Even though there are some old topics for different rules of Liu Yao/WWG(working with the lines directly), the basic rules are still difficult to be found. Books about that are very few, calculators are also very few and either payed or in Chinese, so seems good idea to post some of the foundation rules for working with the lines.
Will start with the Palaces. That is the first step that we base everything on after.
While there are differences in the way we read the Lines after we assign them, in different practitioners and schools, the assignments are almost always the same for the branches/family relations etc.
First thing that everything else is based on later is the element of the Hexagram.
To find its element we use the 8 Palaces.
That we can see in Wilhelm's translation(needs to be full edition however), in there in Appendixes we can see:
II. The Hexagrams Arranged by Houses
So the idea here is that each "House" will be the element all Hexagrams in it will inherit.
And if we look how it works, we can see all of them start with the same Trigram for Heaven and Earth(upper and lower) , then we have lines changing one by one, going up to 5th.
All this isn't explained in Wilhelm's texts, however we can see it here:
https://www.biroco.com/yijing/eh.pdf
On the Page 5 is the arrangement we use(there are other arrangment, this one is the one used in practice).
Now, there is more to it then it seems. If we look how the lines move, first one line is moving to Heaven and that is happening generation by generation(the type of Hexagram). As soon as it gets near the top however, it changes direction and moves down. That we call wondering spirit and suggest the situation is showing a moment of time when someone is lost/wondering. That happens because the 6th line can never be obtained by going up, there is movement of the lower ones and 6th line will always show someone/something not affected by the situation/question fully.
A lot can be said about this movement, but that isn't the important part, important part is that all 8 Hexagrams of each palace will have that element.
However there is a little more then we can get from this. That is the lines called Ti and Yong(or Object and Subject).
In the 8 houses text, there is a line they call "Generation Line" or shi yao.
That line we call Ti or Subject.
A little lower in the text at on page 10 there is info for Self and Other line, and that are just another names for Ti and Yong(Subject/Object).
We can see there that for Repeating Trigrams(so Hexagram created from 2 of the same Trigrams), they will always be on 6 line for Ti, and 3th line for Yong for example.
That means the person asking the question will always be on Ti(as long as they are part of the actual situation they ask about, otherwise the rules are different).
However what they ask about won't always be on Yong.
So lets see example with 1. The Creative, all Hexagrams here will be part of the Palace/House of Qian Metal:
gggggTi
ggggg
ggggg
gggggYong
ggggg
ggggg
All is in it's pure form.Ti is outside of the situation in the Future line of Heaven Trigram. Or Heaven line of Heaven trigrams depending how we decide to assign them.
1st Generation Hexagram of Qian Metal Palace:
ggggg
ggggg
gggggYong
ggggg
ggggg
ggcggTi
The movement has started where Ti is trying to reach Heaven. It will never complete, but that is what we look at, and that is in it's first step/generation.
ggggg
gggggYong
ggggg
ggggg
ggcggTi
ggcgg
Second step, one step higher, now it gets to the People Line in the lower Trigram. Ti still tries to reach heaven, just next generation of it. The line that changes is where Ti is, since that is where the movement is.
ggggg Yong
ggggg
ggggg
ggcggTi
ggcgg
ggcgg
One more step trying to reach Heaven. One more generation has passed to get to that.
ggggg
ggggg
ggcggTi
ggcgg
ggcgg
ggcggYong
One more generation, one more step upward. All this is in the House/Palace of Metal still.
ggggg
ggcggTi
ggcgg
ggcgg
ggcggYong
ggcgg
Last step of the path tryng to reach Heaven. Ti has moved to the position representing Heaven, but can never get to 6th line, because the 6th line is outside of the Hexagram by itself. So that is the last step of Ti moving up, if we look at it as people, that would be a person representing Heaven, Leader, King, whatever but something that represents the Heaven in organizing and leading the other lines. If we look at it as time, that is Present in Heaven, while 6th will be future in heaven, one more reason it's unattainable.
ggggg
ggcgg
ggggg Ti
ggcgg
ggcgg
ggcgg Yong
Ti is lost. The movement to Heaven didn't lead to where the idea was, there is no way forward, only way is back. But there isn't time for that yet, so Ti just moves one line bellow lost/wondering. In medical yi jing that types of Hexagrams often come up when a person will fall in coma(more details for that in The Medical I Ching: Oracle of the Healer Within: Miki Shima, that is more connected to Mei Hua in my opinion, but it uses the types of Hexagrams from WWG and it is good book).
gggggYong
ggcgg
ggggg
gggggTi
ggggg
ggggg
Realizing it can never get to Heaven Ti goes back, changing the whole base it was using before back to what it was before it started. Last step called Returning Spirit. In same book we can see the idea that it often happens when a person will die in medical Yi Jing.
(working with the lines that moves a lot back as a priority, because the lines relations take priority over type of Hexagram, but the idea of something Returning is there and important).
Overall this is the journey each of us take in different houses and elements step by step, and in each step there is a very good chance instead of next Hexagram at the same Palace it will change in something entirely different. And that is what we study and contemplate while working with the changes.
That are the Hexagrams of the Palaces and some of the idea behind the movement there. Every one of the Palaces will go through the same changes and Ti and Yong will be in the same position for each palace.
Now, that is enough to find out on what Line we are, and to find the element of the situation/Hexagram we ask about. Can also help to recognize some new types of Hexagrams, specifically Wondering Spirit and Returning Spirit.
Hopefully it can be helpful. If there is interest in that(and it is very complicated and detailed system, so I get if there isn't a ;pt), I can post some of the next steps, at some point later in time, like assigning branches on the lines, and using the Day/Month to figure out what is happening.
Of course, feel free to ask if you have any questions. : )
Will start with the Palaces. That is the first step that we base everything on after.
While there are differences in the way we read the Lines after we assign them, in different practitioners and schools, the assignments are almost always the same for the branches/family relations etc.
First thing that everything else is based on later is the element of the Hexagram.
To find its element we use the 8 Palaces.
That we can see in Wilhelm's translation(needs to be full edition however), in there in Appendixes we can see:
II. The Hexagrams Arranged by Houses
So the idea here is that each "House" will be the element all Hexagrams in it will inherit.
And if we look how it works, we can see all of them start with the same Trigram for Heaven and Earth(upper and lower) , then we have lines changing one by one, going up to 5th.
All this isn't explained in Wilhelm's texts, however we can see it here:
https://www.biroco.com/yijing/eh.pdf
On the Page 5 is the arrangement we use(there are other arrangment, this one is the one used in practice).
Now, there is more to it then it seems. If we look how the lines move, first one line is moving to Heaven and that is happening generation by generation(the type of Hexagram). As soon as it gets near the top however, it changes direction and moves down. That we call wondering spirit and suggest the situation is showing a moment of time when someone is lost/wondering. That happens because the 6th line can never be obtained by going up, there is movement of the lower ones and 6th line will always show someone/something not affected by the situation/question fully.
A lot can be said about this movement, but that isn't the important part, important part is that all 8 Hexagrams of each palace will have that element.
However there is a little more then we can get from this. That is the lines called Ti and Yong(or Object and Subject).
In the 8 houses text, there is a line they call "Generation Line" or shi yao.
That line we call Ti or Subject.
A little lower in the text at on page 10 there is info for Self and Other line, and that are just another names for Ti and Yong(Subject/Object).
We can see there that for Repeating Trigrams(so Hexagram created from 2 of the same Trigrams), they will always be on 6 line for Ti, and 3th line for Yong for example.
That means the person asking the question will always be on Ti(as long as they are part of the actual situation they ask about, otherwise the rules are different).
However what they ask about won't always be on Yong.
So lets see example with 1. The Creative, all Hexagrams here will be part of the Palace/House of Qian Metal:
gggggTi
ggggg
ggggg
gggggYong
ggggg
ggggg
All is in it's pure form.Ti is outside of the situation in the Future line of Heaven Trigram. Or Heaven line of Heaven trigrams depending how we decide to assign them.
1st Generation Hexagram of Qian Metal Palace:
ggggg
ggggg
gggggYong
ggggg
ggggg
ggcggTi
The movement has started where Ti is trying to reach Heaven. It will never complete, but that is what we look at, and that is in it's first step/generation.
ggggg
gggggYong
ggggg
ggggg
ggcggTi
ggcgg
Second step, one step higher, now it gets to the People Line in the lower Trigram. Ti still tries to reach heaven, just next generation of it. The line that changes is where Ti is, since that is where the movement is.
ggggg Yong
ggggg
ggggg
ggcggTi
ggcgg
ggcgg
One more step trying to reach Heaven. One more generation has passed to get to that.
ggggg
ggggg
ggcggTi
ggcgg
ggcgg
ggcggYong
One more generation, one more step upward. All this is in the House/Palace of Metal still.
ggggg
ggcggTi
ggcgg
ggcgg
ggcggYong
ggcgg
Last step of the path tryng to reach Heaven. Ti has moved to the position representing Heaven, but can never get to 6th line, because the 6th line is outside of the Hexagram by itself. So that is the last step of Ti moving up, if we look at it as people, that would be a person representing Heaven, Leader, King, whatever but something that represents the Heaven in organizing and leading the other lines. If we look at it as time, that is Present in Heaven, while 6th will be future in heaven, one more reason it's unattainable.
ggggg
ggcgg
ggggg Ti
ggcgg
ggcgg
ggcgg Yong
Ti is lost. The movement to Heaven didn't lead to where the idea was, there is no way forward, only way is back. But there isn't time for that yet, so Ti just moves one line bellow lost/wondering. In medical yi jing that types of Hexagrams often come up when a person will fall in coma(more details for that in The Medical I Ching: Oracle of the Healer Within: Miki Shima, that is more connected to Mei Hua in my opinion, but it uses the types of Hexagrams from WWG and it is good book).
gggggYong
ggcgg
ggggg
gggggTi
ggggg
ggggg
Realizing it can never get to Heaven Ti goes back, changing the whole base it was using before back to what it was before it started. Last step called Returning Spirit. In same book we can see the idea that it often happens when a person will die in medical Yi Jing.
(working with the lines that moves a lot back as a priority, because the lines relations take priority over type of Hexagram, but the idea of something Returning is there and important).
Overall this is the journey each of us take in different houses and elements step by step, and in each step there is a very good chance instead of next Hexagram at the same Palace it will change in something entirely different. And that is what we study and contemplate while working with the changes.
That are the Hexagrams of the Palaces and some of the idea behind the movement there. Every one of the Palaces will go through the same changes and Ti and Yong will be in the same position for each palace.
Now, that is enough to find out on what Line we are, and to find the element of the situation/Hexagram we ask about. Can also help to recognize some new types of Hexagrams, specifically Wondering Spirit and Returning Spirit.
Hopefully it can be helpful. If there is interest in that(and it is very complicated and detailed system, so I get if there isn't a ;pt), I can post some of the next steps, at some point later in time, like assigning branches on the lines, and using the Day/Month to figure out what is happening.
Of course, feel free to ask if you have any questions. : )