Ken Taylor is an author and journalist who researches ancient science and mythology.

The most famous Chinese system of divination is that of the Yi Jing (I Ching), which can be used to foretell the future and investigate the hidden covert goings on in current and past situations. The Yi Jing belongs to the Later Heaven school of thought.

Taylor’s Early Heaven Oracle is a self-contained system of divination based on Early Heaven lore.

The Early Heaven and Later Heaven systems had great differences between them, but co-existed in China for a very long time. Taylor states that the Early Heaven system predates that of Later Heaven.

However, this is a view not held by a number of sinologists, notably Steve Moore (writer, editor and former publisher of The Oracle: The Journal of Yijing Studies, as well as author of the Trigrams of Han: Inner Structures of the I Ching) and François Louis (Associate Professor at the Bard Graduate Centre in New York, and author of “The Genesis of an Icon: The Taiji Diagram’s Early History” in the Harvard Journal Of Asiatic Studies, Vol. LXIII No.1 June 2003). Dissent in academic circles is a good thing as it ultimately leads to rigorous proofs.

It should be noted that there is no surviving Early Heaven system of divination. Taylor has reconstructed a viable method of divination from the surviving fragments of Early Heaven lore. Unless a genuine system of divination is discovered by archaeologists, Taylor’s system is a good practical way to explore the natural simplicity, logic and poetic expression inherent in the Early Heaven school of thought.

Early Heaven seeks to promote harmony with nature, serenity, stability, and inner strength by working with life’s fundamental forces that are constantly changing, yet remain balanced.

Taylor’s Early Heaven Oracle figures bear a superficial similarity to the Yi Jing hexagrams. Taylor suggests his system can provide an alternative for those who have tried the Yi Jing yet been disappointed with the results, as his is simpler to use and easier to understand. He also suggests using his system as a complement to the Yi Jing.

Taylor’s Oracle provides a means of arriving at one of 32 disparate divinatory texts relating to various areas of life, by using two coins. While the Oracle naturally lends itself to divination, it has a number of other uses. It can be used to tap into the subconscious mind through using the fingers rather than the recommended coins. It can also be used for magick by using the oracle in reverse – projecting outcomes into the future. Taylor, however, cautions against the consequences of this approach. His approach is an interesting one which could be used with any divinatory system.

It is interesting to note that Yin Feng Shui is a product of the Early Heaven school of thought, while Yang Feng Shui is a product of the Later Heaven. Yin Feng Shui is primarily used for siting temples and tombs. Taylor provides suggestions for its use in providing harmony in the immediate environment.

While the primary function of Early Heaven Oracle is to present a complete system of divination, it also serves to whet the appetite of readers to investigate the source texts, early versions of all freely available on the Internet.

– Reviewed by Tony Mierzwicki in New Dawn No. 95