I Ching: History, Hexagrams and Reflection With Clear Boundaries

Many people who enjoy Reiki, meditation or tarot eventually come across the I Ching. It has a long history and a reputation for depth, and the first encounter can be confusing: a book of short, poetic passages, a diagram of broken and solid lines, and instructions about coins or stalks. This guide explains what the text is, where it comes from and how a consultation works in plain terms.

It also draws a clear line. Reading a hexagram can be an interesting and calming way to think about a question. It is not a form of assessment. A passage cannot tell you whether a symptom is serious, whether a relationship is safe or whether a decision will succeed. Keeping that boundary clear is what makes the practice useful rather than misleading.

What the I Ching is: a short history

Yijing is commonly translated as Classic of Changes; I Ching is another romanization. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy describes a composite text: hexagram symbols, hexagram and line statements, and later philosophical commentaries. Tradition associates its statements with King Wen and the Duke of Zhou; these attributions should not be treated as certain authorship. Its history includes divination as well as philosophical interpretation.

That history matters for one practical reason. A modern reader of a passage about patience or timing is reading three layers at once: a very old core, later commentary and a translator’s choices. None of them was written about the reader’s particular life, and treating the text as a message addressed to you is an interpretive step you take, not a demonstrated source of knowledge about your circumstances.

• LinesA solid line stands for yang and a broken line for yin. Every figure in the book is built from these two marks.
• TrigramsThree lines make a trigram, and there are eight possible trigrams, each with a traditional image such as heaven, earth, water or mountain.
• HexagramsTwo trigrams stacked together make a hexagram. With six lines there are 64 combinations, and each has a name, a judgment and six line statements.
• CommentariesLater writers added explanations of the images and judgments, which is why editions differ so much in tone and length.

How a hexagram is built and read

A hexagram is read from the bottom line upward, so the first line you cast is the lowest one. Each line can be young or old. A young line is stable. An old line is called a changing line, and in a traditional reading it flips to its opposite, which produces a second hexagram. Readers treat the first hexagram as the present situation, the changing lines as points of movement, and the second hexagram as where things may be heading. All of that is a structured way of thinking about a question. Here, the structure is used as an optional reflection prompt, not a verified forecast.

Editions vary a great deal. Some stay close to the ancient wording and feel terse; others expand every passage into modern advice. Note which kind you have, because an expansive edition gives you the editor’s view as well as the text. Keeping the quoted passage and your own reaction on separate lines in a notebook shows where one ends and the other begins.

Two ways of consulting the text

Both traditional methods do the same job: they produce six lines, one at a time, with a chance element that decides whether each line is yin or yang and whether it is changing. Neither method requires special coins or special stalks, and neither is established here as an accurate forecasting method. These are brief overviews; follow the instructions and line conventions in your chosen edition.

The coin method. Take three ordinary coins. Toss all three together and give each coin a value, usually three for heads and two for tails. Add the three values. A total of six is an old, changing yin line; seven is a young yang line; eight is a young yin line; nine is an old, changing yang line. Draw that line at the bottom, then toss again five more times, drawing each new line above the last. The pace is up to you; there is no required duration.

The yarrow-stalk method. This is the older and slower approach. Start with fifty stalks, set one aside, and divide the remaining 49 into two piles at random. A series of counting-off steps removes small groups of stalks, and the number left after three rounds decides the line. The process is repeated for each of the six lines, so it involves more counting than the coin method. Some readers find that deliberate process meaningful; others do not. This overview is not a complete stalk-counting tutorial.

The last row of the table is the important one. Whichever method you use, the result is a passage to think about. The method chooses the passage; you do the thinking.

Reading a hexagram as reflection, not prediction

1. Write the question first. Keep it about your own choices and attitudes, such as how to approach a difficult week, rather than about events you cannot control or other people’s intentions.
2. Cast the lines and record them. Note the hexagram number, the edition you are using and any changing lines, so you can return to the entry later.
3. Read the passage slowly, then put the book down. Write what the words brought to mind in your own language before reading any commentary.
4. Separate the text from your reaction. Quote the passage on one line and your thoughts on the next. Your thoughts are the useful part.
5. Choose one small, ordinary action. A conversation, a boundary, a rest, a task you have been avoiding. The passage is a prompt; the action is yours.
6. Review when useful. Ask whether the reflection helped you think more clearly. Do not ask whether the prediction came true, because no prediction was made.

You could also use a poem or an image as a reflection prompt. This is an alternative, not a claim that all tools have identical effects or that reflection will benefit everyone. Our guide to tarot, psychology and mental wellness describes the same approach with a different set of images, and our page on developing your intuition with simple exercises explains how to tell a useful hunch from wishful thinking.

What a consultation can and cannot do

Three different things are often bundled into the word helpful. A consultation can be interesting, because the text is old and rich. It can be personally meaningful, because a passage prompts a memory or a question you had been avoiding. This guide does not establish clinical effectiveness. If you feel calmer, that is a personal experience, not proof of special knowledge or a treatment effect. Someone else may feel unchanged or unsettled. Our summary of mind-body approaches and what the evidence supports distinguishes practices studied in clinical settings from personal reflection. Findings about another practice should not be transferred to an I Ching reading.

• Use it to frame a question you have been circling without naming.
• Use it to slow down before a decision you are tempted to rush.
• Use it as a journaling prompt alongside meditation, a walk or a Reiki session.

• Do not use it to judge a symptom, decide on medication or choose a supplement.
• Do not use it to assess another person, their feelings or their intentions.
• Do not let anyone use it on you as proof that a practice, a purchase or a course of action is right.

Where the I Ching sits beside Reiki and similar practices

Reiki and the I Ching come from different places and do different things. Reiki is a Japanese hands-on relaxation practice; our review of Reiki research and its limits explains that it has not been clearly shown to be effective for any health-related purpose, that there is no scientific evidence for the energy field it describes, and that harmful effects have not been demonstrated. This is not a guarantee of safety for every situation; consent, discomfort, cost and delayed care still matter. The I Ching is a text, and consulting it is a reading and writing exercise. Some people cast a hexagram before a session to set an intention or afterwards to reflect. That pairing is fine as a personal ritual. It is not a treatment, and neither practice makes the other more accurate or more effective.

What both share, at their best, is a pause. A question held lightly and a pause may suit some people; duration and participation are optional, and the ideas in our guide to non-attachment apply well here: hold the passage loosely, take what is useful and let the rest go.

Related reading

• Tarot, Psychology and Mental Wellness
• Mind-Body Approaches in Therapy: Evidence and Safety
• Reiki Research: What the Evidence Shows and Where It Stops
• Developing Your Intuition With Exercises
• Non-Attachment
• Using Meditation to Change Your Thinking

Frequently Asked Questions

Final thoughts

The I Ching rewards curiosity. Its history is long, its structure is elegant, and a slow consultation with coins or stalks can be a calming way to sit with a question. The practice stays healthy when the boundary stays clear: the text chooses a passage, you do the reflecting, and decisions about your health, relationships and safety stay with you and the people qualified to help. Read it, enjoy it, write down what it stirs, and keep your own judgment in charge.