The yarrow stalk method (蓍草法 shī cǎo fǎ) is the oldest and most revered technique for consulting the Yi Jing. Documented in the Xici Zhuan (系辞传, "Commentary on the Appended Statements"), this method has been practiced for well over two thousand years. It is slow, meditative, and mathematically elegant -- producing an unequal probability distribution that distinguishes it from every other divination method. Many serious practitioners consider it the only "true" method, though this is a matter of tradition rather than doctrine. In this lesson, you will learn the complete yarrow stalk procedure, step by step, and understand the mathematics that make it unique.
Overlap note: For advanced study of multiple divination methods compared in depth, see the Yi Jing Divination Methods (易经占卜) course, which devotes full modules to each method including historical variants and regional adaptations.