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Bushi Zhengzong · The Orthodox Tradition of Divination
Eighteen Questions · A Single Still or Moving Line
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Question Fifteen: How are a lone still line and a lone moving line verified?
Answer: Five lines moving and only one still is called a lone still line. Five lines still and only one moving is called a lone moving line. If one line openly moves and another meets the day’s Clash, it is not a lone moving line. If all six lines are still but one is stirred by the day’s Clash, it too is called a lone moving line.
Yet these conditions concern only success or failure, speed or delay. For good and ill, infer through the Useful Spirit. Disregarding the Useful Spirit when judging an affair is both strained and mistaken.
Divination: Going personally to find a father and bring him back. Divination: Going personally to find a father and bring him back.
Hexagram: Fire over Heaven, Da You, changing to Li as Fire. Hexagram: Lake over Fire, Ge, changing to Water over Fire, Ji Ji.
Palace: Qian Metal. Cycle Void: Yin, Mao. Missing line: [no entry supplied]. Palace: Kan Water. Cycle Void: Yin, Mao. Missing line: 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.
Green Dragon; Response; Si Officer; Bing; Wu. Green Dragon; Wei Officer; Bing; Wu.
Dark Warrior; Wei Parents; Wu. Dark Warrior; You Parents; Wu.
White Tiger; You Brothers. White Tiger; Self; Ｏ; Hai Brothers; Shen Parents.
Soaring Snake; Self; Chen Parents. Soaring Snake; Hai Brothers; Wu Wealth.
Gouchen; Ｏ; Yin Wealth; Chou Parents. Gouchen; Chou Officer.
Vermilion Bird; Zi Descendants. Vermilion Bird; Response; Mao Descendants.
A friend who understood the Changes asked about his father and brought the hexagram to me: “Yin Wood alone moves. Can I see him in the first month?” I answered, “No. Parents holds Self and is controlled by Yin Wood. You cannot set out, nor can you see your father. To set out and see him, wait for the year or month that Clashes with and controls Yin Wood.” I had him divine again so both could be judged together; he obtained Ge changing to Ji Ji.
Judgment: This agrees exactly with the first hexagram. Shen is what Clashes open Yin Wood there. Here Self changes into Shen Metal’s returning Generation, also corresponding to Shen. In the eighth month of Shen year he found his father and brought him home. Shen year corresponded because the first hexagram Clashed away the Avoided Spirit, while the second changed into Shen Metal Parents, the Useful Spirit generating Self.
Divination: Descendants. Divination: Will prolonged rain harm the wheat?
Hexagram: Earth over Thunder, Fu. Hexagram: Heaven over Fire, Tong Ren, changing to Lake over Fire, Ge.
Palace: Kun Earth. Cycle Void: Wu, Wei. Missing line: Parents. Palace: Li Fire. Cycle Void: Wu, Wei. 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.
Soaring Snake; You Descendants; Xin; Shen. Green Dragon; Response; Ｏ; Xu Descendants; Wei Descendants; Jia; Wu.
Gouchen; Hai Wealth; Mao. Dark Warrior; Shen Wealth; Shen.
Vermilion Bird; Response; Chou Brothers. White Tiger; Wu Brothers.
Green Dragon; Chen Brothers. Soaring Snake; Self; Hai Officer.
Dark Warrior; Yin Officer; Si Parents. Gouchen; Chou Descendants.
White Tiger; Self; Zi Wealth. Vermilion Bird; Mao Parents.
The questioner said, “My one son was separated from me in the turmoil. I now have no son and ask whether I will have one in future.” Judgment: Zi Water holds Self, and the Month Commander as Descendants generates Self: an image of having a son. You Metal Descendants at the sixth line secretly moves to generate Self: also a lone moving line. Moving in the outer hexagram, it shows the lost son must return. Asked when, I answered, “Next year, Jia Chen, combines with You Metal; he will return contentedly.” This was verified. The Useful Spirit alone moved, and the year brought Combination to Clash.
A friend brought the second hexagram and asked, “Xu Earth Descendants alone moves. Surely the day after tomorrow, Bing Xu, should be clear—why does it still rain?” I answered, “You are distressed that water will harm the wheat. Descendants moving controls Ghost at Self, telling you not to worry, rather than predicting clear weather. There will certainly be no damage. But Xu Earth changes into Retreat and cannot entirely remove your anxiety, so rain continues. Wait for Mao day to combine with it, and then it will become very clear.” This was verified.
Divination: On opening a coal mine, when will coal be found? Divination: A daughter’s illness.
Hexagram: Wind over Fire, Jia Ren, changing to Wind over Thunder, Yi. Hexagram: Fire over Water, Wei Ji, changing to Water over Mountain, Jian.
Palace: Xun Wood. Cycle Void: Chen, Si. Missing line: [no entry supplied]. Palace: Li Fire. Cycle Void: Yin, Mao. 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.
Dark Warrior; Mao Brothers; Jia; Shen. Soaring Snake; Response; Ｏ; Si Brothers; Zi Officer; Geng; Yin.
White Tiger; Response; Si Descendants; Wu. Gouchen; Ｘ; Wei Descendants; Xu Descendants; Xu.
Soaring Snake; Wei Wealth. Vermilion Bird; Ｏ; You Wealth; Shen Wealth.
Gouchen; Ｏ; Hai Parents; Chen Wealth; You Officer. Green Dragon; Self; Ｘ; Wu Brothers; Shen Wealth; Hai Officer.
Vermilion Bird; Self; Chou Wealth. Dark Warrior; Ｏ; Chen Descendants; Wu Brothers.
Green Dragon; Mao Brothers. White Tiger; Yin Parents; Chen Descendants.
Judgment: Use Chen Earth Wealth as the Useful Spirit. Hai Water alone moves and changes into it, plainly indicating Chen month. Coal was first found after Clear and Bright the following year. This corresponded to the Useful Spirit emerging from the lone moving line’s change.
The second hexagram has a lone still line. Without examining the Useful Spirit, should one predict life on Yin day or death on Yin day? Earth is the Useful Spirit. Si and Wu Fire move to generate it; Wei Earth Descendants changes into an Advancing Spirit, and Chen Earth Descendants changes into returning Generation. The image is favorable. I promised recovery on Yin day, and this was verified.
Divination: On what day will a father return from a distant journey?
Hexagram: Heaven over Mountain, Dun, changing to Thunder over Lake, Gui Mei.
Palace: Qian Metal. Cycle Void: Yin, Mao. 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.
Dark Warrior; Ｏ; Xu Parents; Xu Parents; Jia; Yin.
White Tiger; Response; Ｏ; Shen Brothers; Shen Brothers; Chen.
Soaring Snake; Wu Officer.
Gouchen; Ｏ; Shen Brothers; Chou.
Vermilion Bird; Self; Ｘ; Wu Officer; Mao; Yin Wealth.
Green Dragon; Ｘ; Chen Parents; Si; Zi Descendants.
Judgment: Repeating Chant in the outer hexagram shows distress away from home. He asked, “Will there be harm?” I answered, “Chen Earth Parents in the inner hexagram changes into Si Fire’s returning Generation. Wu Fire at Self changes into Mao Wood, which assists Fire to generate it. There is no harm. Wu Fire at the fourth line alone is still: he must return in the fifth month.” In the third and fourth months his father was doing business in Huguang. Unexpected military disorder broke out in the provincial capital, and he returned only in the fifth month.
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