Mazu Fortune Stick No. 37 · Lin Hexagram
骨肉緣何有異心，自因疾病苦相侵，勸汝改圖行孝悌，挽回造化莫因循。 Why are flesh and blood at odds with each other? Illness has come to trouble you as well. Change course: honor your parents and love your siblings; win back your fortune, and do not delay.
The poem
骨肉緣何有異心
Why are flesh and blood at odds with each other?
自因疾病苦相侵
Illness has come to trouble you as well.
勸汝改圖行孝悌
Change course: honor your parents and love your siblings;
挽回造化莫因循
win back your fortune, and do not delay.
| Lot | Hexagram |
|---|---|
| No. 37 第三十七首 | Lin 臨 (Approach) |
Text notes: line 2: the base text reads 自囚疾病苦相侵.
Beyond the poem: your own chart Cast a free BaZi chart →
Reminders by topic (written by us)
| Topic | Reminder |
|---|---|
| Career & exams | Cultivate yourself first; it is not too late to pursue success after that 先修養自己，再談功名也不遲 |
| Business | A wavering mind gets nothing done; focus on doing one thing well 心意不定難成事，先專注做好一件 |
| Pregnancy | For pregnancy and childbirth, please follow your doctor's advice and prenatal checkups 懷孕生產請遵從醫師與產檢 |
| Marriage | Your temperaments differ a lot; talk more before deciding 雙方性情差異大，多溝通再決定 |
| Travel | With something weighing on you, avoid long trips and settle family matters first 心頭有結時不宜遠行，先把家事安頓 |
| Household | Spend more time with your elders and make up with your siblings 多陪伴長輩，和兄弟姊妹重修舊好 |
| Seeking wealth | When the family pulls together, money will gradually return 家人同心協力，錢財會慢慢回來 |
| Luck of the times | Things are level; breaking old habits opens a turn for the better 平平而行，改掉舊習就有轉機 |
| Lost items | Search patiently and thoroughly; you will most likely find it 耐心仔細翻找，多半找得回 |
| Farming & livestock | Look after a small plot well and you will reap a steady little harvest 照顧好小塊田地，穩穩有些收穫 |
| Lawsuits | Disputes between relatives are best settled privately 家人之間的爭執，最好私下和解 |
These short reminders are written by us from the poem and its hexagram; they are not the readings printed on the temple's slip, so for a real reading go by the temple where you drew the lot. The temple's list also has an "illness" topic, which we leave out, and the pregnancy topic is always a reminder to follow your doctor. If you feel unwell, please see a doctor.
What it means
Why is there friction in the family? Illness brings its own suffering too. Mend your ways and treat your family well; only that turns things around.
Reminder: Repair family relationships first and other things will improve.
This is a plain reading of the words. How it applies to your own question is best settled with the interpreter at the temple where you drew it.
How to draw a lot
- Light incense and tell Mazu your name, birth date and address, then state clearly the one matter you are asking about.
- Cast the moon blocks (jiaobei, two crescent-shaped wooden blocks) to ask whether you may draw. One face up and one face down means yes; then pull one stick from the cylinder.
- Cast the blocks again to confirm that this is your stick. Many temples ask for three yeses in a row; if not, put it back and draw again.
- Collect the poem with the matching number. Read the whole poem, then find the topic below that fits your question. If it is unclear, ask the temple's interpreter.
Ask about one thing at a time; the more specific the question, the easier the poem is to apply.
Common misunderstandings
A gloomy poem means the matter is doomed.
Most poems are reminders and directions. The same poem means different things for different questions, so look at the topic that matches yours.
You can keep drawing on the same question until you get a good poem.
By custom you ask once per matter. If you are still unsure, ask the temple's interpreter, or wait a while and ask again.
Previous: No. 36; next: No. 38.
A straight word: fortune poems are a matter of faith, and the meanings here are ours
The Chinese text and hexagram names follow a widely circulated edition, checked line by line against three other versions; we only corrected obvious copying errors, and every page shows the base text's original wording wherever we changed it. The topic reminders, English translations and plain-English meanings are our own reading of the words and the hexagram, not the temple's readings or official interpretation. For a real reading, ask at the temple where you drew the lot. For legal, medical or financial questions, see a professional, and if you feel unwell, see a doctor. Everything on this site is for reference and entertainment.
Beyond the poem: your own chart
Enter your birth date to cast a free BaZi Four Pillars chart and see your Five Elements and Ten Gods.
Mazu fortune stick No. 37: questions
What does Mazu fortune stick No. 37 say?
「骨肉緣何有異心，自因疾病苦相侵，勸汝改圖行孝悌，挽回造化莫因循」 In English: Why are flesh and blood at odds with each other? Illness has come to trouble you as well. Change course: honor your parents and love your siblings; win back your fortune, and do not delay. It is paired with the Lin hexagram.
What does Mazu fortune stick No. 37 mean?
Why is there friction in the family? Illness brings its own suffering too. Mend your ways and treat your family well; only that turns things around. Reminder: Repair family relationships first and other things will improve.