Yue Lao Oracle Lot 86 · Fair

河漢清且淺，相去復幾許？盈盈一水間，脈脈不得語。 The River of Heaven is clear and shallow; how far apart can they really be? Only a brimming stream between them, gazing with longing, unable to speak.

The lot

Background: what the original says

The Milky Way is clear and shallow, and the Herd Boy and the Weaver Girl are not truly far apart, yet a single stretch of water keeps them gazing at each other with feeling, unable to say a word.

"Far, Far Away, the Herd-Boy Star" is one of the Nineteen Old Poems, anonymous verses preserved in the sixth-century anthology Wenxuan and usually dated to the late Eastern Han. One anthology credits it to Mei Cheng, a claim long doubted.

The poem has ten lines and stays with the Weaver Girl. Far off shines the Herd-Boy star; bright is the maiden of the River of Heaven. She plies the loom with slender hands, the shuttle clacking all day, yet cannot finish a single bolt, and her tears fall like rain. Then the turn: the Milky Way is clear and shallow, so how far apart can they be? Yet across that one brimming stretch of water they can only gaze, unable to speak.

The legend was already current in the Han, and this is one of the earliest poems to make it a love story. Its closing lines became the standard image for two people who understand each other but cannot say so. The lot uses it for that narrow distance.

What it means

There is feeling on both sides and the distance is small, but something unspoken stands between you. You need to find a bridge to reach each other.

Reminder: Say what is in your heart.

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 85; next: Lot 87.