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Bushi Zhengzong · The Orthodox Tradition of Divination
Eighteen Questions · All Still or All Moving
Read in English. Switch to Original for word notes, or select text to ask a question.
Question Sixteen: How do we judge a hexagram whose lines are all still or all moving?
Answer: Six lines still, with none stirred by the day, is called all still. Six lines all moving is called all moving. All still is like spring flowers holding buds: their beauty is not yet seen, but rain and dew gradually bring it forth. All moving is like a hundred flowers blooming together: everyone sees their brilliance, but a violent wind suddenly damages them. Thus stillness is enduringly beautiful, while movement often brings fault.
Reading note: The supplied broken 無日生，衝爻 phrase is read through the parallel 無日主衝爻, no line Clashed by the day commander.
Divination: A servant recently went out; on what day will he return? Divination: Will someone repay silver today?
Hexagram: Li as Fire. Hexagram: Kun as Earth.
Palace: Li Fire. Cycle Void: Shen, You. Missing line: [no entry supplied]. Palace: Kun Earth. Cycle Void: Shen, You. 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; Self; Si Brothers; Geng; Wu. Gouchen; Self; You Descendants; Ji; Chen.
Gouchen; Wei Descendants; Chen. Vermilion Bird; Hai Wealth; Mao.
Vermilion Bird; You Wealth. Green Dragon; Chou Brothers.
Green Dragon; Response; Hai Officer. Dark Warrior; Response; Mao Officer.
Dark Warrior; Chou Descendants. White Tiger; Si Parents.
White Tiger; Mao Parents. Soaring Snake; Wei Brothers.
Judgment: You Metal Wealth is the Useful Spirit. The month controls it and the day generates it: they seem evenly matched, without further Generation or Control. In the hexagram, only You Metal, the Useful Spirit, is in Cycle Void and combined with the day: here the spirits’ mechanism appears. Cycle Void must wait for departure from the cycle. Combination of Void gives partial use, but still waits for Clash to stir it. At Slight Heat, on Xin Mao day, You Metal belongs to the cycle and is no longer empty. Clash stirring it must bring arrival. He came home on Xin Mao day. This corresponds to stillness meeting Clash, Combination meeting Clash, and Void waiting to leave Void.
Judgment: You Metal, the Source Spirit, is in Cycle Void and the day Clashes with it: a still line Clashed is raised. Moreover, the day occupies Response and Clashes with Self. He must repay today at Si hour. Half was repaid at Si hour that day; the balance at Si hour on Yi You day. The first half corresponded to a still empty line raised by Clash possessing half its strength, with half the money. Full repayment on Yi You day corresponded to the already raised spirit occupying its day: Wealth’s Source Spirit was filled completely. Descendants is the star of joy—was full repayment not joyful?
Divination: Is a father safe amid disordered troops? Divination: Building a grave for burial.
Hexagram: Mountain over Heaven, Da Xu, changing to Lake over Earth, Cui. Hexagram: Qian as Heaven, changing to Kun as Earth.
Palace: Gen Earth. Cycle Void: Xu, Hai. Missing line: [no entry supplied]. Palace: Qian 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.
White Tiger; Ｏ; Yin Officer; Wei Brothers; Ren; Zi. Dark Warrior; Self; Ｏ; Xu Parents; You Brothers; Jia; Chen.
Soaring Snake; Response; Ｘ; Zi Wealth; You Descendants; Shen. White Tiger; Ｏ; Shen Brothers; Hai Descendants; Zi.
Gouchen; Ｘ; Xu Brothers; Hai Wealth. Soaring Snake; Ｏ; Wu Officer; Chou Parents.
Vermilion Bird; Ｏ; Chen Brothers; Mao Officer; Shen Descendants. Gouchen; Response; Ｏ; Chen Parents; Mao Wealth.
Green Dragon; Self; Ｏ; Yin Officer; Si Parents; Wu Parents. Vermilion Bird; Ｏ; Yin Wealth; Si Officer.
Dark Warrior; Ｏ; Zi Wealth; Wei Brothers. Green Dragon; Ｏ; Zi Descendants; Wei Parents.
Judgment: All six lines move chaotically, exactly an image of disordered troops. Take the changed Si Fire Parents as the Useful Spirit. The Month Commander controls it, and Yin Wood, the Source Spirit, is also Clashed with and controlled by the day: I fear his life cannot be preserved. He died and no trace was found.
Judgment: This hexagram is very ominous; detailed discussion is unnecessary. He said, “The grave is already prepared. We await opening the burial shaft and interring the body. I divine to decide whether my family branch will be safe.” I strongly tried to stop the burial. While we were discussing it, someone reported, “Below the burial place are countless stones as large as grain measures, with no place to establish the burial point.” A geomancer later examined it and said, “It turns its back on water and scatters stones: it cannot serve as a grave site.”
Reading note: The supplied Yin Water is read as Yin Wood, and 細月 as 細論, detailed discussion, following the parallel classical text. No missing burial location is invented.
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