Dragon Bones by Jan Fries
DRAGON BONES Ritual, Myth and Oracle in Shang Period China By Jan Fries "Those who do not forget the past are the masters of the future" Sima Qian, Historian, 1st century BCE Dragon Bones is a masterly and insightful exploration of ritual, myth and oracles in Shang Period China (16th-11th century BCE). Combining wide-ranging scholarship with pragmatic practicality, the author shines a light on one of the most obscure and least-known areas of ritual practice in the ancient world, demonstrating its value and connection to the development of magical practices in China over a period of many centuries. Combining historical accounts, myths, practical meditation and the oracle bone inscriptions themselves, Dragon Bones elucidates an arcane system of divination and offers its wisdom to the modern world. To provide a relevant context for the dragon bone oracle, the reader is guided through a wealth of material by Chinese philosophers including Kongzi (Confucius) and Laozi, exploring philosophies and cosmologies such as Daoism. The offerings, sacrifices and rituals which form the mystical matrix from which Chinese magic developed are considered from an elegant perspective which explores both the practices and their use and relevance. Also considered is their development from early shamanic practices into more stylised forms of social and cultural ceremonies, which contributed to the evolution of formal rites to serve communities. As well as its detailed discussion of the historical and mythical figures, gods, spirits, ancestors, mountains, rivers, animals, types of weather and implements, which provide the context and provenance of the development of the dragon bone oracle, Dragon Bones includes a dictionary of over three thousand inscriptions, the most comprehensive of its kind created. As the earliest recorded Chinese texts, the dragon bones reveal unique glimpses of a period where history and myth merged, shaped by philosophy, political power and magic, whose lessons are as relevant today as they have ever been. 2013, 838 pages. Hardback with dust jacket, paperback & Kindle editions available. ISBN 978-1-905297-62-7 B&W 6.14 x 9.21 in or 234 x 156 mm (Royal 8vo) Perfect Bound on White w/Gloss Lam ISBN 978-1-905297-63-4 B&W 6.14 x 9.21in or 234 x 156mm (Royal 8vo) Blue Digital Cloth™ Cover w/Jacket on Creme w/Matte Lam "Jan Fries ventures into territory virtually uncharted in Western occult publishing, the ritual world of Shang Period China, and emerges with a masterwork. Drawing on oracle bone inscriptions, shamanic traditions, Chinese philosophy and mythology, Dragon Bones reveals the deep magical roots of one of the world's oldest civilisations. The inclusion of a dictionary of over three thousand inscriptions makes this an indispensable scholarly reference as much as a practitioner's guide. Monumental in scope, meticulous in research and alive with genuine magical insight, this is essential reading for anyone drawn to the deeper currents of Eastern esoteric tradition." C.S.
Table of Contents
First words: reading the past Introduction: three dynasties plus extras Chaotic beginnings Creation reconsidered: a primal giant Myths and literature Pangu’s relations Greenwood mysteries: Fuxi and Nüwa The culture hero and the creatrix Nüwa: world saviour The primal pair Advent of agriculture The yellow emperor Shaohao Zhuanxu Diku Yao Shun Yü A word on virtue A daoist model of evolution Dynastic history Flight of a dark bird The Zi clan Neolithic China and the Xia dynasty The rise of Tang Yi Yin’s tale War against the Xia Start of the Shang Dynasty Sacrifice in the mulberry grove A life of virtue Interlude: Zhengzhou Anyang From king to di Wu Ding Fu Hao and Fu Jing A time of drastic changes The tyrant and the fox Rise of the Zhou Concluding remark: is this for real? Time and space Recycling time: sixty days of eternity The ten suns Temple names Stems and branches Terrible ancestors A magical reality Life beyond death The thearch’s task The quarters of the world The royal tombs at Anyang Other cemeteries Bronze- a metal changes the world Cultural variety Toxic offerings Bronze economy Animal ancestors The taotie Kui dragons Play of the animals All in transformation Zhou period 1045 (?) – 221BCE Han dynasty 206BCE-220CE Three kingdoms period 220-265 Jin dynasty, 265-420 Masks of the divine Directional deities The names of the winds Women or mothers Xiwangmu and Guanyin More mothers? Di Strange gods Shang shamanism? Animal shamanism and rites of rebirth Wu Wu in the Shang period: Wu in the Zhou period Divine government Zhou ritual Visions of the past Worship of the stars Sun and moon The ritual animal Animal sacrifice Human sacrifice Retainer sacrifices Foundation sacrifices Drought sacrifices Offering branches Food and blood Offering drink Offering clothes Ritual reports Manuscripts and promises The bin ritual A hierarchy of bin rites? Feelings of love and respect Meeting the ancestors Fasting Ritual purification The purity of water Five rituals: nourishing ancestors according to the ‘new school’ The feather dance The festival of raw meat The cooked grains festival The harmonisation festival Drums and music Practical experience Enter the gourd Guarding the one Heavenly journeys Transforming the world Divination Charging the signs Divining Good questions Beyond the basics Discovery Studies in ancient history Tracking the bones Anyang Scapulamancy Drilling bones in Anyang Divination Inscription Bone readers Diviners Setting Bibliography
About the Author
The author of Kali Kaula, Dragon Bones, Manasa and Neta, and The Seven Names of Lamastu, Jan Fries is one of the leading magickal authors of the 21st century. Jan is known for his exciting and practical works, and the breadth of scholarship with which he infuses them.
He lives and works in Germany.
