An illustrated guide to the occult history, serpent magic, and practical application of the I Ching * Reveals how the sacred language of the original eight trigrams of the I Ching was discovered by a wisdom serpent known as Fu Xi * Explores how the I Ching formed the basis of the earliest Taoist philosophies, its complex correlation with human DNA, and its relationship with artificial intelligence * Provides new contemporary analysis of each of the 64 hexagrams, their changing lines, and archetypes of the I Ching * Includes original artwork highlighting the serpent magic within the system and tools to help you interpret the I Ching based on your own individual experience One of the oldest books in the world, the I Ching has been used in China for millennia to open a dialogue with divinity, gain insight and wisdom, and pull aside the curtain of reality to reveal the light of the heavens. Yet, despite its popularity over thousands of years, few understand its mysterious origins, symbolism, or occult connections. In this illustrated guide, Maja D'Aoust applies her significant experience as a professional practitioner and scholar of the I Ching to provide a history of the oracle, explain the mechanisms at work behind it, and offer a new experiential approach to its interpretation. The author begins by examining the discovery of the I Ching by the first mythical emperor of China, Fu Xi, a divine being with the body of a serpent. She reveals how Fu Xi's eight original trigrams, also called the Ba Gua, provided a sacred language of symbols that allowed for communication between the diviner and the spirit world. Using the I Ching's principles of cosmology as a basis, the shamans of ancient China developed the earliest Taoist philosophies of nature, medicine, martial arts, and mathematics as well as ecstatic practices, war strategies, birth and death rituals, agricultural systems, and alchemical studies. D'Aoust further shows how the I Ching relates to the mathematical sequences of biology and human DNA, examining the correlation between the serpent's tail and the double helix. She reveals how the ways the oracle connects with your own inner knowing parallel the ways in which DNA repairs itself. Providing a new analysis of each of the 64 hexagrams and their changing lines and archetypes, the author explores each hexagram's meanings in depth, alongside original artwork highlighting the serpent magic within the system and tools to help you interpret the I Ching based on your own individual experience. Revealing how the oracle holds complex networks of meaning that language alone fails to capture, D'Aoust offers a new understanding of the Book of Changes and its many hidden lessons.

"An elegant and comprehensive critical edition of the Dao De Jing." KIRKUS Review This book examines one of the world's most enduring and influential literary works through the timeless art of qigong. In his words, Lao Tzu (or Laozi), author of the Dao De Jing, embodies qigong principles, advocating the cultivation of mind and body. Only when we know qigong can we know Lao Tzu-and only when we know Lao Tzu can we know the Dao De Jing. Lao Tzu's writing has been read, translated, and discussed around the globe. It deals with principles that transcend time and culture. That is why this ancient text has been reimagined countless times in books on business, relationships, and parenting-but never with a focus on the art of qigong. This makes the Dao De Jing: A Qigong Interpretation unique and indispensible. Many chapters in the Dao De Jing purely talk about qigong, especially the practices of regulating the body, breathing, mind, qi, and spirit. Dr. Yang, a renowned author, scholar, and martial artist, devoted decades to researching and writing this book. He interprets and analyzes the 81 chapters of the Dao De Jing. His commentary will bring new insight, inspiration, and depth to your understanding of Lao Tzu's words-and to your qigong practice. This book includes The complete Dao De Jing in English and its original Chinese text Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming's commentary and analysis of each chapter Numerous illustrations and diagrams The Dao De Jing: A Qigong Interpretation is not a book of instruction. It is about the Way-the path before us, in qigong and in life, where what you achieve comes through your own understanding.

Pick up The Ultimate I-Ching and you will be able to start working with the hexagrams straightaway, guided by the easy-to-follow bite-size teachings, unique explanatory graphics and clear, non-mystical hexagram readings. This is the only book to compare and contrast the different theories and traditions and dig down to the essence of this incredibly profound and ancient Chinese divinatory practice so that anyone can use it to receive advice from the universe. Learn: * how to cast a reading with coins or with stalks * how to interpret each of the 64 hexagrams, drawing in wisdom from a huge range of scholarly sources * how to use the readings as a practical life guide * all about the I-Ching - from its history to its theory to its practice. There are many huge volumes of I-Ching theory, but all you need to know is contained in The Ultimate I-Ching. It is written in the spirit of Confucius, who said that the I-Ching - the Book of Changes - is a book that should be carried with you everywhere, because life itself is full of changes.

FLAME TREE's Great Works That Shape Our World is a new series of definitive books drawing on ancient, medieval and modern writing. Offering a fund of essential knowledge, and spell-binding stories it satisfies every facet of human interest: scientific, philosophical, sociological, romantic, dramatic and mysterious. Also known as Yi Ching or The Book of Changes, I Ching is an ancient Chinese text of vast historical and cultural influence. Spanning the fields of divination, cosmology, morality and philosophy, with strong links to Confucianism, it has been interpreted in many different ways over the centuries and ultimately demonstrates an early attempt to understand the world and the human place within it. Reviving James Legge's classic nineteenth century translation, this latest title in a series of Great Works includes an illuminating new introduction that casts fresh light on this fascinating text. Each book in this series features a new, accessible introduction, specially written for these editions, placing the book in context both as part of the new series, and highlighting its special contribution to the advancement of human understanding; they examine the significance of each work, their impact at time of publication, and their influence today.

The oldest oracle in the world was created over 4,500 years ago by Fu Xi, the mythical First Emperor of China. The I Ching, or Book of Changes, has been used ever since as a venerated source of philosophical wisdom. Consult it with respect and you will receive advice on how to act now-and in the future. Now Chao-Hsiu Chen's 64 exquisite paintings make it easier to understand than ever before, and the I Ching's wisdom is accessible to everyone, anywhere, and at any time. Includes three metallic coins.

The Yijing (I Ching), or Scripture of Change, is traditionally considered the first and most profound of the Chinese classics. Originally a divination manual based on trigrams and hexagrams, by the beginning of the first millennium it had acquired written explanations and a series of appendices attributed to Confucius, which transformed it into a work of wisdom literature as well as divination. Over the centuries, hundreds of commentaries were written on it, but for the past thousand years, one of the most influential has been that of Zhu Xi (1130-1200), who synthesized the major interpretive approaches to the text and integrated it into his system of moral self-cultivation. Joseph A. Adler's translation of the Yijing includes for the first time in any Western language Zhu Xi's commentary in full. Adler explores Zhu Xi's interpretation of the text and situates it in the context of his overall theoretical system. Zhu Xi held that the Yijing was originally composed for the purpose of divination by the mythic sage Fuxi, who intended to create a system to aid decision making. The text's meaning, therefore, could not be captured by a single commentator; it would emerge for each person through the process of divination. This translation makes available to the English-language audience a crucial text in the history of Chinese religion and philosophy, with an introduction and translator's notes that explain its intellectual and historical context.