Three thousand years of people throwing coins at a question — and the interesting part is not whether it works.
Why this is hard
You ask a question, you throw, and a figure comes up. Then you read a short, ambiguous text and find yourself in it. Something happens in that finding, whether or not the throw knew anything.
1 of 3
The question does most of the work.
Because a vague question returns a vague answer; you supply the meaning.
You spend longer writing the question than reading the answer.
2 of 3
Don't ask about a decision already made.
Because you'll read the throw as confirmation.
You notice you're hoping for a particular answer, and you stop.
3 of 3
The subject is change.
Because every figure reads a situation in motion, not a fixed outcome.
You get the shape you're in rather than instructions.
The practice
Ask one real question this week. Write it out in full before you throw anything.
It is an oracle, not a game: no board, no progress, no ending. Each consultation stands alone.
The Book of Changes, written from roughly the ninth century BC.