Yue Lao Oracle Lot 3 · Excellent, great fortune

宗廟享之，子孫保之。 The ancestors in the temple enjoy his offerings, and his descendants are kept safe.

The lot

Text notes (in Chinese): 《中庸》原作「宗廟饗之」，享、饗古時通用，照錄流通本.

Background: what the original says

Confucius praises the great filial devotion of the sage king Shun: his virtue ensured that his ancestors continued to receive sacrifices and that his descendants were protected.

This line comes from the Doctrine of the Mean (Zhongyong), a chapter of the Book of Rites, where Confucius praises the sage-king Shun for his filial devotion. Born a commoner, Shun was mistreated by his father, who favoured Shun's half-brother Xiang, and the family plotted against his life more than once; yet Shun never stopped serving his father with respect. The ruler Yao heard of his virtue, gave him his two daughters in marriage, watched him for years, and finally handed him the throne. The Zhongyong says that Shun had a sage's virtue and an emperor's rank, that his ancestors received sacrifices in the ancestral temple through him, and that his descendants were preserved because of him. Great virtue, it goes on, always brings its due position, reward, name and long life. The passage is about virtue and blessing, not marriage. The Yuelao lots borrow it for its picture of a line running from ancestors to children, which is how a marriage between two families was traditionally seen.

What it means

Blessings built up by the generation before you are flowing down to you. This match has the good wishes of your elders and can carry on into the next generation.

Reminder: Treasure your family's support, and do good that will bless the generation after you.

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 2; next: Lot 4.