How to read an online reading of the sixty-four hexagrams

The primary hexagram stands for the basic state of the matter in front of you. The changed hexagram arises from the moving line and points to where the matter may be heading.

When there is no moving line, the whole of the primary hexagram and its text carry more weight, and the matter is usually on the stable side.

When there is a moving line, the primary hexagram is the present and the changed hexagram is the trend. Reading the two together is more complete than reading either alone.

The moving line is the position in the hexagram that is changing, and it is usually the focus of the reading. The line texts give a more specific hint about the situation.

When you read a line text, do not fixate on whether it is lucky or not; hold it against the question you asked. The same line text, asked about a career and asked about a relationship, points in quite different directions.

Which line is moving often hints at which stage of the process the change is happening in.

The I Ching suits questions that are clear, specific and actionable right now.

“Is this the right moment to move ahead with this?” will usually get you a more usable answer than “What will my whole life be like?”

Before you ask, work out what it is you want to know. A consultation is there to help you see the choice between advancing and holding back more clearly, not to make the decision for you.

For a question about career, take the texts down to opportunity, obstacle, cooperation and rhythm. For a question about love, look at closeness, distance, communication and commitment. For a question about a choice, read the trade-off between advancing and holding back.

The same hexagram, placed in different questions, leans in quite different ways. Settle the type of question first, so that you do not fit one line text onto everything.

When the question is about timing, watch the moving line, the changed hexagram and the tone of “wait”, “advance” and “hold” in the hexagram.

With no moving line, the matter is usually stable, so read the whole of the primary hexagram and its text. With only one line moving, that line is usually the point.

When several lines move, do not average out every line text; look at which lines are closest to your question, and use the changed hexagram for the final direction.

Many moving lines usually means there are many variables. The reading should follow the main thread rather than pile up every line text.

Casting a hexagram online and casting it with coins are both, at heart, a random hexagram. The difference lies in whether you have settled your intention and your question.

Quiet your mind for a moment before you cast, and write the question down as a single sentence. Once it is cast, record the primary hexagram, the moving line and the changed hexagram, then compare them with the texts, and finally turn it into an action.

If the conclusion sits badly apart from what is actually happening, first check whether the question was too broad, or whether you have been casting the same thing repeatedly in a short space.

After reading, write the conclusion as one sentence you can check later — “this week, talk it through before signing” — and compare it with reality a week or two later. That builds judgement far better than casting again and again.

If you already have a clear leaning, ask yourself before casting: do I want to be confirmed, or do I want to see what I am blind to? The second is more worth casting for.

Casting the same kind of question again after some time has passed is fine, but record the previous conclusion and what you did about it, so that the consultation does not become a way of seeking reassurance on repeat.