| # Yarrow Stalk Method | |
| A. Preparation | |
| 1. Take 50 yarrow stalks in hand | |
| 2. Set one aside. I place it in the distance in the center of the table | |
| and use it as a bridge to lay out the final groups | |
| B. Step 1 of 3 | |
| 1. Focus your mind on the question posed to the oracle | |
| 2. Fan out the remaining stalks in left hand | |
| 3. Quickly grab a portion into the right hand | |
| 4. Take one stalk from right hand and put it between pinky and ring | |
| finger of your left hand. | |
| 5. Place remaining right-hand bundle down to the right of the table | |
| 6. Left Reduction Sequence: | |
| - Remove 4 yarrow stalks from your left hand and place them to the | |
| left of the table. | |
| - Repeat the removal of 4 yarrow stalks until there are 4 or fewer | |
| remaining in the left hand | |
| - Place the remaining yarrow stalks between your left ring finger and | |
| middle finger. | |
| 7. Pick up the pile on the right of the table and place in left hand | |
| 8. Right Reduction Sequence: | |
| - Remove 4 yarrow stalks from your left hand and place them to the | |
| right of the table | |
| - Repeat the removal of 4 yarrow stalks until there are 4 or fewer | |
| remaining in the left hand | |
| - Place the remaining yarrow stalks between your middle finger and | |
| index finger | |
| 9. Take the stalks from between your fingers and lay the group, together, | |
| on the left side of the first discarded stalk. If this is the first set | |
| of reductions for this line, set the extra pinky/ring finger stalk to | |
| the side of the center stick. Don't include it in future gatherings and | |
| don't count it as part of that set. | |
| Check your work: Your pile will have either 4 or 8 stalks. | |
| C. Step 2 of 3 | |
| 1. Focus your mind on the question posed to the oracle | |
| 2. Gather the yarrow stalks from the left and right sides of the table | |
| back into your left hand. | |
| 3. Fan out the stalks in the left hand | |
| 4. Quickly grab a portion into the right hand | |
| 5. Take one stalk from right hand and put it between pinky and ring finger | |
| of your left hand. | |
| 6. Place remaining right-hand bundle down to the right of the table | |
| 7. Left Reduction Sequence: | |
| - Remove 4 yarrow stalks from your left hand and place them to the left | |
| of the table. | |
| - Repeat the removal of 4 yarrow stalks until there are 4 or fewer | |
| remaining in the left hand | |
| - Place the remaining yarrow stalks between your left ring finger and | |
| middle finger. | |
| 8. Pick up the pile on the right of the table and place in left hand | |
| 9. Right Reduction Sequence: | |
| - Remove 4 yarrow stalks from your left hand and place them to the | |
| right of the table | |
| - Repeat the removal of 4 yarrow stalks until there are 4 or fewer | |
| remaining in the left hand | |
| - Place the remaining yarrow stalks between your middle finger and | |
| index finger | |
| 10. Take all the stalks from between your fingers and lay the group, | |
| together, in the center of the first discarded stalk. | |
| Check your work: Your second pile will either have 4 or 8 stalks. | |
| D. Step 3 of 3 | |
| 1. Repeat the same actions from Step 2 of 3 | |
| 2. Place the final pile on the right of the first discarded stalk. | |
| Check your work: Your third pile will either have 4 or 8 stalks. | |
| E. Calculate the line of the hexagram | |
| 1. Each pile of 4 is worth 2 points. Each pile of 8 is worth 3 points. | |
| 2. Add the total points together for each of the 3 piles. | |
| 6 points = Changing Yang => Solid becomes Broken | |
| 7 points = Unchanging Yin => Broken remains Broken | |
| 8 points = Unchanging Yang => Solid remains Solid | |
| 9 points = Changing Yin => Broken becomes Solid | |
| 3. Draw your lines of the hexigram from the bottom to the top. | |
| 4. Gather all the 49 stalks back together and begin again | |
| 5. Repeat all steps until you have completed the 6 lines of the hexigram | |
| 6. Look up the hexigram and its changed form |