Okay, so I’ve been messing around with this I Ching thing, and let me tell you, it’s been a trip. I’ve always been kind of curious about it, you know, the whole ancient Chinese divination thing. So, I decided to dive in and actually do it, not just read about it.
Getting Started
First, I had to figure out how to actually use the I Ching. I mean, it’s not exactly straightforward. I grabbed a copy of the book – you know, the one with all the hexagrams and explanations. It looked pretty intimidating at first!
I decided to go with the coin method. Seems like the most common way to do it. So, I found three coins – I used some old coins I have, and made sure they had a clear heads and tails side.
The Throwing Process
This is where things get interesting. You’re supposed to focus on a question while you’re tossing the coins. My big question was about… well, let’s just say it was about love and relationships. A bit cheesy, I know, but hey, that’s what was on my mind!
So, I’m sitting there, tossing these coins six times, one after the other. Each toss gives you a line, and the lines build up into a hexagram. Heads counts as 3, tails counts as 2. Then, You need to add the number and check it to decide it is Yin or Yang. The math part was a little confusing at first, but I got the hang of it.
- Heads = 3
- Tails = 2
You know I had to take notes on it.
- First Throw: Tails, Heads, Heads. 2+3+3=8, broken line (Yin)
- Second Throw: Heads, Heads, Heads. 3+3+3=9, solid line (Yang)
- Third Throw: Heads, Heads,Tails. 3+3+2=8, broken line (Yin)
- Forth Throw: Tails, Heads, Heads. 2+3+3=8, broken line (Yin)
- Fifth Throw: Tails, Tails, Heads. 2+2+3=7, solid line (Yang)
- Sixth Throw: Heads, Tails, Heads. 3+2+3=8, broken line (Yin)
Building the Hexagram
I carefully wrote down each line, starting from the bottom and working my way up. That’s how you build the hexagram, bottom to top. It felt kind of like building a little tower of lines. I ended up with one hexagram, and then, because some of my lines were “changing” lines (the ones with a 6 or a 9), I got a second hexagram too.
Reading the Results
Then came the hard part – figuring out what it all meant. I looked up my first hexagram in the book, reading through the text, the judgment, the image, all that stuff. It’s pretty dense reading, full of metaphors and ancient imagery. I had to read it a few times to even start to get a sense of it. The below is I got from I Ching:
- First Hexagram: #46. 升(Shēng)
- Second Hexagram:#11. 泰(Tài)
Making Sense of It All
I’m still trying to wrap my head around the interpretation. It’s not like getting a simple yes or no answer. It’s more about understanding the energies at play, the potential outcomes, and the advice the I Ching is offering. The first hexagram talked about upward movement, which sounds positive. The second one with the changing lines then It changes to a new hexagram which is about harmony and peace. It also talk about some challenges I might face.
Honestly, it’s all a bit mind-bending. But I find it strangely compelling. It makes you think, reflect, and look at things from a different perspective. I’m not sure I totally “believe” in it, but it’s definitely a fascinating way to explore a situation and tap into some, I don’t know, deeper wisdom? Anyway, I thought it was a pretty cool experiment, and I wanted to share how it went down. I’m going to keep playing around with it, see what else I can learn. Maybe I’ll even get better at understanding those cryptic messages!
