Principles and Odes of I Ching Divination

Book Description

Mysterious and Subtle Discourse (Tong Xuan Miao Lun) and Celestial Mysteries Ode (Tian Xuan Fu) are two influential early texts in the I Ching Six Lines Divination, likely composed during the Song or Yuan dynasties. Both condense technical insights into poetic, easily memorizable formats. Tong Xuan Miao Lun offers a broad theoretical foundation for divinatory logic, while Tian Xuan Fu provides mnemonic verses on Six Gods, line movements, voids, and elemental interactions. Frequently cited in later classics such as The Complete Book of Divination (Bushi Quanshu/Bushi Daquan), I Ching Divination – Complete and Restored (Zengshan Buyi) and The Orthodox Method of I Ching Divination (Bushi Zhengzong), these texts remain vital to the structure of Na Jia interpretation and continue to guide practitioners today. This English edition—possibly the first—was translated by Xuan Wanyan, a Columbia University graduate from a family steeped in the I Ching tradition, making this once-esoteric system accessible to non-Chinese readers while faithfully preserving its original depth.