I Ching Hardcover – Illustrated, 1 Jan. 1983

I was advised that this is one of the I Ching books to have, as it is the richest translation of the I Ching and if you like beautiful, poetic writing this one is for you.The first part of the book is a detailed description about energy cycles, Feng Shui basics etc; the second part explains basic guidelines for daily living. The third part are the 64 hexagrams. So it is actually 3 bookes in one and worth buying it. I just love it!

I do not recommend this version of the I Ching. The author claims to know a lot of occult things about the universe and life, all of which has been passed down to him through family tradition. Reading his own treatises that can be found throughout the book, it becomes evident that he is not the wise man he supposedly is. For example, he says something like (these are not literal quotes! just to give you an idea): "But I am not allowed to share all this knowledge about how things really are ..." "But I want to ...." "And yet people will not understand it ...!" "It's probably better they don't know - they wouldn't be able to handle all this truth!" "But will it make a difference when I tell people that .... (and then he starts to share this secret knowledge after all! Talking of contradicting yourself!) ... "one can create spirits with the intestines ...." etc.This is not a mark of wisdom. This is showing off in a very annoying manner. And most of it is in my eyes pure nonsense. It's not because it's tradition that it can't be nonsense.His interpretation of the hexagrams of the I Ching are unbalanced. The same disharmony that you find in his long introduction is of course contaminating his view on how to read the I Ching. He simply does not possess the wisdom that is required in order to offer a valuable interpretation of the oracle.If you ask my opinion, of all the I Ching's I've had, only two withstand the test of time: the version of Wilhelm and the Total I Ching by Stephen Karcher. Wilhelm can be unclear but this has also its advantages. Karcher is often easier and more positive minded which at times is necessarry and at times not. The two simply complement one another very well.

This book is written with great clarity and contains lots of explanation regarding synchonicity and various esoteric influences. It is a very thorough work and it is one of my most valued I Ching books.