HOW THE READING WORKS · FREE AND DEEP

Cast six lines. Ask one question. Read what it points to.

The core tool of The Hexagrams: you cast a hexagram with a virtual coin cup — six lines, three coins each — and an AI reading interprets that cast against your own question, not a random hexagram text.

Do a readingSee the pricing

What this is

The reading, in two tiers

Basic reading — free.

Your cast summary plus a short AI reading: what the hexagram says, what it points to in your question, and three suggestions.

Deep Reading — $4.99 one-time.

All six lines read one by one, the changed hexagram your moving lines point toward, and a closing that answers your question directly.

No account is required at any point. No subscription — every purchase is one payment.

One more thing you do not have to take on faith: the engine behind every cast is checked by an automated test battery — four suites, 117 calendar and chart assertions, from anchor charts to calendar edge cases — re-run on every engine change.

The homepage ritual: the opened tools with the hexagram tube, six line slots and the Shake button
The homepage ritual — the opened tools with the hexagram tube, six line slots, and the Shake button.

Step by step · cast → ask → read

The whole path, in order

Nothing is hidden behind an account or a tutorial — this is the entire sequence.

STEP ONECast your hexagram (homepage)

  1. Go to thehexagrams.com.
  2. Scroll to the casting tools. They sit behind closing wooden doors — click the seal ("Open the tools") or either door panel to open them.
  3. (Optional) On the way down, tap the 3D coin tube in the hero for a daily fortune slip — it shows a tier, a one-line message, and the draw date, with a "Cast a full hexagram" button into the ritual.
  4. Hold one question in mind. Click Shake (0/6) — one click builds one line, bottom to top. Each line is three simulated coin tosses:
    • 3 backs (tails) = Old Yang 9 — yang line, moving (××)
    • 2 backs = Young Yin 8 — yin line, settled
    • 1 back = Young Yang 7 — yang line, settled
    • 0 backs = Old Yin 6 — yin line, moving (××)
  5. Repeat until all six slots are filled (the button reads Shake (N/6) while casting, then "Casting complete — result below"). Start over clears the cup.
  6. After the 6th line the full-screen result modal opens: your hexagram, its name, and — if any lines are moving — the changed hexagram they turn into. Close it (✕ or Esc).
  7. The result bar now shows your hexagram ("Hexagram N of 64 · N changing lines"). Click "Get an AI reading about YOUR question" — this carries your cast into /reading/.
Manual entry alternative: the reading page also accepts a cast directly via URL — /reading/?cast=101010 (six 0/1 characters, bottom to top, 1 = yang). This is the path for hand-thrown yarrow stalks: compute your six lines yourself and enter them this way; the reading engine takes them the same.
The result modal after six lines are cast: the hexagram, its name and the changed hexagram
After the sixth line — the result modal with your hexagram and, when lines are moving, the changed hexagram they turn into.
The result bar showing the hexagram name and the Get an AI reading button
The result bar — the hexagram name plus the "Get an AI reading about YOUR question" button.

STEP TWOAsk your question (/reading/)

  1. Your cast summary appears automatically: the hexagram symbol, Chinese pinyin — Wilhelm name (Hexagram N of 64), a plain-English meaning, and meta (Palace · World line position). Click "See the full cast chart ▾" to expand the complete Najia table — every line's GanZhi, six relative, and 世/应 (world/response) marks, computed by the engine at build time.
  2. In "Ask about your cast", type your question — one matter, one question. The textarea's placeholder rotates through examples ("How does he truly feel about me?", "Should I take the new job offer?", "Is this the right year to move?").
  3. Optional: tap a scenario chip — nine ready-made full-sentence questions across love (Will we get back together? / Does he still love me? / When will I meet someone?), career (Should I change jobs? / Will I get the job?), money (Will I be rich? / Is this a good time to invest?) and life (Should I do it? / What does this year hold for me?). Tapping one fills the whole question into the box, ready to edit. Your question is truncated to 500 characters.
  4. Click Start Reading — it stays disabled until you type something.
The reading page: cast summary, the question box with topic chips and the Start Reading button
The /reading/ page — the cast summary, the question box with topic chips, and Start Reading.

STEP THREEWait through the ritual

  1. A brief breathing pause (~5 seconds): a taiji ring with "Breathe. Hold your question in mind." There is no skip button. If the reading is slow (>10s) the ring slows and the text becomes "Still reading your cast…".
The breathing transition: a taiji ring with the hold-your-question message
The breathing transition — a taiji ring. There is no skip button.

STEP FOURReveal — Basic reading (free)

  1. You get: a headline, then three blocks — What this hexagram says / What it points to in your question / Three suggestions — plus a one-line teaser for the deep reading. The "Your hexagram:" summary line stays visible above.
  2. A quota line at the top tracks your free allowance: "1 free AI reading left — no account needed". After a successful reveal it becomes "Your free reading is used — full reading $4.99". Failures do not consume it — you get a Retry Reading button and the quota stays.
  3. Below the reading: "Why you can trust this reading" (founder note, Najia engine claim), and the Basic vs Deep Reading comparison table.
The reveal: headline, the three free reading blocks and the deep reading teaser
The reveal — headline, the three free reading blocks, and the one-line deep reading teaser.

STEP FIVEUnlock Deep Reading — $4.99

The paywall: the Basic vs Deep comparison table and the Unlock Full Reading button
The paywall — the comparison table and the "Unlock Full Reading — $4.99" button.
  1. Click "Unlock Full Reading — $4.99". First time, the site asks for an email (receipt only; remembered in the browser after the first entry). Payment opens a hosted checkout (Subotiz) — your card never touches this site.
  2. After payment, the site confirms on a "Finishing your order" page (polls the payment desk, up to ~4 minutes) and returns you to /reading/?paid=reading_full with "Open your deep reading".
  3. The deep reading renders in the paywall area: headline, six line-by-line entries (each with its yao name + 2–4 sentences reading the line through its six relative / world / response / changing role), the changed hexagram (name + 3–4 sentences), a closing that answers your question, and the disclaimer "For entertainment and self-reflection only — not professional advice."
The deep reading panel: six line-by-line entries, the changed hexagram and the closing
The deep reading panel — six line-by-line entries, the changed hexagram, and the closing.

Free vs paid — the exact boundary

What stays free, what costs $4.99

Basic readingDeep Reading
PriceFree — 1 AI reading per browser$4.99, one time
What you getEngine cast summary + headline + 3 AI blocks + deep teaserAll 6 lines individually + changed hexagram + closing
QuotalocalStorage guest quota — exactly 1; only consumed on a successful reveal; Retry after failure is freeOwned after purchase: HMAC entitlement token stored in the browser (thx_ent_reading_full, valid 365 days); no login, no server account
Account neededNoNo
Server gateNone (basic API is open)POST /api/reading/deep returns 402 payment_required without a valid entitlement token in the X-Entitlement header
Region limitsNoneCheckout blocked for JP / TH / MX ("Payments are not available in your region yet.")
Refund / re-read—14-day refund; re-read the same chart with a new question free within 30 days (reply to delivery email)
Details verified in source
  • Free quota key guest-free-reading-v1 (used/free; free = 1). The count increments only after the reading renders successfully.
  • Question truncated to 500 chars; changing-line positions optional and validated (0–5, deduplicated).
  • AI fact discipline: the server computes a deterministic Najia fact pack (hexagram name, palace, world/response lines, each line's GanZhi / six relative / changing marks, changed hexagram) and the LLM is hard-forbidden from inventing any fact — it may only cite the pack. Emotional / health / medical questions must include an explicit "not advice" statement in the output.
  • Payments: one-time hosted checkout; webhook is only a signal — the authoritative paid check is a server-side reversal of the session, then an HMAC token is issued (payload orderNo.product.exp, signature verified on every deep-reading request).

A straight answer

"Hints" and admin access — verified status

There is no hint button and no admin panel in this tool. The only hint-like elements are helper copy ("Write the one question this cast is about…") and the rotating placeholder questions. The only privileged access is a developer-only local bypass: requests from localhost / private LAN IPs skip the entitlement gate (lib/payments.ts → isLocalRequest), which is how development and browser-automation testing work. On the live domain this never matches — every real user goes through checkout.

Common questions

Asked before you buy

Do I need an account?

No. The free reading and the paid deep reading both work without one; purchases are tied to the email given at checkout (receipt + restore).

My free reading is gone — do I pay for the basic one?

The free tier is one AI reading per browser. After that, the Basic summary that includes the engine data stays visible for any new cast, but the AI three-block reading requires the $4.99 unlock.

What if the reading fails?

A failure returns you to the question box with Retry Reading and does not consume your free quota. Timeouts (30s API limit) and malformed responses all fall into this path.

Can I cast again for the same question?

Yes — re-cast on the homepage (Start over → shake again). The site deliberately does not re-cast for you or hide an unfavorable draw.

Is the BaZi chart part of this reading?

No — that is the separate BaZi tool at /bazi/.

That is the whole tool

Six lines, one question, one reading

Free is one AI reading per browser. The full six-line Deep Reading is $4.99, one time — no account, no subscription, 14-day refund.

For entertainment and self-reflection only — not professional advice.

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