Guanyin Oracle · Lot 12

Auspicious

What it means

This is a lot of the low point turning, of fortune from misfortune. You may have just had a setback, but the turn is near. Wu Ji seemed lost after his accident, yet it led him to Jiang Ziya and a new life. The key is to rouse yourself and set your aim; don't let a passing shadow hold you.

By matter

Line by line

1. 時臨否極泰當來
   At the very bottom, the turn toward good arrives.
2. 抖擻從君出暗埃
   Shake yourself off and step out of the shadows.
3. 若遇卯寅佳信至
   In the months of Yin and Mao, good news comes.
4. 管教立志事和諧
   Set your resolve and everything falls into place.

Classic commentary

此卦禍中有福之象。凡事先凶后吉也。

換麻得絲。擊人雙足。要見分明。因災得福。

The image: blessing hidden in misfortune; bad first, good after. The verdict: trading hemp for silk, a setback that brings gain; see clearly and disaster becomes fortune.

The story · Wu Ji Meets His Master

In Investiture of the Gods, the woodcutter Wu Ji accidentally killed a man in the city. King Wen drew a prison on the ground and let him go home to care for his mother. Wu Ji sought out Jiang Ziya, fishing by the Wei River, who took him as a student, taught him strategy and freed him from his fate. He later became a general of Zhou.

Reference: Lot 12 of the Guanyin Oracle at Mengjia Longshan Temple, Taipei, with its traditional image, verdict, guidance and story. Story summaries are our own.