang lines, they give themselves to the "whole" of the reading, adding to the imagery of the trigrams and the hexagrams.

• 9 = Old Yang

  The Old Yang line, like the Old Yin line, is a moving or changing line, and represents a situation that is too strong or positive. It is also in a state of change, and moves to its opposite (a Young Yin line) in order to achieve balance and harmony. These are also a primary focus points of our studies.

The important aspects are the moving or changing lines, for these are our transitions from one situation to the next. We focus on these changing lines in our interpretations. The young (non-moving) lines are considered balanced and stable; they do not move, and instead lend to the overall interpretation and image of the hexagram.

We build our hexagrams from the bottom up. This means the first line we cast (described below in more detail) we draw on our paper, and the second line we cast is drawn *above* the first one. Likewise, the third line is drawn on top of the second, and so on. We repeat this process until all six lines are drawn, one on top of another. When this is complete, we have our initial hexagram!

The old (moving) lines are called "changing" lines because they change into their opposite values. When these lines appear (and often times they do not), we have what is called a "moving hexagram." This means one or more lines in the hexagram are 6's (Old Yin) or 9's (Old Yang). For these hexagrams, we draw a second hexagram next to the first one, replacing all old yin lines with young yangs, and replacing all old yangs with young yins.

For example, the following may represent a typical reading:

Initial Hexigram (Moving)			Second Hexigram (Resolved)
Line 6 = 8 (Young Yin)			8 (Young Yin)
Line 5 = 9 (Old Yang)			8 (Young Yin)
Line 4 = 7 (Young Yang)			7 (Young Yang)
Line 3 = 8 (Young Yin)			8 (Young Yin)
Line 2 = 6 (Old Yin)			7 (Young Yang)
Line 1 = 7 (Young Yang)			7 (Young Yang)

We return to this more in Interpreting the Hexagrams. We'll review the eight different trigrams, the power they contain, and the imagery they represent. We'll discuss what the moving hexagrams mean and how to interpret the second, resolved hexagrams. The symbolism of the different lines, and what the four different lines mean to us, is indeed a wonderful study.

After selecting and focusing on a particular question (either a very specific question, or a general concept), we are prepared for the process of consulting (divining) the I Ching.

When I consult the Oracle, I always have the following items:

• My question, clearly written out on a sheet of paper
• My bronze Chinese coins, still in their pouch
• One or more translations of the I Ching
• A pencil (or other writing instrument)
• Blank paper to record the reading and thoughts about it

Often times, when the weather is pleasant, I bundle these items into a satchel and stroll out to a fantastic spot in the local park. When I do this, I also bring along a towel or blanket to sit on. (I love being in the park, with the sounds of the birds and the stream nearby, and the smell of the leaves, the tranquil swaying of the grass in the breeze, and ... I could go on and on!)

When I'm indoors, I light a few candles, have a glass of water nearby, and often put on an "alpha wave" CD or cassette. (These soothe the mind without distracting me; I like classical music, but I end up actually listening too much as I cast the coins!) Other types of CDs I find very useful are those "nature sounds" albums, with ocean sounds and seagulls, or birds in a jungle, that kind of thing.

I usually sit "Indian-style" facing the Earth's equator (for me, I face south). Before me I spread a small towel, and put my I Ching translation on one of the upper corners, and my coin pouch on the other upper corner (the two lower corners are usually covered by my feet/legs). In the middle I put my journal (with the question clearly visible on an otherwise blank page), along with the pencil and my coins.

The process of channeling energy into and through the coins is very special. Usually I hold, rub, shake, twist, and otherwise fondle the coins for any number of minutes as I meditate (or concentrate, or think about, or ponder, or wonder, or ...) on the question before me. I believe this to be an extremely important part; the coins are my medium for communicating with higher energies. I usually close my eyes and light my seven chakras (that's a whole different web site someday!).

When the time is right (and don't worry, at some point it just feels like the right time), drop the coins onto the small towel and/or your journal. The coins have landed either heads or tails. Feel secure in knowing that they landed the way they are intended. After another few moments, I open my eyes and record the results.

Here's how you create a line based on your three coins:

• Tails + Tails + Tails = 2 + 2 + 2 = 6, Old Yin
• Tails + Tails + Heads = 2 + 2 + 3 = 7, Young Yang
• Tails + Heads + Heads = 2 + 3 + 3 = 8, Young Yin
• Heads + Heads + Heads = 3 + 3 + 3 = 9, Old Yang

We note that the two "three of a kind" combinations (all tails, or all heads) yields the moving (old) lines. That is because these lines are too strong (old yang) or too weak (old yin) and transform or change into their young counterparts. Jot down the combination of coins, the score, and draw the line on your journal. Remember to leave enough room above it, because we record the six lines from the bottom to the top!

For 6 (old yin) lines, I draw a broken line with an X in the middle. For 7 (young yang), I draw a solid line. For 8 (young yin), I draw a broken line, and for 9 (old yang), I draw a solid line with a circle in the middle. (Whole chapters of books are devoted to explaining what the symbolism of solid vs. broken lines represents, and I find them to be very valuable and insightful material indeed!)

Gather the coins together, and repeat this process for the remaining five lines. Each subsequent line is written above the previous one, so that the last (sixth) line is on top. (This stuff all is important, for each line position symbolizes different things).

The first three lines (the three on the bottom) are called the lower trigram and the top three lines (those on the top) are called the upper trigram. Together, these two trigrams form your hexagram.

If you have any moving lines (6's or 9's), draw the second (resolved) hexagram next to your first (moving) hexagram. Replace each old yin (6) with a young yang (7), and replace each old yang (9) with a young yin (8). You thus have two hexagrams, where the only differences are in these places.

NOTE: It is perfectly normal to not have any moving lines. This simply indicates that the hexagram represents a stationary situation, rooted in the present moment or environment. This is not typically bad or evil. Instead, these hexagrams offer deep insights into the current situation. (They typically do not offer much about the future.)

As we shall see, the moving lines, and the resulting second (resolved) hexagram, are our guides to the future -- the placement of the moving lines is very important, and are the key to realizing the Oracle's wisdom of future events.

In this section we discuss probabilities and statistics. I personally believe that regardless of these numerical manipulations, the coins are going to land the way they should. (Thus, the "odds" of a particular combination do not really concern me.) But, because this topic has some merit, and some people like to have a study backed by mathematics, I've devoted some thought to this topic as well.

Stuart Anderson wrote a very comprehensive and informative paper about this topic - take a moment to review his information. He further introduces a four-coin method that resolves these statistical anomalies, for those who are concerned and interested.

There is a belief in the study of the Oracle that the coins produce "inaccurate" results. This is because the original divinations, upon which the Book of Changes was written, were performed exclusively with yarrow stalks. The method of divination with yarrow stalks produces an exact set of probabilities:

• "6" lines (old yin, or moving yin) -- 1 in 16
• "9" lines (old yang, or moving yang) -- 3 in 16
• "7" lines (young yang) -- 5 in 16
• "8" lines (young yin) -- 7 in 16

This means that 8's are much more common than 9's, which in turn are much more common than 6's. This has historical significance and, when taken numerically, does have a lot to say about the Universe. The 6 lines are "negative" (dark, evil, and weak) whereas 9 lines are "positive" (good, light, strong, and virtuous). Since 9's are three times more likely than 6's, this arrangement confirms that the Universe is inherently positive.

The problem some scholars have with the coin method is that its probability and statistics are different from the yarrow stalk method. Using the coins to cast the six lines of a hexagram produces these results:

• "6" lines (old yin, or moving yin) -- 2 in 16
• "9" lines (old yang, or moving yang) -- 2 in 16
• "7" lines (young yang) -- 6 in 16
• "8" lines (young yin) -- 6 in 16

This arrangement "evens up the odds" a bit about the nature of the Universe, when taken in a historically mathematical point-of-view. Why am I not overly concerned about this? Do I think the Universe is even-odds on "good" vs. "evil?" Of course not. But my belief that the coins are guided in how they land says it all. Everything happens for a reason, and sometimes the mysteries of life center around figuring out just what those reasons are!

I continue to believe in the coin method, but there is yet another method of consulting the I Ching which merges the "correct" probabilities and statistics (from the yarrow stalk method) and the ease and simplicity of the coin method. That method is called the Method of the 16.

A third method of consulting the I Ching exists. This method resolves this statistical problem, while actually simplifying the process even more than using coins. This method is extremely simple, and I am interested in trying it at some point to see how it feels. It is called the Method of the 16, and revolves around extracting beads (or similar objects) from a pouch.

Looking at the statistics presented above, we see that both the yarrow stalk method and the coin method have their probabilities based on 16 possible outcomes. The Method of the 16 is targeted exactly for this reason.

Acquire a total of 16 beads, marbles, buttons, or whatever you feel comfortable using. They should all "feel" the same -- that is, they should weigh about the same, be of the same size and texture, and so on. If the 16 beads are too different, you will become familiar with how they feel and will become biased in the divination process.

The key to the Method of the 16 is this: have one (1) bead of a certain color, three (3) beads of a second color, five (5) beads of a third color, and seven (7) beads of a fourth color. Each of these colors represents a different possible outcome (since there are four outcomes, we use four colors).

Place the 16 beads (or whatever) in a pouch, and, without looking inside, reach in and extract one bead. The bead you extract is your result. (The color represents which line you draw -- either a 6, 7, 8, or 9. So it's very important to remember which color represents which line type!). Then, replace the bead in the bag, give it a good shake while you meditate on your question again, and repeat the process five more times.

Seems simple to me! I haven't tried this method yet, but it almost seems too easy... I might miss the coins in my hands, the feel of their textures, the sounds of them landing, and so on. But the left-brain computer scientist in me does like the thought of the "correct" probabilities, regardless of how my spiritual side believes in destiny!

Back to Me, Myself, and I Ching

Introduction and Background Approaching the Oracle	Formulating the Question Casting the Coins	Interpreting the Hexagrams References -- Books and Links
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