How to Cast the I Ching with Coins

This guide uses tails = 2 and heads = 3. Add three coins for each line and write the first result at the bottom. Keep that convention for the whole cast.

Example, from bottom to top: 7, 8, 9, 8, 7, 8 forms the pattern 101010, Hexagram 63. Only line 3 moves. Change that line from yang to yin to obtain 100010, Hexagram 3. The remaining five lines stay as cast.

The fractions come from the eight equally likely outcomes of three ideal coins: one produces 6, three produce 7, three produce 8 and one produces 9. They describe a casting model, not the likelihood of a life event.

Save all six totals and the question. A note that only says “Hexagram 63” loses the moving-line information. Continue with the beginner reading workflow and consult your chosen edition for the line passage.

The most common modern casting method uses three coins. Each coin toss produces one line. Tails counts as 2, heads counts as 3. Add the three coins together: a sum of 6 is old yin (changing), 7 is young yang (stable), 8 is young yin (stable), and 9 is old yang (changing). Repeat six times, building the hexagram from the bottom line upward.

Before casting, write down a specific question. The question should be honest and focused on a real situation. Vague questions produce vague readings. A good question describes the actual tension or decision, not a hoped-for outcome.

Once you have six lines, identify the hexagram using a reference table or the oracle tool. Note any changing lines (values of 6 or 9). Read the primary hexagram's Judgment and Image first. Then read the changing line texts if present. Finally, build the relating hexagram by flipping the changing lines and read its Judgment.

Write down the result before interpreting. The act of writing slows the reading down and prevents the common mistake of jumping to the first interpretation that feels comfortable.

Yarrow casting uses a different counting procedure. The Xi Ci commentary describes fifty stalks with forty-nine used in the operation. Follow a specified edition for the complete procedure rather than substituting coin-toss steps. Both methods produce line values 6, 7, 8 and 9, but the fair-coin probabilities in this guide describe only the three-coin method.