The Standard Yarrow Stalk Count - Part 1: The Initial Setup & First Operation
Having prepared your sacred space, your tools, and your mind, you are now ready to engage with the yarrow stalks in the traditional counting method. This process, while intricate, is deeply rewarding and forms the core of this ancient divination art. The standard method involves three distinct "operations" or "counts" for each line of the hexagram. This article will guide you through the initial setup and the first of these three operations.
Remember, the hexagram is built from the bottom up, so the first full cycle of three operations will yield the bottom-most line.
- Begin with Fifty Stalks: Place your bundle of fifty yarrow stalks before you on your divination surface.
- Set One Stalk Aside (The Taiji): From these fifty stalks, take one single stalk and set it reverently aside. This stalk plays no further part in the counting process. It is often placed in a special holder or simply laid apart from the working stalks.
- Symbolism: This single stalk is highly symbolic. It is often said to represent the Taiji (太極) – the Great Ultimate, the primordial Oneness from which Yin and Yang, and indeed all of manifest creation, emerge. By setting it aside, you acknowledge this ultimate source before engaging with the interplay of forces represented by the remaining stalks.
The Ten Wings (commentaries on the I Ching) explain that the initial fifty stalks represent a balanced proportion of yin and yang. Removing one leaves forty-nine, a number rich in numerological significance (7x7), to be used in the active divination.
You now have 49 stalks with which to begin the first operation for the first line of your hexagram.
The entire process you are about to undertake (which will be detailed across this article and the next) – involving three distinct counting operations – is performed to determine the nature of a single line of the hexagram. This entire sequence will be repeated six times to build the complete six-line hexagram.
This first operation involves dividing the 49 stalks, taking a symbolic stalk, and then counting out remainders. Follow these steps carefully:
Step 1: Divide the 49 Stalks (Heaven and Earth)
- With your 49 stalks before you, use your right hand to randomly divide the pile into two smaller portions. Do this without consciously counting or trying to make them even.
- Place one portion to your left and the other to your right.
- Symbolism: The left pile is often said to represent Heaven (Yang), and the right pile Earth (Yin), or vice-versa depending on the specific tradition followed. The act of division itself represents the initial differentiation of the One into the Two. Your source material mentions one bundle symbolically placed atop a vertical stalk for Heaven, and the other below for Earth. You can adapt this by simply designating left and right.
- From the right-hand pile (or the "Earth" pile if you've designated them as such), take one single stalk.
- Place this stalk between the little finger and ring finger of your left hand.
- Symbolism: This single stalk is often said to represent Man, standing between Heaven and Earth. It can also symbolize your own qi (vital energy) or your focused question, integrating the diviner into the cosmic process.
Step 3: Count the Left-Hand Pile by Fours
- Now, turn your attention to the left-hand pile of stalks.
- Using your right hand, count out the stalks from this left-hand pile in groups of four. Continue doing this until you have a remainder of either 4, 3, 2, or 1 stalk(s).
- If, after counting by fours, exactly four stalks remain, this counts as a remainder of 4.
- Take this remainder (1, 2, 3, or 4 stalks) and place it between the ring finger and middle finger of your left hand.
Step 4: Count the Right-Hand Pile by Fours
- Now, turn to the right-hand pile (from which you already removed one stalk in Step 2).
- Using your right hand, count out the stalks from this pile in groups of four. Continue until you have a remainder of either 4, 3, 2, or 1 stalk(s).
- Again, if exactly four stalks remain, this counts as a remainder of 4.
- Take this remainder (1, 2, 3, or 4 stalks) and place it between the middle finger and index finger of your left hand.
Step 5: Collect the First Remainder Pile
- You should now have three small groups of stalks held between the fingers of your left hand:
- The single stalk taken in Step 2 (between little and ring finger).
- The remainder from the left pile (Step 3, between ring and middle finger).
- The remainder from the right pile (Step 4, between middle and index finger).
- Carefully gather these three groups of stalks together. This combined group forms your first remainder pile for the current hexagram line.
- Crucially, for this first operation of any line, the total number of stalks in this first remainder pile will always be either 5 or 9.
- (1 + 4 + 4 = 9) or (1 + 3 + 1 = 5) or (1 + 1 + 3 = 5) etc. There are various combinations, but the sum will be 5 or 9.
- Set this first remainder pile (of 5 or 9 stalks) aside, separate from the main stalks.
4. Gather the Remaining Stalks for the Next Operation
The stalks that were counted out in groups of four from both the left and right piles (i.e., those not included in the remainder pile you just set aside) are now gathered together.
These stalks (which will total either 44 if your remainder was 5, or 40 if your remainder was 9) will be used for the second operation.
You have now completed the first of three operations needed to determine the nature of the first (bottom) line of your hexagram. This process may seem complex initially, but with practice, it becomes a flowing, meditative rhythm.
In the next article, "Article 5: The Standard Yarrow Stalk Count - Part 2: Second & Third Operations, and Determining the Line," we will continue with the second and third operations using the stalks you've just gathered, and then explain how the three resulting remainder piles determine the actual line type.