Finding Guidance Through I-Ching Using Coins

I used to have an I-Ching set.

Then, a "friend" borrowed it and never returned it. No, Z, I haven't forgotten. People make my blood pressure rise lol.

Anyway, as I've explored Human Design (HD uses I-Ching for the gates), it has peaked my interest in the I-Ching again and I was thankful when Baeth from Align to Your Design posted a podcast featuring Mindy Mayhew showing how you can access the guidance of I-Ching with the use of a three coins (I use pennies). 

Watch the Podcast

How does that work?

I'll break it down below but be sure to watch the podcast for a more in-depth explanation. Some of it can sound complicated but when you see it broken down by Mindy, it makes sense.

1. Grab 3 coins
2. Heads = 3 and Tails = 2
3. Write the numbers 1-6 on a piece of paper starting with 6. Exactly below the 6 write 5, then exactly below 5 you write 4 and so on to create a column of numbers going down your page ending with 1 at the very bottom. 
4. Take your 3 coins and drop them on to your desk/table.
5. You will see that you have some combination of heads and tails. Any of the heads will be counted as 3 and any tails as 2, add the numbers up and write the number next to #1 at the bottom of your page. Ex. 2 heads and 1 tails = 8. 3 (head) + 3(head) + 2 (tail) = 8 total.
6. Repeat this process for line number 2, then line 3, and so on until all 6 lines have a number. 
7. Circle and 6's or 9s. We'll come back to those later.
8. Now, add your lines. Odd numbers are a Solid line ------------ and even numbers are a dashed line ------  ------. 
9. What you will now have is a full I-Ching hexagram. That you can look up here on the provided chart. Lines 6,5, and 4 make the Upper Trigram and lines 3,2, and 1 make the Lower Trigram. 
10. Write down which number of hexagram you have and click on it to read it.
11. Now, if you had a 6 or a 9 that you circled before, these are considered changing lines. Your initial hexagram is still your main guidance BUT now you can switch the lines of the 6's and 9's to their opposites, go to your new hexagram, scroll down and read the lines that changed to gain more insight. I know that sounds complicated but it isn't if you watch the podcast, they show you what to do. 

Watch the Podcast

Today I rolled hexagram 47.

Hexagram 47 represents Oppression. 

"Times of great loss or personal failure can break some people, but the strong of heart are able to bend with their fate. To endure hard times—or even benefit from them—you are called upon to tap the deepest stratum of your identity, which is stronger than fate and incorruptible by even the harshest realities. During hard times, it is especially essential to tap that wellspring of human endurance: hope."

"For those who dare to live fully and completely, failure—the final taboo in modern society—is but one part of the inevitable cycle of life’s up and downs. To never fail is to fail in the biggest way. By avoiding risk altogether, one will always fall far short of what might have been."
​- Divination.com

I've had to bend A LOT to survive. So much so, at times I've felt broken and wondered if that broken feeling would ever go away. Often people will find that they role a hexagram for their human design gates. Even though failure has been a huge theme in my life, I don't have gate 47.

I am, however, a 3/5. That 3 in my human design profile is called the Martyr. Or, more affectionally known as The Adventurer. As a 3, I'm here to fail and fail often. It's my design. Combine that with my Incarnation Cross of the Right Angle of the Sleeping Phoenix, I'm here to fail in relationships, die (metaphorically), and be reborn again. I'm tired just reading that but there's more. My profile is the 3/5. 5's are within the projection field. Meaning, 5's either project onto others, have others project on to them, or both. For the 3/5, people project onto us. So, I always get the blame, haha. Good times!

Read more about the 3/5 here.

Instagram user aligned_by_design writes: 
​"The 3/5 profile is constantly being burned at the stake."

And people wonder why I enjoy alone time and avoid relationships...

One last note the line 3:
​"You learn by trial and error. While this may sound negative, it truly leads you down a path that is correct for you. Carrying this energy means you are very resilient and can morph and change rather easily. The more you lean into this energy, the more powerful it becomes. While society may not be set up for those of us who are constantly trying and 'failing', it is the way forward for third lines, as you then get to share about what you've learned on your ‘travels’." via ProjectorMovement

Enough of that, back to I-Ching.

When I rolled that hexagram 47, I had two 9s show up, one on line 4 and one on line 5. So, I switched their lines from solid to dashed to create my new hexagram, 7. Hexagram 7 in NOT my guidance but, the lines where I had 9's are. So, I went to hexagram 7 (which represents Organized Discipline)  and scrolled down to lines 4 and 5 for my additional guidance. ​

Line 4 says:
"A strategic retreat is called for. This is not a final defeat but an opportunity to gain strength by removing yourself from the field of conflict. Retreat is a disciplined disengagement from all response into neutrality, accepting the situation as it is." ​- Divination.com

And, Line 5:
​"It is time to resist an invasive force. Strengthen your position by making sure that relationships and roles are in alignment as they should be. Do not allow your defense of the boundaries to deteriorate into a free-for-all, which would only make things worse. Wise leadership is called for now. When in combat, those who are experienced should lead; all others should just be supportive." ​- Divination.com

I found so much hope from my reading today.

I've been in a winter so to speak. I've experienced many of these winters in my life. And, as nice as it is to have time to rest and reset, it's also challenging because I'm ready to start the next chapter of my life. I have HUGE plans. And, I'm so excited about them. But, I did just endure a great loss. And, now, like hexagram 47 says, I need to bend and embrace hope to get through this winter.