Alfred Douglas (2)

The oracle of change
Fore over four thousand years, the I Ching has been consutlted as a source of philosophy and prophecy. This book of ancient Chinese wisdom is a practical oracle through which one may discover a guide to the future and an illumination of the unconscious and inner self.

How to consult the I Ching is the first truly practical guide to such consultation to appear in the English language. It will strike a sensitive and responsive chord with those who are seeking a greater understanding of themselves and of the mysterious rhythms and eternal elements of the cosmos.

Contents

Part One Introductory
Chapter 1 The oracle of change
Its influence on Chinese thought
Introduction to the West
Opinion of Dr. C.G. Jung
Chapter 2 History of the I Ching
Ancient oracles
Fu Hsi and the eight mystic trigrams
King Wen and the Dkuke of Chou: creators of the I Cing
Confucius and Lao-se
The buring of the books
Taoist magicians: Wang Pi
Chapter 3 The wisdom of hte I Ching
The universe in miniature
The oracle and time; the seasons
The ancient Chinese calendar
The superior man
Chapter 4 How to consult theoracle
Casting the yarrow stalks
Throwing the three coins
The six wands method
Key to locating the hexagrams in the text
Chapter 5 Introduction to the oracle
Reading the text iof the I Ching
Key phrases oin the I Ching
The sixty-four hexagrams
Part Two The text of the I Ching
Appendices
I Mathematical aspects of the I Ching
II The development of the I Ching in China
III European translations of the I Ching
IV How to obtain a set of sticks suitable for I Ching consultations… (mer)

Tarot cards have intrigued me every since I've seen a deck. They're so pretty and mysterious and so different, yet so closely related in look to our familiar playing cards, and so many of the decks are rich in symbolism. I started collecting decks, and even reading them for friends for fun, even though I'm a thorough-going rationalist and don't believe they can be tools of divination.

I also don't believe in a lot of nonsense promulgated about their origins. The Wiki will tell you there's just no evidence of playing cards in Europe, either literary or surviving cards, before the 14th century; Tarot cards aren't old enough to have originated in Ancient Egypt. And as for any connection with the Gypsies, as the chapter on "The Origin of Tarot Cards" mentions, "the Gypsies did not appear in the West in any numbers until the middle of the 15th century, a full hundred years after the cards were known in every country from Italy to Northern France." At least Douglas doesn't do anything to promulgate such myths. He even offers a timeline of the of the earliest known references to playing cards and his history seems credible.

I do find this book fun and informative. It has chapters on origins and symbolism, even how to play the game of Tarrocco. It offers three spreads: the classic 9 card "Celtic Cross," the well-known 7 card "Ellipse Spread" (called here the "Horseshoe Spread") and a 13 card "Circular Spread." The book covers each card of the Major and Minor Arcana, devoting pages to each. And I like the deck featured in the book. It's pretty, and with the Tarot I'm all about the shiny!… (mer)

The Tarot: The Origins, Meanings, and Uses of the Cards was a good introduction to this fascinating subject. As the title implies, it covers the history, divinatory meanings, and other uses (such as card games) of tarot cards. The book is also illustrated. Unfortunately, the illustrations and the descriptions in the text do not always match.

Experiments in Reading… (mer)