Yue Lao Oracle Lot 83 · Poor

姑舍是。 Let us set that aside for now.

The lot

Background: what the original says

Mencius uses this phrase to put a topic to one side and leave it undiscussed for the time being.

This chapter of Mencius (Gongsun Chou I) is a long conversation. Mencius explains his "unmoved mind" and how he nourishes his flood-like qi, while his student Gongsun Chou keeps pressing. Then the student turns to his teacher: among Confucius's disciples some excelled in speech and others in virtue, Confucius had both, and so does Mencius. Is he not a sage, then? Mencius protests that even Confucius refused that title.

Gongsun Chou tries another angle. Some disciples, he has heard, each had one part of a sage, while others had the whole on a smaller scale. Where does Mencius stand? The answer is three words, gu she shi: "Let us leave that aside." Mencius goes on to compare the hermit Bo Yi, the minister Yi Yin and Confucius, and says that what he truly wishes is to learn from Confucius.

He could have answered; he simply saw no point in ranking himself. The lot takes the words for that tone of setting a question down for now.

What it means

Put this matter down for now; this is not the right time.

Reminder: Let it rest for a while, and do not force it.

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 82; next: Lot 84.