Reading service FAQ

Giving readings – full, deep-dive readings that really do justice to the Yijing and the person asking the question, the kind of reading I enjoy – takes a lot of energy. Some years ago, I used to have the ‘open’ sign up all the time, all year round, and I became so exhausted I actually stopped giving readings altogether for over a year.

So nowadays I’m much more cautious: I’m only sometimes open, and only for a limited number of people. I’m finding this works well, and I have the time and energy I need to dedicate to each reading and client.

No, not at all.

I will ask you to cast your own reading, just so there’s no doubt in your mind at all that it is your reading. But you don’t need any prior knowledge to do this: you can simply use the online I Ching here at Clarity, where you just click a button to cast your hexagram. (Or if you prefer, I’ll walk you through casting a hexagram with three coins. It’s remarkably quick and easy – only takes a few minutes.)

I’d recommend you ask just one. We’ll spend our opening call discovering that core question.

Asking a single, carefully-chosen question lends focus and clarity to the reading. It’s been my experience that an answer to a single core question sometimes answers other questions at the same time. So… it makes sense to ask a single question, spend time with the reading, and then see whether there are other things to ask.

If you do want to ask a follow-up question, we can discuss it during one of our ‘integration’ calls.

I find there are a couple of reasons why I say ‘I can’t afford it’. One is that I literally don’t have that much money after paying for basic necessities; the other is that even though I have the money, I have different priorities for spending it.

So… if you’re not sure what priority to give to an I Ching reading – and I agree, it’s not easy to categorise – might I suggest you try one and see? Remember, there is an unconditional guarantee: if you’re not profoundly helped by the experience, if you feel your money could have been better spent, you can simply reclaim it – and spend it better.

And if you just don’t have the funds for a reading, there are still ways I can help you:

• I wrote a book with an in-depth introduction to conversation with the I Ching, along with the core of my ideas on each hexagram and line. That’s a good place to start. (Actually, you can get free access to some excerpts from its text via Clarity’s free online I Ching.)
• Change Circle is a private community whose members help one another out with readings. I’m a regular participant there, though the other members are so helpful you probably won’t need me.
• If you’re looking just for insight and a fresh perspective rather than a full, in-depth reading, you might prefer an I Ching chat.
• If you’re stuck, please do get in touch with me, and hopefully we can work something out.

Yes.

To help me be of better service, I may discuss your reading in confidence with my own close support network. I will only ever do so anonymously, and will never disclose any personally identifiable details about your situation.

Yes. It’s actually more secure than it would be in many ordering situations offline – for instance when you hand your card to a waiter at a restaurant. When placing an order at Clarity, you’ll only be asked for your card details once you’re on a secure, encrypted web page. In fact, although the experience is seamless, at this point you will have been transferred to a secure payment provider, either Paypal or Worldpay: big, resourceful firms, specialists in keeping card details secure. No system at Clarity ever sees – much less stores – your card details.