I Ching, The Oracle

I’m pleased to announce that I Ching, The Oracle: A Practical Guide to the Book of Changes is forthcoming mid-2023 by North Atlantic Books.

It’s my translation and annotations of the I Ching with cultural and historical references that honor the shamanic origins of the Oracle. The I Ching was first and foremost for prayers to gods and ancestors, through which the spirits answer, a mediator between worlds, revelatory of Heaven’s Will.

The two most important characteristics of the Yellow River civilizations, noted Chinese philosopher Li Zehou 李泽厚, is the clan system and shamanism. The Book of Changes is an artifact that epitomizes both.

With this tome of a reference book, you’ll…

  • Contextualize the origins of the I Ching within the framework of Chinese myths, legends, and cultural heroes
  • Follow the development of I Ching scholarship (Yì Xué) and discourse from the Warring States period, the schism between New Text and Old Text schools, esoteric I Ching and the School of Mystery to its journey westward
  • Learn the two main interpretive approaches, the Image and Number Tradition and the Meaning and Principle Tradition
  • Integrate numerology and lunisolar astrology with the I Ching in Plum Blossom methods of divination
  • Deepen your understanding of the eight trigrams (Ba Gua) and the five alchemical changing phases (Wu Xing), and how to apply the metaphysical correspondences in Taoist magic and ritual
  • Learn various divination methods, from the yarrow stalk method circa 221 BC and the coin toss method from 200 AD to divination with cowrie shells, rice grains, and channeling. This text will also present a merger divination method of the Oracle with tarot.
  • Connect with ancestors and East Asian cultural heritage through I Ching divination
  • Understand the shamanistic-historical traditions of the I Ching, the eight gods of Shang shamanism, soul retrieval, and the invisible hand of folk gods and goddesses present in the Oracle

The Book of Changes is a revelation of metaphysical philosophy, epistemology, and ethics, in addition to being a system for divination and a book of occult secrets. The Oracle is a master teacher to both the rationalist scholar and the mystic. This updated iteration strives to reconcile both worlds.

What I Ching, The Oracle really is, though, is a magical grimoire. We write the books we want to read. This book is mentorship in the esoteric arts. Contained within a primer on the I Ching and Yì Xué scholarship is a book of practical methods in spell-crafting, folk magic, and spiritual cultivation.

My objective is to impart a deep-dive learning experience into the history and mythological references found in the Book of Changes, keyed specifically with transcendental spiritualism in mind.

PRE-ORDER IT HERE

Curious about the hexagram featured on the cover? Read Hexagram 30.

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