Sixty Jiazi Oracle No. 41: Geng-Shen (庚申)

Lot 41 of the sixty, numbered Geng-Shen. Below are the original Chinese poem, our English translation, a plain reading, and a note on the imagery it draws on.

The poem

The Chinese is the original: four lines of seven characters. The English is our own translation, aiming for the sense and a little of the rhythm.

Chinese text from the Jieqian Ge version; wording varies a little between temples. The attribute is worked out from the Nayin element of the lot’s stem-branch pair and matches what traditional printed slips say.

What it means

Things have come to a point you cannot dodge, and you drink and pace. But news is close by, and a match made in a past life is sealed.

Tip: Face it head on. The turn is close.

About the imagery: "Roosters and dogs within earshot" (雞犬相聞) comes from the Daodejing and Tao Yuanming’s Peach Blossom Spring: villages so close you hear each other’s animals. Here it means the news is near. Some temples read the first line as "now it is in hand" (今行到手).

This is a plain reading of the words. How it applies to your own question is best asked at the temple where you drew it.

How to draw a lot and read it

1. Light incense and tell the deity your name, date of birth and address, then state clearly the one question you want to ask.
2. Ask permission by casting the moon blocks (筊, jiaobei), two crescent-shaped wooden pieces. One flat side up and one round side up is a "holy answer" (聖筊): yes, go ahead. Then shake the bamboo cylinder until one stick falls out.
3. Cast the blocks again to confirm this is your stick. Many temples ask for three holy answers in a row; if you do not get them, draw again.
4. Take the poem with the same number, read it as a whole, and hold it up against your question. If it is unclear, the temple’s volunteers can explain it.

Ask about one thing at a time. The more specific the question, the easier the poem is to apply.

Common misunderstandings

Previous: No. 40 Geng-Wu. Next: No. 42 Geng-Xu.