Yi Jing, Oracle of the Moon

神數

“Shen Shu”, Spirit Numbers 265-288

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

265 Six ears

日中不決
日到方明
一場好事
六耳同成

At noon not resolved
The day becomes brighter
At the gathering a good turn
Six ears succeed together

-

  Finding s solution is often not so much a matter of logic and thinking hard, but of perseverance and deliberation. Toss ideas around, listen to every one of them, even when weird. Give it enough time, let thoughts simmer in the back of your brain or sleep on them. And talk, think loud, exchange.
  日中 Noon or solstice.
  六耳 Six ears: 3 people.
  同Harmony, together (name of hexagram 13)

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266 Recluse

孤宿是妖星
猿猴及樹精
入山遇此曜
迷了性和心

All night in my solitude there are evil stars
And apes and monkeys as well as tree spirits
Living as a recluse meeting this dazzling sight
I lose my bearings and the harmony of my heart

-

  Shutting yourself off from bad things can cause them to haunt you. But feeling alone in a difficult situation can do that as well. Find someone to talk to, even a dog or a tree can help. And realize that this is not the ‘truth’, it is your soul which shows you its fears and loneliness in the form of images.
  星 comets or evil stars.
   入山 Live the life of a recluse; enter the mountains.
   迷 enchant, lose one's bearings, enthusiast.

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267 The waterclock

滴漏聲
催雞唱
趲行人
逐隊放
晚渡關津
前程無量

The waterclock sounds
Reminding the roosters to crow
Hurrying the people
Set yourself free from following the crowd
In the evening ferry across
from the mooring place
Your future boundless

-

  Don’t let anything impose rules on you which are not making you happy. Every creature needs to live its own life, the one its soul craves for. A bird needs to fly, a wolf needs to hunt. If you need solid rules like clocks, then by all means do that. If not, then get away and find your own road.
放 set free, let oneself go, let sb. have his own way.

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268 Nature as medicine

人在天涯外
久乏信音來
家人頻望眼
草木暢胸懷

A person is abroad at the far corners of the earth
For a long time no messages or sounds come anymore
Family members are frequently gazing into the distance
The green outdoors frees the mind

-

  Your mind is far, maybe you lost someone, or maybe lost yourself. Waiting or hoping will not cause a return. Pick up your own life again and live it as it is supposed to be. Live here and now, your wishes and joys and the beauty around you. Nature is a wonderful healer of the mind.
  望 gaze into the distance, long, look (forward to), full moon.
  草木 Grass and trees: vegetation.

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269 The governor of Nanke *

這顆樹下
一穴生成
若遷此上
福祿駢臻

This small hole under the tree
Is the beginning of a cave
It seems when moving into this
Both happiness and riches will be attained

-

  There are innumerable dreams of riches and fame, but only a very small number will turn into reality. Dreams have a value of their own, they can point to something one needs to do or to realize. The soul tells you a message and it is good to listen and maybe even act on it.
  This poem is about the story 'The Governor of Nanke'.
  南柯一梦Nangke Yimeng, illusory joy; pipe dream.

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270 Plowing

躬耕隴畝
形神似勞
無拘無繫
其樂陶陶

Plowing in person in a rural community
Body and spirit are one in the labor
Unrestrained and unconcerned
Full of joy

-

  Everything which is connected with a larger meaning, like tradition, myth, love or heroism, brings a deep sense of happiness and truth. This is even true for small daily repeating chores, connected with life as a cycle. Each day is a new enactment of the same eternal day, part of the eternal cycle.
  躬耕 Plowing in person: said of an emperor, heralding the start of ploughing the fields.
  陶 earthenware, cultivate, happy, happy-go-lucky.

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271 Ghosts

禍來見鬼
鬼病淹纏
金羊得路
身脫災殃

Misfortune comes and you meet ghosts!
Ghosts and disease linger a long time
The golden sheep achieves the way
You escape from physical calamity

-

  Ghosts are sick influences and you need to chase them out of you, or they will harm you. Who can better help you than the sheep, which sounds like yáng in Chinese, the force of light hated by all ghosts. In heaven the Ghost stars and the Golden Sheep dwell next to each other, so rescue is close by.
  鬼病 Ghosts and disease: trickery and fraud
  金羊 Golden sheep: an animal associated with peace, harmony and protection, 8th year in the Chinese Sexagenary Cycle.

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272 Heaven’s pillars

急起行
急起行
前途去
結同盟
隻手擎天柱
史冊好標名

Start the journey now!
Start the journey now!
Get rid of the former route
Form alliances
Singlehandedly hold up Heaven’s pillars
In the annals fame is awarded

-

  You want to achieve something? Then start! And if you want to achieve something great, then start great. It is all about the first step and the size of what you do, not about what you think you can. If you fail, then at least it will be in a grand way. Don’t settle for mediocrity in whatever you do.
  前途去 Get rid of the former route; the future leaves.
  擎天柱 'Hold up heaven's pillars', the most important leader of a cause/enterprise/etc., leading an organization, in a responsible position.

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273 The tiger's roar

深山踞猛虎
虎嘯出山窩
揚威抖擻
何怕人多

Deep in the mountains crouches a ferocious tiger
The tiger’s roar issues forth from the remote mountain area
Flaunting his strength he is unnerving
Why should he fear a crowd of people?

-

  Some people have all of it. Courage, dignity, strength and authority. They are born to lead. A leader is not a boss, a leader is chosen without voting or appointing but because he or she inspires people and they choose to follow by their own free will. It is how nature wants it to be.
  出山: to issue forth from the mountains: come out to carry the mantle of leadership; leave retirement and take a government post.

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274 Organized battle

三天門
四地戶
布障成
明聚路
軍馬齊奔
鳴鼓進步

Three Gates of Heaven
Four Doors of Earth
Troops in rank and files as a result
Gather openly on the road
Army horses of equal speed
Advance beating the drums

-

  A battle, any kind of battle, a big enterprise, small personal projects, all of them need strategy in order to succeed. Find the right information, both from others and from yourself. Look at examples and find helpers if necessary. Find out if there are rules or facts or ethics or tricks you need to know.
  三天門,四地戶 two ancient battle formations.
  成 Capable, completed, realized, successful. Name of Cheng the Completer.
  明 Openly - or next day.

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275 A hut like the sky

山山山
山上建茅菴
不此人間棟宇
卻如天上雲曇

Mountain after mountain
High on a mountain you build a thatched hut
Not like a house of the human world
But like the sky covered with clouds

-

  Not everyone can live in the human world. Some by choice, others because they simply feel unhappy or in other ways don’t have the qualities for it. Or maybe they have the qualities for more. Don’t let yourself fall down into a sad place, instead move up, get closer to heaven. Find your own honorable place.
  建 Erect or has been erected.

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276 Coming and going

來去原無定處
時来時去安身
跋涉無虞
榮辱不計

Coming and going are fundamentally not indeterminate
There is a time to come and there is a time to leave and take a rest
An arduous road with unexpected turns
Glory or dishonor are not considered

-

  This poem can be about wandering or about friendly contact. In both one needs to know when to be with the other and when to leave alone. A smart stranger or a good friend know when to come and when to go. It needs insight into the other, so exercise your people knowledge. It is not an easy skill.
  沬: dusk; Mei river; Zhou dynasty place-name; (Cant.) to go underwater, to dive. Or it might be a writing error for 来 lái, come or 未 not-yet.
  虞 Expect or worry in advance.

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277 In its element

有子長成永扁時
遇火反發福
不必過憂煎
人心苦不足

A child grows up
Water crushes it down for periods
Things turn about when it meets fire
and it radiates happiness
There is no need for big agonies of worry
The human heart can suffer from not having enough

-

  A bird needs to fly, a wolf to run. There are also subtle things a creature needs in order to feel right. Some thrive when challenged, others when everything is ordered. Some need fire, others water. Try to find out what you or someone else needs. It is an important cause of finding happiness.

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278 Good advice

黑夜裡勿前往
一有值 要著慌
牢牢記須結黨

On dark nights do not go out
If you have something valuable you should be nervous
Firmly keep in mind you must form a group

-

  Your possessions and safety are yours. But feeling entitled is dangerous for the mind, it tends to make it lazy. It is up to you to keep your life in order. Protect your possessions and stay away from danger. Make friends who can assist. And remember that safety is in numbers.
  黨 a union, political party, clique, gang.

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279 Spring rain

蟄龍已出去
頭角首生成
雲興雨澤
得濟蒼生

The hibernating dragon is already coming into the world
First the tops of his horns come forth
Clouds are rising and rain falls on the swamps
The peasants receive the benefits

-

  In spring the rains return and cause all seeds and plants to grow. When a great man or woman comes forth, they do the same. They benefit all around them. Make use of this opportunity and tend to whatever you sow or cultivate. Emulate them or be one of them. Use this influence or spread it around.
蒼生 dark green life - maybe plants instead of people?

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280 A raging fire

火勢薰天
天邊盡赤
遇際水源
庶乎底極

A raging fire sends smoke up to the sky
Heaven turns red to the ends of the earth
You find the border of a water source
You nearly reach the bottom

-

  Solving a problem is seldom simple and straightforward. Even if you have the tools, you have to find out how to use them. If you get helpers, you have to instruct them. If you find a solution, it is not certain if it will be enough. But if you don’t succeed, you will at least know you gave it your all.

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281 A friend who knows the songs

向南有大道
乘馬人杭城
不知吳人唱
更有一知音

The road to the south is wide
On horseback you enter the city of Hángzhōu
You don’t know the songs of the Wu people
But there is one understanding friend

-

  In an unknown place or among strangers it makes a huge difference when there is a good friend. Even if you still have to cope alone, his or her presence will comfort you and give you confidence. Man is not made to be alone, humans are social animals and having friends is valuable. (see story 096)

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282 Your field

有田一畝
儘可耕耘
無窮收穫
都在西成

You have a field of one acre
Cultivate it to the greatest extent
Bringing in inexhaustible crops
Already harvesting

-

  Acknowledge what you have, even if it is not much, and cultivate it to max extent. It will probably bring in more than a larger field which was not cultivated with such devotion. It happens often - what was done with love and hard work wins from what was done with hard work only.
  西成 Harvesting: lit. Western achievement.
   耕耘 Cultivate: lit. plow and weed.

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283 Empathy

勿嫌兒無唇
疾足追不及
納入援穴中
走狗何處覓

Do not dislike children without lips
Or pursue those with diseased feet as inferior
Bring them into the cave for help
How can the hunting dogs find them?

-

  Are you sure you have no flaws yourself? Or that you will not have in the future? If all people would treat everyone else the way they want to be treated themselves, the world would be a better place. Since this will never be achieved, you can at least help those who need assistance.

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284 Six oxen

六牛耕地
墾開無疆
收成結實
盈稟盈倉

Six oxen plowing
Cultivating land endlessly
The harvest is strong and substantial
Full granaries and full storehouses

-

  Don’t just rely on luck, she is a fickle goddess. One moment she helps you, the next she abandons you. But maybe she can be nudged a little. While working with strength and endurance will be the right way, things like using lucky numbers, like 6, may invite the capricious goddess to your side.

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285 Go out early

大奮沖天志
勿苦戀家鄉
七八君行早
揚武在沙場

Big actions and a towering will
No emotional ties to your hometown
Very likely rulers go out early
Raising the military at the battlefield

-

  Some people live small and essential, others live with a grand view. Both are right, both have value, one not more than the other. But whatever you do, do it completely. If your road tells you to conquer the world and improve it, then do so with all your power, all your courage and complete commitment.
七八 Seven or eight; seventy eight; July-August; very likely.

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286 Sunflowers

葵花向日
忠赤傾心
大開廣廈
樂享太平

Sunflowers turn toward the sun
Loyal and sincere and with admiration
Open wide a spacious mansion
And enjoy pleasure in peace and tranquility

-

  Open your house or open your heart and give happiness to others. It will benefit everyone, them as well as you. Having loyal people around you means comfortable safety for you. Someone who cares means a good life for them. People love a life-giving center like sunflowers love the sun.
  葵花向日 Sunflowers turn toward the sun; the loyal always look to their masters.

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287 The mysterious gate

人不識仙
那有真訣
一入玄門
津津有益

People are ignorant of the immortals
How can there be genuine ritual?
Once one enters the mysterious gate
There is overflowing benefit

-

  Nature provides all creatures with a deep sense of what they are. Man’s brain has closed this open door and the mind now has to find another entrance. It is the origin of every religion. Zen stayed close to its source, with its simplicity and lack of man-made rules. Find the key which works for you.
  玄門 Mysterious gate: term from Daoism, Buddhism.

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288 Profound

勿謂說話太沈
泥了就不成真
悟出千般奧妙
方識仙道最神

Do not say the words are too profound
Stubbornness just won’t really do
You come to realize various wonderful mysteries
The way to recognize the dao of immortals of the highest spirit

-

  Closing yourself off from what is difficult to understand means you will never develop your mind. It does not matter if you cannot grasp it, it is the attitude and effort which turns you into an open and interesting person. With a receptive mind you will understand many things

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