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What is an I Ching Qi Gua reading, and when should you use one?
The I Ching is the oldest of the systems Howard practises and the most direct: you ask, it answers. Here's what actually happens in a reading, when it's the right tool, and when it isn't.
An I Ching Qi Gua reading answers one specific question. You phrase the question clearly, the consultant casts a hexagram of six lines, notes which lines are moving, and reads the hexagram, the moving lines and the hexagram they change into. The answer is a direction (go, wait, not this way), with reasoning. It suits single decisions with a deadline. It doesn't replace a BaZi reading for understanding yourself over time, and it isn't medical, financial or legal advice.
The I Ching in one paragraph
The I Ching, or Book of Changes, is a system of 64 hexagrams. Each hexagram is six lines, each line either solid (yang) or broken (yin). Each hexagram describes a situation and how it tends to develop. Casting a hexagram for a question (Qi Gua, 起卦) is a way of asking: in the situation I'm in, what's the shape of things and which way are they moving?
Step one: the question
Everything depends on this. A vague question produces a vague reading. Howard spends the first part of every I Ching consultation helping you turn “what should I do about the business” into something like “should I renew the lease on this unit for another two years, or move by March?”. The second question can be answered. The first can't.
Step two: the cast
Howard casts using traditional methods to produce six lines, bottom to top. Some lines come up as moving lines: lines that are about to change from yin to yang or the reverse. The hexagram you get is the situation now. The moving lines are where it's unstable. The hexagram it changes into is where things are heading if the movement completes.
Step three: the reading
Howard reads all three: the primary hexagram, the moving lines and the changed hexagram, in the context of your question. He tells you what they say in plain language, including when the answer is “wait” or “not this way”, and shows you the reasoning so you can see how he got there. You get a short written note afterwards.
When the I Ching is the right tool
- One decision, with a deadline: sign or don't, move or stay, launch now or later.
- You've gone back and forth and need an outside reading of the situation.
- You want to check whether the cause of a problem is where you think it is.
- You need an answer in days, not weeks.
When BaZi is the better tool
If the question is really about you over time (what kind of work suits me, why do the same patterns repeat, what are the next few years like), that's a BaZi reading, which reads your whole birth chart and its cycles. Many clients use both: BaZi to understand the terrain, the I Ching for the next step.
What it won't do
The I Ching gives direction, not guarantees. It won't tell you lottery numbers, diagnose an illness or replace a lawyer. Howard won't dress it up as something it isn't, and he won't answer questions that belong with a doctor, a financial adviser or a legal professional. He will tell you when to see one.
How to book
Write your question as plainly as you can and send it on WhatsApp. The first 15 minutes are free and that's usually enough to sharpen the question and confirm the fee. Details of the I Ching reading.