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Bushi Zhengzong · The Orthodox Tradition of Divination
Eighteen Questions · Several Useful Spirits
Read in English. Switch to Original for word notes, or select text to ask a question.
Question Seventeen: When the Useful Spirit appears more than once, how is one selected?
Answer: What I have repeatedly verified is to leave an idle line and use the one holding Self; leave the powerless and use the day or month; leave the unbroken and use Month Break; leave the nonempty and use Cycle Void. Heaven’s mechanism is fully disclosed where there is an obstruction; the judgment always lies where its remedy is found.
Divination: Seeking money. Divination: Promotion.
Hexagram: Wind over Heaven, Xiao Xu. Hexagram: Earth over Water, Shi, changing to Wind over Water, Huan.
Palace: Xun Wood. Cycle Void: Chen, Si. Missing line: [no entry supplied]. Palace: Kan Water. Cycle Void: Chen, Si. 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; Mao Brothers; Geng; Wei. Dark Warrior; Response; ｘ; You Parents; Mao Descendants; Jia; Wei; Mao.
Gouchen; Si Descendants; Zi. White Tiger; ｘ; Hai Brothers; Si Wealth; Wu.
Vermilion Bird; Response; Wei Wealth. Soaring Snake; Chou Officer.
Green Dragon; Chen Wealth. Gouchen; Self; Wu Wealth.
Dark Warrior; Yin Brothers. Vermilion Bird; Chen Officer.
White Tiger; Self; Zi Parents. Green Dragon; Yin Descendants.
Judgment: Wei Earth, the Month Commander, is the Useful Spirit. Why, then, is Chen Earth in Cycle Void? Void must contain the key. I predicted receipt of money within the month on Chen day. It came to hand on Jia Chen day at Si hour: the day and hour of departure from Void. This is leaving the nonempty and using the empty.
Judgment: Self occupies the day in great strength, while the Month Commander as Officer combines with Self. But Officer appears twice: one is empty and one broken. Which should be used, and in what year will promotion occur? I said, “This is Mao year; next is Chen year. Use the Chen line: promotion is possible next year. But the outer hexagram has Reversing Chant, repeatedly verified as leaving and returning.” In Chen year he was transferred to Henan, transferred back in the fifth month, and in the tenth month opened a governor-general’s office. Two transfers and one promotion within the year all corresponded to filling Void.
Divination: On what day will a son escape his difficulty? Divination: A son has long been away; on what day will he return?
Reading note: The supplied final 衝 is read as 歸, return, matching the ensuing question and result.
Hexagram: Thunder over Earth, Yu, changing to Thunder over Lake, Gui Mei. Hexagram: Fire over Wind, Ding, changing to Water over Heaven, Xu.
Palace: Zhen Wood. Cycle Void: Yin, Mao. Missing line: Parents. Palace: Li Fire. Cycle Void: Shen, You. Missing line: Parents.
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; Xu Wealth; Bing; Hai. Green Dragon; Ｏ; Si Brothers; Zi Officer; Ding; Wei.
Dark Warrior; Shen Officer; Wu. Dark Warrior; Response; Ｘ; Wei Descendants; Xu Descendants; Chou.
White Tiger; Response; Wu Descendants. White Tiger; Ｏ; You Wealth; Shen Wealth.
Soaring Snake; Mao Brothers. Soaring Snake; You Wealth.
Gouchen; Ｘ; Si Descendants; Mao Brothers. Gouchen; Self; Hai Officer.
Vermilion Bird; Self; Ｘ; Wei Wealth; Si Descendants; Zi Parents. Vermilion Bird; Ｘ; Chou Descendants; Zi Officer; Mao Parents.
Judgment: Descendants appears three times, all generating Self: escape from trouble is certain. Wu, the day, is still, while two Si Fire lines are at Month Break. I promised release in Si year, and this was verified. With several Useful Spirits, use the broken one: the result appears at the obstructed line, in the year filling Break.
Judgment: Wei Earth changes into an Advancing Spirit and the day Clashes with it. Chou Earth changes into Zi and is held by Combination. Si Fire, the Source Spirit, moves to generate the Useful Spirit but changes into Zi Water’s returning Control. He will not come now. Asked whether he would eventually come, I answered, “In Wu year.” He arrived home in Wu year, Wu month. Wu year and month corresponded because Wei Earth moved and was Clashed by the day, then met Combination; Chou Earth changed into Zi Water’s Combination, which awaited Clash to open; and Si Fire changed into Zi Water’s Control, whose removal by Clash removed the malefic and retained favor.
Reading note: The supplied punctuation around Chou changing into Zi, Combination and Si Fire is resolved as successive clauses; no new line or transformation is introduced.
Divination: Will there be many descendants?
Hexagram: Kun as Earth, changing to Gen as Mountain.
Palace: Kun 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.
White Tiger; Self; Ｘ; You Descendants; Yin Officer; Gui; Yin.
Soaring Snake; Hai Wealth; Hai.
Gouchen; Chou Brothers.
Vermilion Bird; Response; Ｘ; Mao Officer; Shen Descendants.
Green Dragon; Si Parents.
Dark Warrior; Wei Brothers.
He said, “Among three or four maidservants and concubines, children have been born and died over three to five years. There have been nine sons, and not one survives. Can there be a son in future?” I answered, “Descendants changing into Ghost, and Ghost into Descendants, means devastation; I cannot promise one later.” He had no son and adopted a nephew as heir.
Reading note: The supplied 予化鬼 is read as 子化鬼, Descendants changing into Ghost, following the case and the parallel classical wording.
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