Yue Lao Oracle Lot 91 · Good

你往事已沉，我只言自今。 Your past has sunk away; i speak only of today.

The lot

Text notes (in Chinese): 《西廂記》原作「往事已沉，只言目今」.

Background: what the original says

The maid Hongniang urges the young scholar Zhang to stop brooding over what has happened and look only at the present.

This aria is from Part Three, Act Four of The Romance of the Western Chamber (Xixiang Ji). In the previous act Yingying had sent the scholar Zhang a poem inviting him to the garden at night. He climbed the wall, only to be scolded in front of her maid Hongniang, and fell ill.

Madam Cui sends Hongniang to ask after him, and Yingying gives her a "prescription" to carry along. It is really another poem, promising that she will come that night. Zhang is overjoyed yet doubtful. So Hongniang sings: stop muttering, stop searching for her in your dreams; the past is past, let us speak only of now, and tonight you will meet. She wants no jade or gold, she teases, only a head full of flowers and a trailing silk gown when she stands as go-between at the wedding.

In Part Four Yingying does come. Hongniang meant to free Zhang from the night before, and the lot keeps her sense of letting the past settle.

What it means

Let the past stay in the past; what matters is now. If neither of you digs up old history, you can start again.

Reminder: Do not rake up old grievances.

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 90; next: Lot 92.