You can represent the pattern of changing lines in two opposite and complementary ways: by drawing each changing line as yang, and each unchanging line as yin, or vice versa – representing the change as an open space, as yin, and the unchanging lines as yang. The yang pattern (changing lines shown as yang) I find shows the ‘gateway in’ to a reading: it often captures the moment of asking the question in some way. And the yin pattern (changing lines shown as yin) shows the ‘gateway out’ from the reading, the way through and beyond it. It can show a way the reading might be put into action – and as such, it can be a source of advice.

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The Patterns of Change

The Patterns of Change consist of a pair of complementary hexagrams. They're also referred to as change operators by Stephen Karcher, who's done the most work in developing them as part of his extensive interpreter's toolkit. The Yin Pattern is created by replacing each changing line with a broken line, and each unchanging line with an unbroken line. The broken lines represent the spaces that are open for change - fertile ground for transformation - while the unbroken lines represent persistence. So if lines 1 and 4 are changing, this generates a Yin Pattern of Change of Hexagram 57, Gently Penetrating.


This hexagram provides a general picture of how (or by what means) the situation may change - the landscape that defines the scope for change, or how you might move in order to open new space for change. It has the feel of a 'gate' through which you might go out from the reading.

The Yang Pattern of Change is simply the opposite of this, formed by replacing each moving line with an unbroken line, and each stable line with a broken one. So with lines 1 and 4 moving, the Yang Pattern of Change is Hexagram 51, Arousing:

Here the unbroken lines represent how change acts, and the broken ones represent unchanging form. This provides a more dynamic picture of the pattern of change at work in the situation. It might feel like a gate through which you enter the reading.

You might also be interested in the 'hexagrams of context' for a reading.

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mryou1 said:

I used to use this process all the time. Kinda got out of the habit of it though. I find it easier to deal with 2 hexagrams and try to figure out the broad meaning from there, than three hexagrams.

Though it does help me consolidate the meaning of various lines, which can be difficult when there are a few.

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mryou1 said:

The only problem I have trojan with getting yin lines out of what changes is that the whole reason you would get the yang lines is that it's based on binary, specifically an XOR process. There's no mathematical basis, as far as I can tell, for getting the "Yin Power of Change". But it is interesting I suppose. I'll have to try to apply it sometime.

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