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Bushi Zhengzong · The Orthodox Tradition of Divination
Eighteen Questions · Returning Control
Read in English. Switch to Original for word notes, or select text to ask a question.
Question Two: What is called returning Control? Can its Control be favorable or unfavorable?
Answer: Earth moving and changing into Wood; Wood into Metal; Metal into Fire; Fire into Water; and Water into Earth—these are returning Control at the line level. Qian or Dui changing into Li; Li into Kan; Kan into Gen or Kun; Gen or Kun into Zhen or Xun; and Zhen or Xun into Qian or Dui—these are returning Control at the hexagram level.
Whenever returning Control occurs, its Control reaches all the way through. If the Source or Useful Spirit meets it, it is ominous. If the Avoided or Hostile Spirit meets it, it is instead auspicious.
Divination: Are the dwelling and its inhabitants safe? Divination: Opening a shop.
Hexagram: Water over Heaven, Xu, changing to Qian as Heaven. Hexagram: Gen as Mountain, changing to Earth over Fire, Ming Yi.
Palace: Kun Earth. Cycle Void: Zi, Chou. Missing line: Si Parents. Palace: Gen Earth. Cycle Void: Zi, Chou. Missing line: [no entry supplied].
Six Beasts; Self/Response; hexagram.
Line; Qian.
Branch; Six Spirits; stems and branches; Six Spirits; Hidden.
Spirit; Hexagram Body; Day.
Chen; Month Commander; Tai Sui; Six Beasts; Self/Response; hexagram.
Line; stems and branches; Six Spirits; stems and branches; Six Spirits; Hidden.
Spirit; Hexagram Body; day designation; Month Commander; Tai Sui.
White Tiger; ｘ; Zi Wealth; Xu Brothers; Gui; Mao. Soaring Snake; Self; O; Yin Officer; You Descendants; Xin; Yin.
Soaring Snake; Xu Brothers; Hai. Gouchen; Zi Wealth; You.
Gouchen; Self; ｘ; Shen Descendants; Wu Parents. Vermilion Bird; Xu Brothers.
Vermilion Bird; Chen Brothers; Hidden. Green Dragon; Response; Shen Descendants.
Green Dragon; Yin Officer; Si Parents. Dark Warrior; Wu Parents.
Dark Warrior; Response; Zi Wealth. White Tiger; ｘ; Chen Brothers; Mao Officer.
Judgment: Shen Metal Descendants holds Self and changes into Wu Fire’s returning Control. Both oneself and one’s descendants are controlled. Zi Water Wealth changes into Xu Earth’s returning Control; Wealth represents wives, concubines and servants. The whole household is controlled. Later, in Wu month, strong Fire controlled Self and assisted Earth to control Wealth. Wealth met Month Break, and several members of the family all died in a fire.
Judgment: Self occupies Yin Wood and commands the season, so opening at present is permissible. But the day controls Self, which also changes into returning Control. Ghost on Self warns of illness: beware in the sixth month, when Self enters Tomb.
Reading note: The supplied shop opening has 木，酉得令; the corresponding classical text reads 寅木得令, Yin Wood commanding the season.
He became ill in the sixth month. In the eighth month, a shop assistant stole all the shop’s property, and the matter was reported to the authorities.
Divination: A person with a long illness asks whether they will survive the year. Divination: A person asks about selling goods.
Hexagram: Heaven over Mountain, Dun, changing to Heaven over Wind, Gou. Hexagram: Wind over Fire, Jia Ren, changing to Wind over Heaven, Xiao Xu.
Palace: Qian Metal. Cycle Void: Zi, Chou. Missing lines: Descendants, Wealth. Palace: Xun Wood. Cycle Void: Chen, Si. Missing line: Officer.
Six Beasts; Self/Response; hexagram.
Line; Qian.
Branch; Six Spirits; stems and branches; Six Spirits; Hidden.
Spirit; Hexagram Body; Day.
Chen; Month Commander; Tai Sui; Six Beasts; Self/Response; hexagram.
Line; stems and branches; Six Spirits; stems and branches; Six Spirits; Hidden.
Spirit; Hexagram Body; day designation; Month Commander; Tai Sui.
Vermilion Bird; Xu Parents; Wu; Shen. Dark Warrior; Mao Brothers; Yi; Mao.
Green Dragon; Response; Shen Brothers; Wu. White Tiger; Response; Si Descendants; Wei.
Dark Warrior; Wu Officer. Soaring Snake; Wei Wealth; Hidden.
White Tiger; Shen Brothers. Gouchen; Hai Parents; You Officer.
Soaring Snake; Self; ｘ; Wu Officer; Hai Descendants; Yin Wealth. Vermilion Bird; Self; ｘ; Chou Wealth; Yin Brothers.
Gouchen; Chen Parents; Zi Descendants. Green Dragon; Mao Brothers.
Judgment: Wu Fire at Self occupies the day and can be called strong. But the Shen Month Commander generates and assists Hai Water’s returning Control. This man died in Hai month on Xu day. It corresponded to Hai month because Wu Fire was the day’s Fire: Hai Water lacked seasonal command at the earlier time and did not dare control it. It corresponded to Xu day because Fire’s Storehouse is at Xu.
Judgment: Chou Earth Wealth holds Self. Mao month controls it and Wei day Clashes with it: this is called scattering. It also changes into Yin Wood’s returning Control, so Wealth is controlled and Self is injured as well. In Wei month, Self met Month Break; fire injured him and he died.
Reading note: The judgment’s stated day and month are retained as supplied; the flattened table is not silently rearranged to harmonize its date fragments.
Divination: On what day will it rain? Divination: A father’s official legal case.
Hexagram: Earth over Wind, Sheng, changing to Earth over Water, Shi. Hexagram: Lake over Earth, Cui, changing to Heaven over Fire, Tong Ren.
Palace: Zhen Wood. Cycle Void: Xu, Hai. Missing lines: Descendants, Brothers. Palace: Dui Metal. Cycle Void: Xu, Hai. Missing line: [no entry supplied].
Six Beasts; Self/Response; hexagram.
Line; Qian.
Branch; Six Spirits; stems and branches; Six Spirits; Hidden.
Spirit; Hexagram Body; Day.
Chen; Month Commander; Tai Sui; Six Beasts; Self/Response; hexagram.
Line; stems and branches; Six Spirits; stems and branches; Six Spirits; Hidden.
Spirit; Hexagram Body; day designation; Month Commander; Tai Sui.
Green Dragon; You Officer; Bing; You. Vermilion Bird; ｘ; Wei Parents; Xu Parents; Wu; Mao.
Dark Warrior; Response; Hai Parents; Hidden; Yin. Green Dragon; Response; You Brothers; Chen.
White Tiger; Chou Wealth; Wu Descendants. Dark Warrior; Hai Descendants.
Soaring Snake; O; You Officer; Wu Descendants; Hidden. White Tiger; ｘ; Mao Wealth; Hai Descendants.
Gouchen; Self; Hai Parents; Yin Brothers. Soaring Snake; Self; Si Officer.
Vermilion Bird; Chou Wealth. Gouchen; ｘ; Wei Parents; Mao Wealth.
Judgment: Hai Water Parents is the Useful Spirit and is in Cycle Void. You Metal Officer and Ghost is the Source Spirit, but changes into Wu Fire’s returning Control. There will be no rain within the cycle. On Zi day a few drops of light rain fell. Zi day corresponded because it Clashed away Wu Fire, the Hostile Spirit. The rain was slight because Cycle Void left it without roots.
Judgment: Wei Earth in the outer hexagram is controlled by Mao month. Earth’s qi is defeated in spring, and a Hai–Mao–Wei formation also combines to control it. With no rescue or assistance, the offense must receive a severe sentence. He was later beheaded.
Divination: A person asks on what day a servant will return. Divination: A person asks about their own illness.
Hexagram: Lake over Heaven, Guai, changing to Heaven over Lake, Lu. Hexagram: Li as Fire, changing to Kan as Water.
Palace: Kun Earth. Cycle Void: Wu, Wei. Missing line: Parents. Palace: Li Fire. Cycle Void: Xu, Hai. Missing line: [no entry supplied].
Six Beasts; Self/Response; hexagram.
Line; Qian.
Branch; Six Spirits; stems and branches; Six Spirits; Hidden.
Spirit; Hexagram Body; Day.
Chen; Month Commander; Tai Sui; Six Beasts; Self/Response; hexagram.
Line; stems and branches; Six Spirits; stems and branches; Six Spirits; Hidden.
Spirit; Hexagram Body; day designation; Month Commander; Tai Sui.
Green Dragon; ｘ; Wei Brothers; Xu Brothers; Ding; Si. Green Dragon; Self; O; Si Brothers; Zi Officer; Bing; Wu.
Dark Warrior; Self; You Descendants; Hai. Dark Warrior; ｘ; Wei Descendants; Xu Descendants; Yin.
White Tiger; Hai Wealth. White Tiger; O; You Wealth; Shen Wealth.
Soaring Snake; O; Chen Brothers; Chou Brothers; Hidden. Soaring Snake; Response; O; Hai Officer; Wu Brothers.
Gouchen; Response; Yin Officer; Si Parents. Gouchen; ｘ; Chou Descendants; Chen Descendants.
Vermilion Bird; Zi Wealth. Vermilion Bird; Mao Parents.
Judgment: Hai Water Wealth is the Useful Spirit. Although Hai Water is the Month Commander, it is not called Month Break. But repeated moving Earth lines injuring it are unfavorable. As the saying goes, two fists cannot oppose four hands. Not only is return difficult to expect; beware an unexpected calamity on the road.
Reading note: The supplied judgment calls Hai the month, while a parallel classical text calls it the day. The supplied month designation is retained rather than silently synchronized with the table.
In Wu month, strong Fire combined with Wei and assisted Earth; he was killed on the way.
Judgment: Li Fire changing into Kan Water is returning Control at the hexagram level. Si Fire at Self changes into Zi Water’s returning Control: it is called a Reversing Chant hexagram. At present, Wu month makes Fire strong and the day generates and supports it, so there is no immediate harm. Beware the winter season.
He died in Xu month on Ding Hai day. Xu month corresponded because Self entered Tomb that month. Hai day corresponded because it was the day of Control and Clash.
Divination: A person asks about collecting the price of a house. Divination: Submitting an official memorial.
Hexagram: Kan as Water, changing to Kun as Earth. Hexagram: Wind over Lake, Zhong Fu, changing to Mountain over Lake, Sun.
Palace: Kan Water. Cycle Void: Wu, Wei. Missing line: [no entry supplied]. Palace: Gen Earth. Cycle Void: Xu, Hai. Missing lines: Descendants, Wealth.
Six Beasts; Self/Response; hexagram.
Line; Qian.
Branch; Six Spirits; stems and branches; Six Spirits; Hidden.
Spirit; Hexagram Body; Day.
Chen; Month Commander; Tai Sui; Six Beasts; Self/Response; hexagram.
Line; stems and branches; Six Spirits; stems and branches; Six Spirits; Hidden.
Spirit; Hexagram Body; day designation; Month Commander; Tai Sui.
Dark Warrior; Self; Zi Brothers; Yi; Mao. Vermilion Bird; Mao Officer; Wu; Shen.
White Tiger; O; Xu Officer; Wei Officer; You. Green Dragon; O; Si Parents; Zi Wealth; Zi Wealth; Chen.
Soaring Snake; Shen Parents. Dark Warrior; Self; Wei Brothers.
Gouchen; Response; Wu Wealth. White Tiger; Chou Brothers; Shen Descendants.
Vermilion Bird; O; Chen Officer; Chou Officer. Soaring Snake; Mao Officer.
Green Dragon; Yin Descendants. Gouchen; Response; Si Parents.
Judgment: Kan changing into Kun is also returning Control at the hexagram level. Although Self receives Generation from the day, two moving Earth lines should not come to injure it. This hexagram is very ominous. The house payment is a small matter: guard against unexpected disaster. He later died when a boat capsized in Wu month.
Wu month corresponded because the Chen and Xu Earth Ghosts emerged from spring and gained power through Fire; Self also met the month’s Clash. A question about a house payment was verified in the person’s life: the spirits had foretold his misfortune. One asks about this and the response concerns that; one asks about something minor and the response concerns something grave.
Judgment: Si Fire at the fifth position generates Self, but changes into Zi Water’s returning Control. Submitting a memorial is unfavorable. Asked, “Will there be harm?” I replied, “Although Si Fire cannot generate, fortunately no moving line in the hexagram controls Self. There will be neither benefit nor harm.” A memorial was later submitted, but permission to proceed was refused.
Divination: Anxiety over the major assessment of officials.
Hexagram: Fire over Mountain, Lu, changing to Earth over Fire, Ming Yi.
Palace: Li Fire. Cycle Void: Zi, Chou. Missing lines: Parents, Officer.
Six Beasts; Self/Response; hexagram.
Line; Qian.
Branch; Six Spirits; stems and branches; Six Spirits; Hidden.
Spirit; Hexagram Body; Day.
Chen; Month Commander; Tai Sui.
Green Dragon; O; Si Brothers; You Wealth; Ding; Yin.
Dark Warrior; Wei Descendants; Si.
White Tiger; Response; O; You Wealth; Chou Descendants.
Soaring Snake; Shen Wealth; Hai Officer.
Gouchen; Wu Brothers.
Vermilion Bird; Self; ｘ; Chen Descendants; Mao Parents; Mao Parents.
Judgment: Descendants holds Self and changes into returning Control. The objection is that Self occupies it: Self represents oneself and should not suffer Control. Although a Metal formation generates and supports the hidden Officer, it is difficult to promise safety. He was indeed dismissed from office.
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