THREE-COIN CASTING GUIDE
How to cast the I Ching with three coins.
You do not need antique coins. You need three coins, one specific question, and a consistent record of six casts.
Build from the bottom upward. Each toss creates one line, and the same recorded coin result must determine both the visible line and whether it changes.
Before you begin
Choose three ordinary coins and decide which visible side will be the face and which will be the back. In the common three-coin method, face is assigned 3 and back is assigned 2. Consistency matters more than which physical design you call the face.
Take a moment to hold your question in mind. Ask about one real situation rather than several unrelated topics. You can speak the question quietly or repeat it inwardly while casting.
The six casts, step by step
- 1
Toss all three coins together.
- 2
Record the three visible sides exactly as they land.
- 3
Add their values: each face is 3 and each back is 2.
- 4
Write the first result as line 1—the bottom line.
- 5
Repeat the same process until you have six lines.
- 6
Read the completed figure from line 1 at the bottom to line 6 at the top.
How the coin totals become lines
Broken line that changes to yang
Unbroken, stable yang line
Broken, stable yin line
Unbroken line that changes to yin
For example, face–face–back gives 3 + 3 + 2 = 8, a young yin line. Three faces give 9, an old yang line. The 6 and 9 results are the changing lines that create the resulting hexagram.
Why the result should be decided before the animation
In a digital cast, the three coin faces should be generated and stored before the animation begins. The animation then shows that exact result. It should never produce one visual combination while recording a different line behind the scenes.
Stillpoint follows this result-driven approach: the coin display, numeric total, line type, original hexagram, and changing hexagram all come from one stored cast.
After the sixth cast
The six lines name an original hexagram. Any 6 or 9 lines change to create a resulting hexagram. A general I Ching reading can begin there; a Liu Yao reading also uses the casting time, Na Jia, Self and Other, Six Relations, seasonal strength, hidden spirits, and the subject of your question.