THE CASTING METHOD

The I Ching three-coin method, step by step

The three-coin method is a convenient way to form a six-line hexagram. This guide uses the common convention of counting heads as 3 and tails as 2. Other line-building methods and interpretive traditions also exist.

What you need

Use three coins and a quiet moment. First settle on one focused question. You do not need to write names or other private details into it. The question guide explains how to make it specific and open-ended.

Count one line

Toss all three coins together and add their values:

• 6 — changing yin: three tails (2 + 2 + 2); draw a broken line that changes.
• 7 — yang: two tails and one head (2 + 2 + 3); draw a solid line.
• 8 — yin: one tail and two heads (2 + 3 + 3); draw a broken line.
• 9 — changing yang: three heads (3 + 3 + 3); draw a solid line that changes.

Build six lines from the bottom upward

Record the first total as the bottom line. Toss again to create the second line above it, and continue until you have six lines. The order matters: each new line is placed above the previous one. The six-line pattern is the primary hexagram.

What changing lines indicate

A 6 or 9 is conventionally called a changing line. To form the relating hexagram, change each moving yin line to yang and each moving yang line to yin; leave the other lines as they are. Readers differ on how they weigh the primary figure, changing lines, and relating figure, so it is helpful to state which convention you are using.

Example

If a toss gives heads, tails, tails, the total is 3 + 2 + 2 = 7, so you record a solid yang line. That is one line only; repeat five more times to complete the figure. A single toss does not determine the final hexagram.

Keep the method in perspective

This arithmetic gives the reading a repeatable structure. It does not establish that a result predicts the future. Treat the figure as a starting point for reflection, and use evidence and qualified guidance for consequential decisions.

Read the beginner’s guide, explore the hexagram library, or compare the method with other ways of reading the Book of Changes.