07 / 29 · China
Yarrow-Stalk I Ching
1Origin
2Prepare
吉Cast······
4Prediction
Before you begin
Know the tradition before you enter it
The oldest formal I Ching casting method repeatedly divides and counts stalks. Its slowness is part of the ritual.
古老的《易经》筮法，以分蓍、揲蓍和计数逐爻成卦。
蓍草占筮
CULTURAL DOSSIERYarrow-Stalk I Ching
- When did it emerge?
- Yarrow-stalk divination is tied to the Western Zhou world and the Zhou Changes, more than 2,500 years ago.
- What does it represent in China?
- It is one of the deepest ritual forms of the Book of Changes: repeated division and counting turns uncertainty into six numerical lines.
- Who developed or used it?
- Ancient tradition links the Changes to culture heroes and Zhou rulers, but modern scholarship treats the text and method as products of long collective development.
- What did practitioners actually do?
- A bundle traditionally counted as fifty stalks is divided through repeated operations to form values 6, 7, 8, or 9. The slowness is part of the contemplative discipline.
Historical noteThe exact modern procedure is a reconstruction from classical descriptions; it should not be sold as an untouched ritual from one named inventor.
How this experience works
Set aside a few quiet minutes. Complete six measured divisions, building the hexagram from below.
安静片刻，完成六轮分蓍，自下而上成卦。