I Ching: Study a Changing Hexagram

Step 1: Perform divination. Perform milfoil (yarrow stalk) divination. Record the resulting hexagram and any changing-line texts. Step 2: Identify changes in the six-line hexagram. Note the original hexagram (primary hexagram). Note the transformed hexagram (changed hexagram). Example: Guan changes to Pi. Step 3: Analyze the hexagram's meaning. Read relevant text. Example: "Observing the glory of the state, it is beneficial to be a guest of the king." Step 4: Apply the interpretive framework. Place of manifestation: Will it appear here (this state)? Or in another state (foreign land)? Time of fulfillment: Within this person's lifetime? Or their descendants? Clan attribution: Determine the future ruling family of the state. Example: the Jiang clan = descendants of Taiyue. Step 5: Apply the principle of balance. "Things cannot all be excellent." When one state rises, another must decline. The decline of the original state may create conditions for descendants in other regions to rise.