“Reading the Heart”: Cosmology, Ethics, and Language of Chinese Divination as Therapeutic Resources

Abstract

Through an ethnographic and comparative approach to counseling and psychotherapy, this article highlights the unique psychological mechanisms and cosmological perceptions involved in the practice of “reading the heart” ( du xinshu) in Chinese divination, particularly in the fortune-telling system based on bazi (one’s birth date and time). It reveals how diviners engage in a culturally specific dialogue that strategically influences clients’ cognitive, emotional, and moral experiences, how the professional ethics of divination can influence the ways in which practitioners guide customers, positively or negatively. Chinese divination, which emphasizes balance and a holistic worldview harmonizing society and nature, also compels diviners to pay great attention to reaching and touching customers’ hearts from an interpersonal perspective rather than resorting to mysterious supernatural forces. The focus of analysis is on the distinctive verbal skills and language performance of diviners, with a particular reference to a divination pedagogy manual that teaches communication skills to professional diviners. I argue that diviners’ language performance is intertwined with their effort to win the clients’ hearts and convictions in order to enhance their own authority and legitimacy. The distinctiveness of the Chinese indigenous approach provides a rich contrast to Western psychological practices. This analysis offers new insights on the therapeutic potential of divination as a culturally attuned method of counseling.