Yi Jing, Oracle of the Moon

神數

“Shen Shu”, Spirit Numbers 193-216

Numbers
1-24
25-48
49-72
73-96
97-120
121-144
145-168
169-192
193-216
217-240
241-264
265-288
289-312
313-336
337-360
361-384

193 Journey on

萬里片帆轉
波平浪不驚
行行無阻滯
途處更通津

The turns of the gossamer sail bring you far away
The water is smooth the waves are calm
You journey on without obstructions
Crossing over ever more to distant places

-

  There are so many things one can turn into a problem. Often it is better to let them simply slide away. Note them – and move on. Use life’s lessons like an interesting movie. Each lesson has its own images and ways to deal with it, give it a chance to be part of a vivacious life, enjoy the adventures.

*

194 East wind

身歷驚濤
東風便好
太平身退
目下還早

You personally experienced terrifying waves
The East wind is timely and pleasing
Peace and tranquility when you retreat
At present it is still early

-

  You went through hardships but you found a way out. This brings rest to your mind, you can relax, everything is right. But it is too early to simply sit back. There is leisure now, so go ahead, have a good time. Find your own way to spend it. Your mind is free,
東風 East wind: good (versus evil), East: beginning, start.

*

195 A crane emerges

鶴自雲中出
人從月下歸
新歡盈臉上
不用皺雙眉

A crane emerges from the clouds
A person returns from under the moon
A new love and a face full of smiles
No need to wrinkle your brows

-

  Embrace the unexpected, don’t immediately mistrust it. Go for all those half-full glasses. Be happy someone comes back, instead of blaming her for leaving. Be open for love and happiness. The daily rut seldom brings new exciting things, it is what you don’t know yet which is full of promise.
鶴 Crane (emblem of longevity).

*

196 Growing up

深潭魚可釣
幽谷鳥可羅
只用久長心
不用生疑惑

You may fish in the deep natural pond
You may net birds in the deep secluded valley
Your heart only needs a long time growing up
No need to become uncertain

-

  Grant yourself the time to grow up, or to find a solution, or to uncover the creative work which is slowly growing deep in your heart. Everything needs a time of freedom to turn into what it is meant to be. Without that freedom it will only become the ‘expected’, which can never be living breathing beauty.

*

197 A bright pearl

進不安
退不可
上下相從
明珠一顆

Going forward is not easy
Going back is not worthy
When high and low follow each other
That is a bright pearl

-

  To go forward is scary, to retreat is not worthy - unless you do it for an ideal or for others or for your conscience. Responsibility changes everything about honor or courage, they change from personal feats into much larger values. They become the shining accomplishments of humanity.

*

198 No right or wrong

著著占先機
其中路不迷
目前無合意
乍免是和非

A divination about a decisive occasion hits the mark
Your middle way is not lost
At present things are not to your liking
How to refrain from right or wrong

-

  The worst way to decide is when you rush on from where you came, with the entire baggage of what already happened. Stop and think first, start all over and make your mind receptive. When you can see the whole situation and not just one side of it, only then your decision will be a good one.

*

199 Halfway

雀噪高枝上
行人古渡頭
半途不了事
日暮轉生愁

Loudly chirping sparrows on a high branch
A traveler at an ancient ferry station
Halfway and unsettled
At nightfall worry creeps in

-

  You know that you are still far from your goal, but most of the time it just drives you on. There are moments though when all motivation leaves. The light disappears and the birds fall silent. When you focus on problems, it magnifies them. Try to rest, every night turns into another dawn.

*

200 Go for it

鑿石得玉
淘沙得珠
眼前目下
何用踏躇

Cutting the stone gets you the jade
Washing the sand gets you the pearl
Before your eyes right now
Why hesitate?

-

  The easy road towards fame and fortune is cluttered with people, and the pot of gold at the end may just be fools gold. Look for the gems at the end of the road which is difficult to follow, where hard work, experience, creativity and courage bring you step by step closer to jewels invisible to others.

*

201 The people sing, the ruler sighs

無端風雨催春去
落盡枝頭桃李花
桃畔有人歌且笑
知君心事亂如麻

Unceasing wind and rain urge spring to leave
The blossoms of the peaches and plums
fall faded from the tips of the branches
At the border of the peach field
people are singing and laughing
Knowledge weighs on the ruler’s mind

-

  It is heavy to be the one with knowledge. Life is so much easier when one sees only the surface and only the moment. Would you want to be ignorant and happy rather than knowing? Probably not, life wants us to learn and know, and if possible, to make a difference. It is what makes it meaningful.

*

202 Paradise

閬苑一時春
庭前花柳新
聲傳好信息
草木盡欣欣

Once upon a time in spring in paradise
New willow catkins in the front yard
A sound carrying a good message
The vegetation is utterly enjoyable

-

  The mind needs happy dreams. A moment where nothing is real or makes common sense, where everything is perfect, where past and future don’t exist. Careful though – many ways to find bliss are connected with dangers like addiction, criminality, disease or getting lost in dreams and losing reality.
閬苑 Paradise: land where immortals dwell.
  New flowers and willows in the frontyard - or: the frontyard of a new brothel

*

203 Many affairs

門外事重疊
陰人多遇合
賢女雖助巧
渺渺終難治

Outside the door discreet affairs pile up
You meet many women
Even though a virtuous women helps cleverly
What is indistinct ends up difficult to cure

-

  Everything you do will stick with you. Even when it is solved and ‘forgotten’, it can rear its head at the most inopportune moment. Keep your life clear and clean, so everything can be in the open without harming you or anyone else. Repairing will always be a half measure, never a complete clean-up.

*

204 Sun and moon in the kettle

事有喜
面有光
終始好商量
壺中日月長

Affairs are promising
Faces are shining
From beginning to end all can be settled by discussion
In the kettle sun and moon last for a long time

-

  A center where people meet is crucial for their future success. Not only for making it but most of all for causing it to last. It can be a literal center, a place where they enjoy a cup of tea and bantering, or a mental one, a positive attitude towards each other. Both life and affairs will be rich and durable.

*

205 Darkness leaving

暗去有明來
憂心事可諧
終須成一笑
目下莫疑猜

When darkness leaves brightness comes
A worried mind calls for harmony
The unavoidable result being a smile
No misgivings now

-

  Dark exists because of light, light exists because of dark. Everything has another side which is an inevitable part of it. If you can worry, you can also relax in contentment. If you can be afraid, you also possess courage. In all these moods, you can step to the other side or find the balance. The choice is yours.
This verse is about the wisdom found in Daodejing verse 2

*

206 A mirror without dust

寶鏡無塵染
金貂已剪裁
也逢天意合
終不惹塵埃

A precious mirror without dust or dirt
The attendants already cut the garments
The meeting also conforms to Heaven’s will
To the end not provoking dust

-

  Little things will align with what happens, bigger things resonate with it. Make yourself free from faults and your surroundings will reflect it. Listen to Heaven and your life will be fortunate. You will find the perfect partner and a happy fate will be yours. Connections will be harmonious and efforts successful.
寶鏡 the precious mirror (of relations): two people very well matched

*

207 Harmony

和合事
笑談成
喜音在半程
平步踏青雲

Harmonious events
A joke succeeds
Happy sounds halfway
Level steps to a high position

-

  Harmony makes eveything smooth. A marriage or collaboration or contracts. And things not only get done, they are also to everyone’s satisfaction. All parties are happy and eager to join forces. Discussions will be easy, and it will be no problem to find the right decisions.
  (opposite of poem 158)

*

208 Quiet nights

花殘月缺
鏡破釵分
休來休往
事始安宵

The flowers are damaged
the moon is dark
The mirror is broken and the hairpins bent
Stop the future stop the past
Things begin in quiet nights

-

  Stop worrying and stop trying to make things right. Sleep over it. Your mind needs the rest and quietness of the dark and silence. Your inner wisdom is a thousand times smarter than anything your conscious mind can think of. Give it the opportunity and the time to advise you.

*

209 Arriving

門外好音來
生涯應有慶
名利有更遷
雁行終折陣

Outside the door good news is coming
Your career deserves celebrations
Fame and fortune change even more
The flight of wild geese ends and they break the formation

-

  When things finally change for the better, or even become perfect, you can relax. Don’t go on as if you are still traveling; this also means you can end this journey and find a different way of life. Letting go of many responsibilities and of hard work, and settle down to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

*

210 A day of leisure

萬里好江山
風沙盡日間
己吞釣上餌
何心遇波瀾

A great expanse of lovely rivers and mountains
An entire day of leisure on windblown sands
Already the bait on the hook has been swallowed
Why would your heart bother with great waves?

-

  When you are free, then be free. Enjoy the place, the time, the easiness. Let your thoughts be free as well. Don’t bother about your efforts having been good enough, the profit being big enough, the future secure enough. Accept everything the way it is and enjoy the day of freedom.
波瀾 great waves; turns and twists of a piec

*

211 Invite happiness

雙燕銜書舞
指日一齊來
寂寞淹留客
從玆下釣臺

A pair of dancing swallows bearing a document
Soon they arrive together
Lonely and stranded since a long time you invite them to stay
From now on you descend to your shore fishing spot

-

  If you want a life with meaning, then make one. Just living is not enough, you need a cause to live for, exchange with loved ones, and a place which feels like home. So if you find someone or something which brings happiness, then open your heart, live a life together and find peace.
燕 Swallow: symbol of happiness and joy.
  舞 Dance: picture of a dancer holding some sort of ornaments in the hands.

*

212 Follow the moon

望去幾重山
高深漸可攀
舉頭天上看
明月出人間

Gazing at the vastness of the mountain range
Tall and deep
gradually you may climb them
Raise your head and look at the sky above
The moon is rising on the human world

-

  Those who have big ambitions and goals are those who climb high. A journey does not just start with the first step, it starts with the direction of this step. With your mind following an ideal. Make it a worthwhile one and conquer everything which is in your way. Ideals are stronger than obstacles.
望full moon; gaze, longing.

*

213 Saddle up and ride out

用之則行
舍之則藏
一騎出重關
佳音咫尺間

Avail of moving
Forget about hiding
A ride on horseback out of your concerns
Good tidings are soon to come

-

  God helps who help themselves. Don’t wait until something happens but make it happen. Good fortune cannot find you when you hide. So, forget your troubles and reluctance and fears, gather all forces and all the help you can find, summon all your courage and vigor. And move.
重關series of fortified passes: heavy concerns.

*

214 Accomplishments

積德施功有子孫
殺牛祭神及西鄰
功名兩字成全日
回首山河萬物新

Do good deeds and carry out meritorious
service and get children and grandchildren
Kill an ox for a sacrifice comparable to the
Western neighbor’s
The day you receive the document which
validates both honor and rank
You can turn around and the mountains and
rivers and all living things are new

-

  Make your life grand in all respects, so you can be proud and free of any regret when looking back on it. Expand it to the world around you, so you find recognition which will augment what you already know yourself. Satisfaction and pride will make everything around you beautiful.

*

215 Then peace, then disaster

安坦路平夷
雲中一雁飛
桃花逢驟雨
水畔女頻啼

The quiet level road is safe and smooth
In the clouds flies a wild goose
Peach blossoms meet a sudden rainstorm
At the shore a woman is wailing repeatedly

-

  There are no guarantees, ever. Things can look fine for a long time, and suddenly they go wrong. Nobody knows the future. There are possibilities, and maybe fate picks the one you like. Maybe not. Part of fate depends on your choices, but a big part doesn’t. Accept it and make the best of it.

*

216 Family

門內起干戈
親仇兩不和
朱衣臨日月
始覺笑呵呵

Indoors weapons are raised
Family members want revenge and two cannot get along with each other
Sun and moon approach in red robes
Smiles awaken again

-

  When family members or partners or lovers are at war, a higher authority is needed. Find a referee, someone who is neutral or who knows the situation without being biased. It may save a lot of hurting words or deeds, which can make it very difficult to find a solution which is free of resentment.
  朱衣臨日月 litt: red summer robe of sun and moon (emperor and empress) nearing.
  日月重光 the sun and moon shine once more: fig. things get back to normal after an upheaval.

*