NINEHOUND / THE READING ROOM

Traditions

Chinese, Japanese and Western methods, explained in context.

Why does Qimen place time, direction, and people into nine boxes when asking about a single matter?

Initial, middle, and final transmissions sound like three stages of a story. The real method lies in deriving them from one consistent set of rules.

Numbers, images, and ti–yong are three keys to Plum Blossom Divination. Set the casting rules first, then observe what is happening.

The twelve palaces are like twelve rooms. Start with the one your question concerns, then see how it connects to the others.

The picture carries a story; the position carries a question. How does one card’s reading change when it moves from “obstacle” to “advice”?

“I am this zodiac sign” is only a beginning. A natal chart also includes planets, houses, and aspects.

Water can mean crossing a river in one dream and facing a flood in another. Keep only a keyword and half the story has already disappeared.

Takashima Kaemon is famous. What is worth learning is how he connects classical wording, circumstances, and judgment.