I Ching
Interpreted by wu wei

The Yarrow Stalk Method

Fifty yarrow stalks are used. One is symbolically laid aside and plays the role of observer until your inquiry is completed. Because there is a spiritual value in laying aside the observer stalk, I always pick it up at the end of my inquiry and thank it for its participation, and I thank the venerable ancient sages for their presence and assistance.

The most important spiritual quality one can develop is that of reverence for all things. All That Is is aware of you, and your reverence shows that you are aware of All That Is.
Carefully follow the eleven steps of dividing the yarrow stalks.

1. Hold the bundle of 49 stalks in your left hand. Think about your question and the circumstances which gave rise to the question. If the question has to do with a person, visualize that person. If a problem is the subject of your inquiry, think about the various aspects of the problem. See in your mind’s eye the people or objects associated with the question. Close your eyes; hold the question in your mind.

2. With your right hand, grasp a portion of stalks from the bundle held in your left hand.

3. Place the bundle you have grasped in your right hand on the blanket and take from it one stalk.

4. Place that stalk between the little finger and ring finger of your left hand.

5. With your right hand, take bundles of four from the stalks remaining in your left hand until four or fewer stalks remain.

6. Place those four or fewer stalks between the ring finger and middle finger of your left hand.

7. Take the remaining stalks that were in your left hand and lay them down separately, retaining the stalks between your fingers.

8. Pick up the bundle of stalks that you first removed from your left hand and return that bundle to your left hand.

9. With your right hand, remove bundles of four until there are four or fewer stalks remaining.

10. Place those four or fewer stalks between your middle finger and your index finger and place the remaining stalks on the blanket, retaining the stalks placed between your fingers.

11. Count the stalks held between your fingers.

You must have either 9 or 5 stalks. If you have any number of stalks other than 9 or 5, you have either taken bundles of fours incorrectly, or you did not begin with the correct number of stalks. The various possibilities of stalks held between your fingers are:

As you can see, it is much more probable that you will obtain a five than a nine.
To the number 9 is assigned the numerical value of 2, and to the number 5 is assigned the numerical value of 3. Therefore, if your total number of stalks is 9, write the number 2 on your page as shown in the example on page 19, line 1 of the kua; if the total number of stalks is 5, write the number 3. Those 9 or 5 stalks are now laid aside for the time being.

Repeat steps 1 through 11.

When you have gone through the eleven steps the second time, you must have either 8 or 4 stalks remaining between your fingers. Any other number of stalks means you have manipulated the stalks incorrectly.
If you find that you have manipulated the stalks incorrectly, but you still hold the stalks between your fingers, restore the stalks to their respective bundles and count again. If you no longer hold the stalks between your fingers, you must repeat that division of the stalks, but just for that one operation; the first counting which resulted in 9 or 5 is still valid.
In the second grasping, the possible combinations of stalks held between your fingers are:

As you can see, the odds of obtaining 4 or 8 are equal. The 4 or 8 stalks are laid aside near the bundle of 9 or 5 stalks previously laid aside. To the number 8 is assigned the numerical value of 2. To the number 4 is assigned the numerical value of 3. Write the correct number alongside the first number you wrote.
Repeat steps one through eleven.
At the completion of this division of the yarrow stalks, you must either have a total of 4 or 8. Any other total means you have counted incorrectly. As in the last division, 8 = 2, and 4 = 3. Write the correct number alongside the other two numbers. All of the stalks, except for the observer stalk, may now be gathered together.
Total the three numbers you wrote. The result must be 6, 7, 8, or 9 as follows:
9 (2) + 8 (2) + 8 (2) = 6

5 (3) + 8 (2) + 8 (2) = 7
9 (2) + 8 (2) + 4 (3) = 7
9 (2) + 4 (3) + 8 (2) = 7

9 (2) + 4 (3) + 4 (3) = 8
5 (3) + 4 (3) + 8 (2) = 8
5 (3) + 8 (2) + 4 (3) = 8

5 (3) + 4 (3) = 4 (3) = 9

You now are able to record the first line of your kua, which is the bottom line. The following numbers yield the following lines.

The dots after the lines formed by the 6 and the 9 indicate that they are lines that move and should be taken into consideration in the answer to your question. Lines obtained with the numbers 7 or 8 are not to be taken into consideration in your answer.
Traditionally, to indicate that a line moves, an O was placed in the middle of a solid line and an X was placed in the middle of a broken line, but I found that practice to be sometimes confusing and so have adopted the method of placing a dot at the end of a line to indicate that it moves.
To obtain the other five lines, the above process is repeated five more times. Since the kua is built from the bottom up, when you record the numbers for each succeeding line, write them above the first three numbers from which the first line was obtained.
As you saw in the example, a line that is obtained with a 6 or a 9 changes into its opposite: divided lines into undivided lines and undivided lines into divided lines. The changing line or lines give rise to a new kua which shows what the situation will develop into or will further clarify the answer given in the first kua. None of the lines of the second kua are to be taken into consideration, not even the corresponding moving lines that were in the first kua, although all the lines should be read to understand the full meanings of the kua.
At first, the manipulation of the stalks to obtain a kua will take considerable time, but after a while the handling of the stalks becomes natural, and the process goes much faster. Be patient, perform the manipulation of the stalks correctly, record your results accurately, and you will find the results to be extremely gratifying and worthwhile.

 

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