Yixue is a combination of science and non-science, covering everything in the universe. After learning the I Ching, you will be able to see through the world, so that you can be unfazed by favors and disgrace and predict the future. But there are almost no people who have truly understood the I Ching. The realm is endless. Even Confucius did not dare to say that he had understood the I Ching.
This matter is easy to handle and is an improvement in realm.
If the art of divination and prediction belongs to the numerology, it is a means, but it is based on communication. There are many categories of learning Xiangshu, which are all-encompassing. Personally, I think that if you want to learn the Book of Changes and be able to perform hexagram divination, you must first learn the Yili, know the sixty-four hexagrams, the meaning of the lines, and their evolution. Along with the five elements, you must have a preliminary understanding of the interdependence of the eight hexagrams. It includes the meaning of understanding the Nine Palaces, Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, etc. After understanding the basic knowledge, you can choose, just like choosing subjects in college. You can choose Plum Blossom Yishu, Bazi, Four Pillars, Physiognomy, etc. For higher levels, you can choose Liuren, Qimen Dunjia, Taiyi Shenshu, etc.
Now let’s talk about which tutorial to choose. I think we should first read Nan Huaijin's "Miscellaneous Talks on the Book of Changes" and "Zhuan Faye Lectures on the Series of Book of Changes", starting from an easy-to-understand level, and then go back to "Book of Changes" and "Jiao's Book of Changes".
There are too many books about the Book of Changes. If you want to learn them step by step, it is best to have a thorough understanding of the meaning of the sixty-four hexagrams of the Zhouyi. It is easier to learn elephant numbers on a more solid foundation. Of course, it is also good to read simple books on elephants and numbers based on an understanding of Yili.
Yi Xue is the most profound in China. If you want to learn it well, it will take you several years, ten years, or decades to learn even a little bit.