Yue Lao Oracle Lot 65 · Good, steady

在幽閨自憐。 Alone in the secluded chamber, pitying myself.

The lot

Background: what the original says

After strolling in the garden, Du Liniang falls asleep, and in her dream Liu Mengmei sings to her that a beauty like hers is slipping away with the years while she sits alone in her secluded chamber feeling sorry for herself.

The Peony Pavilion is a Ming-dynasty drama by Tang Xianzu. Du Liniang, a prefect's only daughter, has been raised in seclusion. Stirred by the love songs of the Book of Songs, she visits the family garden for the first time with her maid. The spring blossoms move her; she laments that her youth is going to waste, then falls asleep.

In a dream a young scholar, Liu Mengmei, appears holding a willow branch and sings to her: it is for your flowerlike beauty and your years flowing past like water that I have searched everywhere, only to find you pitying yourself alone in your secluded chamber. They meet by the peony pavilion, but she wakes to find it was only a dream. Unable to find it again, she wastes away with longing, paints her own portrait and dies, later returning to life to marry Liu. The oracle takes its cue from one word in the song: self-pity.

What it means

Sitting alone feeling sorry for yourself will not bring love to your door. Get out and spend more time among people.

Reminder: Give yourself more chances to socialize.

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 64; next: Lot 66.