I CHING DIVINING: CASTING TOOLS
There are several tools, from the very simple and modern, to the original, rather-involved, casting method with yarrow stalks. I’ll discuss these from easiest to hardest. After a few searches, I can verify all these I Ching tools are available through Amazon:
I Ching Cards. There are a number of I Ching card decks, available through Amazon. Just type ‘I Ching cards’ or ‘I Ching decks’ in the search box, and it will come up with a whole list of I Ching card decks, in a variety of styles. Many of these decks appear to be just the 64 hexagrams, with no way of casting for any changing lines. Which is fine, if you only want that. A few of them do have changing-line capacity, so poke around the descriptions.
I Ching Rods. As shown in the picture above, these are a set of four-sided rods that you roll in your hands while you ask your question. They’re available through Amazon, just search ‘I Ching Rods.’ They’re very convenient and compact; they’ll fit in a pocket. But given that two sides of each rod have changing lines, you’re more likely to get multiple changing lines in your hexagram than you would with other I Ching Casting Methods.
I Ching Coins. I got these coins with a set of I Ching cards (see the picture below for the specific deck) well before the Internet came into being, but it too is available through Amazon. The card deck accompanying these coins is basically an unbound-book explaining more about the I Ching and the changing lines, so I don’t recommend using them instead of the coins. Of course, you don’t need a set of special I Ching coins like this. Any pocket change you have on hand will do. The ‘heads’ side of your coins will have a value of 2, the ‘tails’ side will have a value of 3.
With the coins-approach to I Ching-casting, you shake up the coins in your hands while asking your question (after having first asked Whomever you ask for guidance, of course) then cast them. You will do this six times, starting with the bottom row and working your way up, as discussed above. This is the challenge with the I Ching–you have to remain focused on your question, the whole time you’re throwing the lines. Throwing coins is the second-most-traditional way of divining with the I Ching, and you’re less-likely to come up with several changing lines, like you do with the rods.
Yarrow Stalks. This is the original method of casting for the I Ching, and it employs 50 stalks. I’ve found a website which gives instructions in how to divine with yarrow stalks. I’m not going to go into how to do it here in this blog-post, because it’s so lengthy, I’m just going to refer you to the website I found: http://www.ichi-ng.com/divination/divination-yarrow-stalks/. Skip the period on the end, and type in the rest of the URL. Fine website on the I Ching. It’ll tell you how to cast the I Ching with three dice or even just one coin. The Japanese Tea Ceremony has over 200 separate steps. Yarrow-casting reminds me of this; it’s nowhere near as long, but I stopped counting when I got to thirty steps.
You can actually buy a set of yarrow stalks with instructions for use on Amazon (the set above doesn’t), but the beauty of this divination tool is, you can get ‘em free, if you live near a vacant lot or a marsh and have a pair of clippers. Just go out and harvest a set of 50 sturdy stems and you’re golden. There is something to be said for using the original approach to consulting the I Ching. By virtue of its complexity, it reinforces the seriousness of what you’re doing—communicating with the energies of the Universe. The I Ching’s trigrams and hexagrams reflect forces in nature, and the yarrow stalks come from nature, so there’s a harmony between symbolism and tool that few divination tools match.
EXERCISES
- Ask the I Ching a question using either a deck of I Ching cards or the rods. (The trigram card deck I developed and posted in I Ching Divination Part 1 is fair-game for this exercise, just shuffle them face-down and choose two). Note the answer you get. If you used a tool with changing line-capability, how many changing lines did you get? Did the hexagram and the changing line(s) apply to your situation?
- Ask the I Ching a question using coins or three dice (see the other website mentioned-above for more on using the dice in I Ching). Note the answer you get. How many changing lines did you get? Did the hexagram and changing line(s) apply to your situation?
- Ask the I Ching a question using the yarrow stalks, if you’re feeling ambitious-enough. Note the answer you get. Were there any changing lines, and if so, which?
- Compare and contrast the different casting methods you used. Which did you most-prefer? Why? How were these casting methods alike? How were they different? Would you use the various casting methods for different questions, or different situations?
May the I Ching guide you wisely in the years to come! No need to hunt down a wise old sage living in a bamboo hut on a mountainside. With just three coins or dice in your pocket, the sage will come to you.