Performing Your First Reading: The Coin Method

You've learned about the trigrams, hexagrams, and the general idea of consulting the I Ching. Now, let's get practical! This guide will walk you through the most common method for generating a hexagram: the three-coin method.

What You'll Need

  • Three identical coins: Any type will do, as long as they have distinct "heads" and "tails" sides.
  • Pen and paper: To record the lines as you generate them.
  • A clear question or situation: Hold this sincerely in your mind.
  • A quiet space: Where you can focus without distractions.

Preparing for Your Reading

  1. Find Calm: Take a few deep breaths to quiet your mind and center yourself.
  2. Focus Your Intent: Hold your question or the situation you're inquiring about clearly in your mind. Frame it as an open-ended query seeking understanding or guidance (e.g., "What approach should I take regarding X?" rather than a simple yes/no question).
  3. Assign Values: Decide which side of the coin represents Yin and which represents Yang. Traditionally:
    • Tails = 2 (Considered Yin)
    • Heads = 3 (Considered Yang)

    (The numerical values are important for determining changing lines, as explained below.)

Generating the Lines (The Six Tosses)

You will toss the three coins together six times to generate the six lines of your hexagram, starting from the bottom (Line 1) and moving up.

  1. First Toss (Line 1): Shake the three coins gently in your hands while focusing on your question, then toss them. Add up the numerical values of the three coins based on your assignment (Tails=2, Heads=3). The total will be 6, 7, 8, or 9.
  2. Record Line 1: Based on the total sum, record the first line (the bottom line) as follows:
    • Total 6: Broken Line (Yin) that is changing. Draw as: — — with an 'X' or 'O' mark (e.g., —X—, —O—). This is "Old Yin."
    • Total 7: Solid Line (Yang) that is stable. Draw as: ———. This is "Young Yang."
    • Total 8: Broken Line (Yin) that is stable. Draw as: — —. This is "Young Yin."
    • Total 9: Solid Line (Yang) that is changing. Draw as: ——— with an 'X' or 'O' mark (e.g., —X—, —O—). This is "Old Yang."
  3. Repeat for Lines 2-6: Repeat the tossing and recording process five more times, building your hexagram line by line from bottom to top. Remember to maintain focus on your question throughout.

Example Recording

Let's say your six tosses resulted in totals: 8, 7, 6, 9, 8, 7. You would draw your hexagram like this (remembering bottom-up):

Line 6:  ———   (Total 7 - Stable Yang)
Line 5:  — —   (Total 8 - Stable Yin)
Line 4:  —X—   (Total 9 - Changing Yang)
Line 3:  —O—   (Total 6 - Changing Yin)
Line 2:  ———   (Total 7 - Stable Yang)
Line 1:  — —   (Total 8 - Stable Yin)

This is your primary hexagram.

Next Steps

You now have your primary hexagram and have identified any changing lines. The next steps involve:

  1. Identifying the hexagram number (we'll cover how soon).
  2. Determining the resulting hexagram if you have changing lines.
  3. Looking up and interpreting the relevant texts.

Congratulations! You've successfully performed the core steps of consulting the I Ching using the coin method.

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