Yue Lao Oracle Lot 1 · Excellent, great fortune

關關雎鳩，在河之洲。窈窕淑女，君子好逑。 The ospreys call to each other, on an island in the river, a graceful, gentle young woman, is a fine match for a good man.

The lot

Background: what the original says

This is the very first poem in the Book of Songs. It opens with a pair of ospreys calling on a sandbar in the river, then turns to a gentleman's admiration for a lovely young woman and his wish to win her.

Guanju (The Ospreys) opens the Shijing, or Book of Songs. It begins with a pair of ospreys calling to each other on an islet in the river, then, through the image of floating water plants, turns to a young nobleman who longs for a fine young woman waking and sleeping. He cannot win her, and he tosses and turns all night. In the closing stanzas he imagines befriending her with zithers and delighting her with bells and drums. The Mao commentary of the Han dynasty read the poem as praise for a queen's virtue; most later readers simply took it as a love song. Confucius said it expressed joy without excess and sorrow without self-harm. Old commentators called the osprey faithful to its mate, one reason the poem was placed first, as the starting point of the way of husband and wife. Its line about the lovely maiden and the gentleman's worthy match has been the classic phrase for courtship, and it naturally heads the Yuelao lots.

What it means

This is a well-matched pairing with feelings on both sides, and the other person is interested too. Court them sincerely and the two of you can become a couple.

Reminder: If you like someone, tell them so, and court them with courtesy and good sense.

This is a plain reading of the words and their source. How it applies to your own question is best settled with the interpreter at the temple where you drew it.

How to ask Yue Lao for a lot

1. Yue Lao, the Old Man under the Moon, usually has a side shrine inside a larger temple, such as a City God temple or a Mazu temple. Follow the temple's route: pay respects to the main deity first, then go to Yue Lao.
2. Tell Yue Lao your name, birth date and address, describe where you are in love right now, and state the one question you want to ask (for example, "Will this relationship last?" or "When will I meet someone?").
3. 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 and cast again to confirm it. Many temples ask for three yeses in a row; if not, draw again.
4. Collect the slip with the matching number. Yue Lao lots are quotations from old books, so the meaning often depends on the original passage. If it is unclear, ask the temple's interpreter.

Ask about one thing at a time; the more specific the question, the easier the lot is to apply. Yue Lao lots are for love and marriage only; for other matters, use the temple's general fortune poems.

Common misunderstandings

Previous: Lot King; next: Lot 2.