I Ching yes or no: is this hexagram telling you to go, or to wait?

Start by asking "should I?"

A yes or no question for the I Ching needs three things: one situation, an action you can actually take, and a time frame. "Should I sign this partnership contract this month?" can be read. "Will this be a lucky year for me?" gives the hexagram no direction to point in.

If you have not cast yet, use the three-coin method first. Write down the primary hexagram, which describes the situation now, and note any changing lines, the lines that are in motion.

Three bands: go ahead, hold off, wait

As you read, ask one question: is the situation this hexagram describes open, blocked, or not yet formed?

• Go ahead: the image is one of flow, rising or release. Acting moves with the situation.
• Hold off: the image is one of blockage, danger or retreat. Pushing now works against the current.
• Wait: the image is one of stopping, beginnings or unfinished business. The direction is not bad, but the timing is not there yet.

Eight common hexagrams and which way they lean

Leaning toward go ahead

• Hexagram 1, The Creative: strong and upward. A good time to take the initiative and lead. The one caution is not to overreach, since things going well is exactly when people overpromise.
• Hexagram 11, Peace: heaven and earth are in contact, and both sides are willing. Partnerships and relationships move smoothly. Push forward while it lasts.
• Hexagram 40, Deliverance: what was stuck is starting to loosen. The text says that if there is somewhere to go, going early brings good fortune. If you are going to act, act soon, before the opening closes again.

Leaning toward hold off

• Hexagram 12, Standstill: top and bottom are not talking. What you say is not getting through. You are not necessarily wrong, but pushing now only widens the gap.
• Hexagram 39, Obstruction: danger ahead and hard ground underfoot. Stop, get advice, fill in what you are missing. Do not force your way through.
• Hexagram 33, Retreat: a time to step back. Retreat here is not defeat. It protects you so you can return from a better position.

Leaning toward wait

• Hexagram 52, Keeping Still: stop. Pause what you are doing and look clearly first. In this hexagram, not moving is the answer.
• Hexagram 64, Before Completion: the job is not finished, and the last step is still a little short. The direction is fine, but wrapping up now would undo the work. Fill in what is missing first.

How changing lines shift the answer

Any toss that comes up 6 (old yin) or 9 (old yang) is a changing line. Flip those lines and you get a second hexagram. The primary hexagram speaks to now, and the second speaks to where things are heading. Read them together:

• No changing lines: the answer is fairly settled. Go with the lean of the primary hexagram.
• Primary says go, second says hold off: you can act, but the good conditions will not last. Move quickly and leave yourself a way out.
• Primary says hold off, second says go: not now, but the situation is turning. Wait, or use the time to prepare.
• Many changing lines: the situation itself is unstable. Unless you truly have to act, lean toward waiting.

With a single changing line, that line's text is usually the key to the answer. Peace normally leans toward go ahead, but if its top line is the changing one, the text speaks of a city wall falling back into its moat: good times have peaked and are starting to turn.

A worked example

Question: "Should I sign this partnership contract this month?"

The cast gives Peace, with the top line as old yin. Peace says both sides are willing and the talks can work, so the lean is go ahead. The changing top line adds that this easy stretch will not last forever. Put together: sign, but spell out exit terms and payment milestones in the contract. Do not skip those clauses just because the conversations feel good right now.

Frequently asked questions

Can the I Ching really answer yes or no?

At heart the I Ching describes situations and change rather than true-or-false questions. Reading it as go ahead, hold off or wait draws a direction out of the situation. The decision stays with you.

My hexagram is not one of these eight. What now?

Look it up in the I Ching hexagram index, read its overall meaning, and then ask whether the situation it describes is open, blocked or not yet formed. That tells you which band it falls in.

Can I cast the I Ching online in LifeOs?

Not yet. The LifeOs reading desk currently offers tarot, so you could put the same question to yes or no tarot. For the I Ching, cast by hand using this page and the casting guide.

I cast twice on the same question and got different answers.

Go with the first cast. By the second, you were probably already hoping for a particular answer, and that hope is more worth looking at than the second hexagram.