Liu Yao Casting Method
The Coin Method
You need three coins. All coins must be the same. Older coins carry more energy. The coins should not be new or damaged.
Preparation
Sit quietly. Clear your mind. Focus on one specific question. Do not ask about the general future. Ask about a specific event or decision. Write your question down.
The Casting
Hold the three coins in both hands. Visualize your question. Shake the coins over your palm. Drop them on a flat surface. Record the result. Repeat six times. Each toss creates one line, from bottom to top.
Counting the Lines
Three heads (no yin face): old yang (moving line). Three tails (no head face): old yin (moving line). Two heads one tail: young yang. Two tails one head: young yin. Record each result from first toss to sixth.
The Result
Your six lines form the primary hexagram. Moving lines transform, creating the secondary hexagram. Together they reveal the full story of your question.
"Six tosses, six layers of the universe speaking. Listen carefully."
How to Cast Liu Yao
Liu Yao is cast using three coins. Toss all three simultaneously six times, recording each result from bottom to top to form your hexagram. Heads shows yang (marked as 9 or 6 if moving). Tails shows yin (marked as 8 or 7). Six lines from bottom to top create your six-line figure (鍏埢). The arrangement of these lines determines the hexagram. The specific lines that move (change) are especially significant and reveal the dynamic element of your question.
Reading Liu Yao Results
After casting, identify the hexagram by its line pattern. Then find the corresponding traditional interpretation. Moving lines indicate change and are read first. Static lines indicate stable conditions. The relationship between your hexagram and the specific question determines the answer. Liu Yao readings can address love, career, health, lost items, travel, legal matters and business decisions. Each question type uses a specific 'world line' (鐢ㄧ) to interpret the result.
Liu Yao for Love
For love questions, the 'world line' is the spouse line (瀹橀 for women, 濡昏储 for men). The strength, position and movement of this line reveals the relationship status. A strong, unchanging spouse line indicates stability. A moving spouse line indicates change. A clashing spouse line indicates conflict. Multiple spouse lines indicate complexity. Liu Yao provides unusually specific insight into romantic situations when cast properly and read with experience.
Liu Yao for Wealth
For wealth questions, the 'world line' is the wealth line (濡昏储). Its strength and position reveal earning potential. A strong wealth line indicates abundant income. A weak wealth line indicates financial challenges. A wealth line being generated by the parent line indicates income through established structures. A wealth line overcoming the self line indicates profit through effort. Understanding these relationships allows precise financial guidance from a single hexagram casting.
Liu Yao Ethics
Liu Yao should be used responsibly. Do not cast repeatedly for the same question within a short time frame. Repeated casting creates confusion and unreliable results. Cast once, read the result with attention, and accept the guidance. Liu Yao is a tool for awareness, not a mechanism for controlling outcomes. The reading reveals the current energy of a situation. Your response to that awareness determines what happens next.