Divination Methods
Yarrow stalks, three coins, Plum Blossom, Six Yao — practical divination techniques step by step.
- Ten Common Divination Mistakes: Wrong Coin Sides, Repeated Casting, Ignoring Line Statements, Fearing Inauspicious Hexagrams — How Many Have You Made?
Ten of the most common I Ching divination mistakes, broken down one by one. Learn the causes and how to fix each: mixing up coin sides, casting with a scattered mind, asking the same question repeatedly, skipping line statements and changed hexagrams, identifying with hexagram characters, fearing inauspicious results, asking vague questions, making excuses after wrong readings, and treating divination as fortune-telling. Essential reading for beginners.
- Digital Divination: Three Numbers, Cast Anywhere, Zero-Barrier I Ching
Digital divination is the simplest hexagram casting method. Pick any three numbers, divide by 8 for upper and lower trigrams, divide by 6 for the moving line. Full explanation of the algorithm, common number sources, pros and cons, and its relationship with Plum Blossom I Ching.
- Divination Case Studies — Three Complete Examples to Learn Hexagram Interpretation
Three complete I Ching divination case studies. A relationship hexagram (will we reconcile), a career hexagram (should I change jobs), a health hexagram (family member's illness trajectory). Each case includes casting, hexagram layout, interpretation steps, conclusions, and actual verification. The three most common beginner pitfalls are marked: picking the wrong yongshen, ignoring the month-branch, and looking only at moving lines while ignoring static lines.
- Divination Etiquette: Why Sincerity Brings Accuracy — It's Logic, Not Mysticism
Pre-divination preparation, the right mindset during casting, the one-question-one-cast rule, questions you should avoid, and the importance of timing and place. Understand the core of divination etiquette: a calm mind produces stable hexagrams. This is method, not superstition.
- Divination Tools Buying Guide: Yarrow Stalks, Coins, Hexagram Plates, and Books — How to Choose
What should you buy for divination? Detailed guide on yarrow stalk selection standards, the pros and cons of ancient coins vs. modern-minted vs. modern coins, hexagram plate types, and recommended I Ching books including the original Zhouyi, Gao Heng's Modern Annotations, and Liu Dajun's Introduction to Zhouyi.
- Interpreting Divination Results: From Hexagram Text to Moving Lines — Don't Panic at Inauspicious Hexagrams
How to read divination results? The reading order: hexagram statement → line statements → moving hexagram. Methods for judging auspiciousness: proper position, centrality, receiving-riding-proximity-correspondence. Rules by moving-line count. And the most common interpretation mistakes, corrected. Helps you stay calm before the hexagram.
- Moving Hexagram and Mutual Hexagram: Hidden Layers Beyond the Original Cast
Understanding moving hexagrams and mutual hexagrams is the gateway to advanced interpretation. Full explanation of the original-to-moving hexagram transition rules, how to extract the mutual hexagram, the meaning of inverse and opposite hexagrams, and the generation-control relationship between the ti and yong trigrams. The core of Plum Blossom I Ching interpretation lives here.
- Plum Blossom Advanced — Universal Imagery, Ti-Yong Generation-Control, and External Response Interpretation
The complete advanced Plum Blossom heart-method. Full coverage of the eight trigrams' universal imagery categories (Qian Dui Li Zhen Xun Kan Gen Kun — celestial phenomena, geography, people, body parts, animals, still objects), the generation-control relationship between Ti trigram and Yong trigram (Ti generates Yong drains energy, Yong generates Ti brings great fortune, Ti controls Yong is minor fortune, Yong controls Ti is misfortune), capturing and judging external responses, and fast-slow timing methods.
- Rice Grain Method: Grab a Handful of Rice, the Simplest Folk Divination
The rice grain method is a simple folk divination technique passed down in China. Grab rice three times, count three times, and get the upper trigram, lower trigram, and moving line. Full explanation of the operation flow, cultural significance of rice, ritual feel, and how it compares to digital divination.
- Six Yao Advanced — Xunkong, Feifu, Fanyin-Fuyin, and Liuhe-Liuchong
A complete guide to advanced Six Yao techniques. Xunkong (the ten empty pairs of the sexagenary cycle — Jiazi xun empty Xu-Hai, Jiaxu xun empty Shen-You, and so on), Feifu (the generation-control relationship between Flying Spirit and Hidden Spirit — Flying generates Hidden is auspicious, Flying controls Hidden is ominous), Fanyin-Fuyin (hexagram reversal vs. stagnation), the judgment logic of Six-Harmony and Six-Clash hexagrams, and the power-locking mechanism of Entering the Tomb.
- Six Yao Divination: The Core System of Najia Method and Hexagram Assembly Steps
Six Yao (Najia Method) is the most complete system in I Ching divination. From najia nazhi, six relations and six beasts, to assembly steps, yongshen selection, and how day-branch and month-branch affect each line. A full breakdown of the six yao framework.
- Plum Blossom Divination: Cast a Hexagram Anytime, Anywhere—Shao Yong's Intuitive Art
Plum blossom divination (Meihua Yishu) is the intuitive casting method created by Northern Song scholar Shao Yong. No tools required—use dates, numbers, sounds, or objects to cast a hexagram. Learn upper and lower trigram calculation, moving line algorithm, nuclear hexagram extraction, and the image-over-text interpretation approach.
- Three Coins Method: Six Tosses, the Simplest I Ching Casting Technique
The three coins method is the most practical I Ching casting technique. Toss three coins six times, build the hexagram from bottom to top. Learn the yin-yang judgment rules (old yang ○ becomes yin, old yin × becomes yang), coin selection tips, and historical origins.
- Yarrow Stalk Method: 50 Stalks, 18 Changes—the Oldest I Ching Casting Technique
The yarrow stalk method is the most orthodox I Ching casting technique. A complete guide to the Great Expansion number (50 used, 49 for operation), the four-step process (divide, set aside, count by fours, gather the remainder), and how to identify old yang and old yin moving lines.