While the Book of Changes can be considerably older, most scholars would agree that the Zhouyi (the Zhou book of changes) had existed for more than three thousand years. Throughout these three millennia, sages and the wise have had devised various methods or systems to predict the timing of future events.
Of these methods, the more popular and better known ones used to foretell the future or fate with certain accuracy are the Four Pillars of Destiny (Bazi), Wen Wang Bagua (Najia), the Purple Star Astrology (Ziwei Doshu) and the Plum Blossom Yi Numerology (Meihua Yishu). Many of these methods utilize a combination of the ancient system of Celestial stems and horary branches (devised by the Shang for their calendar) and the trigrams and hexagrams of the Zhouyi. In the hands of their founders (namely Chen Tuan and Shao Yong) and the real masters, predictions by these methods were amazingly accurate if not magical.
However Yi aficionados tend to use these derivative methods to predict the timing in Yi prognostications. If these systems work for them, well and good, if not then they could improve their own Yi studies if they just concentrate on what the ancients had indicated on how to read time, in the Ten Wings (the ancient commentaries to the Yi) instead of delving into various types of fortune telling. (It is not advisable for those who have less than ten years of Yi studies to read too deeply into the ten wings. They can easily get confused by the deep ancient thoughts and the cosmology contained therein.)
The Yi remains a book of wisdom and is to be used for divination purposes whenever required, but the Yi is never meant for fortune telling. Therefore it is incorrect for Yi students to mix up their Yi studies with fortune telling systems.
If one understands the ancients and the Ten Wings correctly, the timing in the Yi prognostications is provided in the trigrams and the twelve sovereign hexagrams and not from these much later derivative methods for time calculations. Steve Marshall has kindly provided a comprehensive depiction and explanations of the twelve sovereign hexagrams in his Yijing Dao website for Yi, Confucian and Dao students for their further studies. Perhaps readers can learn something about timing by reading his commentary on these hexagrams.
And if you ever come to realize why Shao Yong had numbered the eight trigrams the way that he did in his ‘Plum Blossom Yi Numerology’, perhaps like him, you have already read the ten wings thoroughly and understand something on how to read time into Yi prognostications. If not, then together, we still have lots to learn from the Yi and on the timing?
Friday, September 15, 2006
Sunday, September 10, 2006
The good horse has returned
The horse that flew like a Pegasus early July has finally returned home. While one expected it to return sometime in August together with the wild horses, it came back on its own a few days ago. Well, a good horse would not keep its owner waiting and worried too long, I suppose. The horse looks lean and tough after the good run it had with the wild horses.
The horse, representing the GT shares, became a Pegasus when the shares doubled in price within a month. The momentum in the mad rush for the shares pushed its price way beyond my fivefold target of 50. It shot through 70 which was actually my next target for the shares. Thereafter the shares range bounded and hovered between the 50s and 60s for the past few weeks, while other shares (the wild horses) were falling like ten pins.
Even my friends and relatives were concerned, the past couple of weeks, that the horse had not yet returned. They had also sold all their GT shares in July and were eagerly waiting for its ‘expected’ fall in prices. My reply to them then when asked was: ‘If you are concerned about missing the boat, then you can always buyback some shares. One is not a ShenXian, one would not know when or if the GT share price will come down.’
Well, as indicated by the Yi a few months ago, it did. Without any plausible reasons, the share price suddenly fell to the 30s this week. That is why the good horse has returned. It came back to the prices one bought the shares at in June before it bolted and flew. (Refer to entries on Do not chase after the horse (7) & (8) July 05 and 09 2006 respectively.)
Talk about timing and trade. No matter how rich or poor we are, capital is always limited. If we get the timing right and know how to trade then we can make money. My friends and relatives who had follow my advice and actions closely have their wealth increased. If they had ventured and bought some other shares notwithstanding my indication that the low liners will fall 50% to 60% after the sale in early July, it is not my concern. They have to learn to stand on their own two feet and not try to be a ShenXian to their friends and relatives. (One has good reasons to say that.) It is not my responsibility to make them into ShenXian.
Now whether it is time to buyback the GT shares or not at all, how would I know?
A word of advice: If we have something to do, attend to it quickly. If we have nothing to do, then go up the mountains.
Meanwhile the horse tired after the long run retires to the stables. It is a good horse, mark my words. That is why the Yi have indicated Wei Ji / Before Completion.
Hopefully Yi diviners and students have also been increased by reading and following the ongoing live case study of the prognostication – Hexagram 38 Kui / Opposition with the first line moving and the resultant Hexagram 64 Wei Ji / Before Completion – in nine entries (including this concluding entry). And if after reading the case study, some still insist that the Yi cannot foretell the future, so be it. Perhaps they have already reached their utmost level of divination, interpretation and understanding. (Murphy's Law) And no longer need to learn.
Cheerio!
The horse, representing the GT shares, became a Pegasus when the shares doubled in price within a month. The momentum in the mad rush for the shares pushed its price way beyond my fivefold target of 50. It shot through 70 which was actually my next target for the shares. Thereafter the shares range bounded and hovered between the 50s and 60s for the past few weeks, while other shares (the wild horses) were falling like ten pins.
Even my friends and relatives were concerned, the past couple of weeks, that the horse had not yet returned. They had also sold all their GT shares in July and were eagerly waiting for its ‘expected’ fall in prices. My reply to them then when asked was: ‘If you are concerned about missing the boat, then you can always buyback some shares. One is not a ShenXian, one would not know when or if the GT share price will come down.’
Well, as indicated by the Yi a few months ago, it did. Without any plausible reasons, the share price suddenly fell to the 30s this week. That is why the good horse has returned. It came back to the prices one bought the shares at in June before it bolted and flew. (Refer to entries on Do not chase after the horse (7) & (8) July 05 and 09 2006 respectively.)
Talk about timing and trade. No matter how rich or poor we are, capital is always limited. If we get the timing right and know how to trade then we can make money. My friends and relatives who had follow my advice and actions closely have their wealth increased. If they had ventured and bought some other shares notwithstanding my indication that the low liners will fall 50% to 60% after the sale in early July, it is not my concern. They have to learn to stand on their own two feet and not try to be a ShenXian to their friends and relatives. (One has good reasons to say that.) It is not my responsibility to make them into ShenXian.
Now whether it is time to buyback the GT shares or not at all, how would I know?
A word of advice: If we have something to do, attend to it quickly. If we have nothing to do, then go up the mountains.
Meanwhile the horse tired after the long run retires to the stables. It is a good horse, mark my words. That is why the Yi have indicated Wei Ji / Before Completion.
Hopefully Yi diviners and students have also been increased by reading and following the ongoing live case study of the prognostication – Hexagram 38 Kui / Opposition with the first line moving and the resultant Hexagram 64 Wei Ji / Before Completion – in nine entries (including this concluding entry). And if after reading the case study, some still insist that the Yi cannot foretell the future, so be it. Perhaps they have already reached their utmost level of divination, interpretation and understanding. (Murphy's Law) And no longer need to learn.
Cheerio!
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Up the mountains
It would have been nice to have taken my wife and children for a trip to Hong Kong to visit the HK Disneyland last month. However my son will miss the trip, since he had to play two international Counter Strike competitions in Singapore over the two weekends that straddle that one week school holidays. Therefore my teenage daughter suggested that we visit Genting Highlands instead.
Genting Highlands is a casino cum holiday resort situated 6,000 feet above sea level and about an hour’s drive from the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur. The weather there is cool all year round – in the 60s - because of its height. The kids and teenagers love going there to play in the indoor and outdoor theme parks. Adults go up the mountains to try their luck in the casino or watch the international shows hosted.
The air was relatively fresh and light when we reach the mountains and one took an instant liking to the cool weather. It has been years since our last visit. While my wife and my daughter went to catch the 9 pm international magic show that night, I visited the casino. The thrills of a flutter no longer arise, one realized after a few hours at the tables. One decided to retire early to the hotel room situated above the casino.
The sofa in the room was not suitable for my meditation pose therefore one had to sit in a simple sitting position. Ha, one did not realize that the immortals came up the mountains too until they started singing their string less tunes.
The next day, my daughter suggested that we ride the Skyway cable cars that cross the slopes of the mountains. So we bought tickets for a round trip. It took eleven minutes to travel the 3.88 km one way trip. While the scenic view is nice, and the ride can be exciting, it may not suit the faint hearted. The cable cars, hung a few hundred feet above the rugged mountain slopes, tend to momentarily suspend and sway in the air whenever they reach one of the many pylons that straddle the distance.
One wonders if the ancients and Neo Daoists ever face a fear of heights whenever they climbed the Huashan, Kun Lun Shan or other mountains to find a quiet retreat for their meditation practice and cultivation. Perhaps by climbing up and down the mountains, they had time to contemplate.
In case readers have not come across it before, contemplation forms part of cultivation.
Genting Highlands is a casino cum holiday resort situated 6,000 feet above sea level and about an hour’s drive from the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur. The weather there is cool all year round – in the 60s - because of its height. The kids and teenagers love going there to play in the indoor and outdoor theme parks. Adults go up the mountains to try their luck in the casino or watch the international shows hosted.
The air was relatively fresh and light when we reach the mountains and one took an instant liking to the cool weather. It has been years since our last visit. While my wife and my daughter went to catch the 9 pm international magic show that night, I visited the casino. The thrills of a flutter no longer arise, one realized after a few hours at the tables. One decided to retire early to the hotel room situated above the casino.
The sofa in the room was not suitable for my meditation pose therefore one had to sit in a simple sitting position. Ha, one did not realize that the immortals came up the mountains too until they started singing their string less tunes.
The next day, my daughter suggested that we ride the Skyway cable cars that cross the slopes of the mountains. So we bought tickets for a round trip. It took eleven minutes to travel the 3.88 km one way trip. While the scenic view is nice, and the ride can be exciting, it may not suit the faint hearted. The cable cars, hung a few hundred feet above the rugged mountain slopes, tend to momentarily suspend and sway in the air whenever they reach one of the many pylons that straddle the distance.
One wonders if the ancients and Neo Daoists ever face a fear of heights whenever they climbed the Huashan, Kun Lun Shan or other mountains to find a quiet retreat for their meditation practice and cultivation. Perhaps by climbing up and down the mountains, they had time to contemplate.
In case readers have not come across it before, contemplation forms part of cultivation.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
A Confucian budget
Unlike many developed countries in the West, Asia still has a long way to go to provide adequate social welfare for the needy, disabled, and the poor. Mencius could have got it right (if he were given a position to do so in government) by advising rulers to first enrich the people and then provide them with means of education. The developed countries in the world were the first to have implemented that. (This does not say or imply that these countries followed Confucian thoughts, perhaps Japan did, but the simple doctrine works to good effect.)
Many Asian countries have been trying to enrich their people since the late 1950’s and thereafter to educate them; the more successful ones being Japan, South Korea and Singapore, while China is playing catch up after the demise of Chairman Mao.
Just like her Asian counterparts, Malaysia has made much progress in enriching the people and educating them. On September 01, her prime minister who happens to hold the finance portfolio has announced the 2007 budget which may be deemed Confucian in nature.
In the Budget provisions, corporate tax would be reduced from the current 28% to 26 % over two years, a bonus of two months for civil servants, and the provision of housing for the police, army, firemen and other government employees. Children from poor families will get increased monthly allowances for their education needs; monthly allowances for disabled children has also been increased; examination fees from primary schools to Form Six (A Levels) have been abolished; Scholarships for further studies will be given to needy students who have 10 1As (distinctions) in SPM (O Levels) and other outstanding students. Purchases of books and computers (with an increased amount) are available for tax relief. More universities, polytechnics and colleges will be built or refurbished for the students. 21% of the entire budget has been allocated for education and training. The government will also spur the economy along by increased spending on infrastructures, transportation and housing.
The budgeted spending will be financed by public taxes, and dividends from the national oil company, Petronas which had made super profits from the recent hikes in world oil prices. Well, balancing the needs of the people with the country’s resources and taxes, enriching and educating them shows that a ruler is both humane and righteous. This provides an example of a Confucian budget in the East.
On the other hand, over taxing the people, keeping them in ignorance or in the dark, and increasing the national debt by a quantum leap with overspending for unworthy causes such as financing unjust conflicts or fighting protracted wars with ever increasing foreign borrowings go contrary to Confucian and Daoist doctrines, and Sunzi’s Art of War. Unfortunately, since ancient times, these types of rulers never learn. They still think they are great even while their ‘popular’ rule crumble into dust. Yes, current rulers in the West are chosen by the people, of the people but rulers may not necessarily rule for the people and heck, that is democracy and the rule of law for you. Not Confucian or Daoist doctrines.
Many Asian countries have been trying to enrich their people since the late 1950’s and thereafter to educate them; the more successful ones being Japan, South Korea and Singapore, while China is playing catch up after the demise of Chairman Mao.
Just like her Asian counterparts, Malaysia has made much progress in enriching the people and educating them. On September 01, her prime minister who happens to hold the finance portfolio has announced the 2007 budget which may be deemed Confucian in nature.
In the Budget provisions, corporate tax would be reduced from the current 28% to 26 % over two years, a bonus of two months for civil servants, and the provision of housing for the police, army, firemen and other government employees. Children from poor families will get increased monthly allowances for their education needs; monthly allowances for disabled children has also been increased; examination fees from primary schools to Form Six (A Levels) have been abolished; Scholarships for further studies will be given to needy students who have 10 1As (distinctions) in SPM (O Levels) and other outstanding students. Purchases of books and computers (with an increased amount) are available for tax relief. More universities, polytechnics and colleges will be built or refurbished for the students. 21% of the entire budget has been allocated for education and training. The government will also spur the economy along by increased spending on infrastructures, transportation and housing.
The budgeted spending will be financed by public taxes, and dividends from the national oil company, Petronas which had made super profits from the recent hikes in world oil prices. Well, balancing the needs of the people with the country’s resources and taxes, enriching and educating them shows that a ruler is both humane and righteous. This provides an example of a Confucian budget in the East.
On the other hand, over taxing the people, keeping them in ignorance or in the dark, and increasing the national debt by a quantum leap with overspending for unworthy causes such as financing unjust conflicts or fighting protracted wars with ever increasing foreign borrowings go contrary to Confucian and Daoist doctrines, and Sunzi’s Art of War. Unfortunately, since ancient times, these types of rulers never learn. They still think they are great even while their ‘popular’ rule crumble into dust. Yes, current rulers in the West are chosen by the people, of the people but rulers may not necessarily rule for the people and heck, that is democracy and the rule of law for you. Not Confucian or Daoist doctrines.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Hexagram 51 Zhen / The Arousing
Zhen formed the middle given name of my late father and Zhen represent his position as the eldest son in the family. His younger brother’s middle name is Tian (Heaven). Perhaps my grandfather knew something about the Yi, but he died of illness when my father was just a kid. While we still keep his portrait photo, not much was known about him. He was a silversmith in China and had migrated to Malaya where he met and married my grandmother. (Think of Marriages made in Heaven.)
Zhen means the arousing; shock and the trigram attributes represent thunder, the eldest son, and wood among other things. While this was discussed a few years ago in the I Ching Community forum, if we obtain the hexagram through divination, depending on the diviner, it can also indicate forthcoming earthquakes. And to me, it provides a credible and discernable test on whether the Yi really talks to a diviner or not.
After the Yi had answered my previous question on an investment (refer recent entry on 54 Gui Mei), I had asked about another share investment. The prognostication given this time was an unchanging hexagram 51 Zhen. Yes, perhaps right. A shock can bring success to the lethargic share market where the low liners have drifted lower since one sold all my share investments in Mid July. Some had fallen by more than 60%. And based on experience, Zhen is a better hexagram than Gui Mei for an investment in shares.
The Judgment:
Shock brings success. Shock comes—oh,oh! Laughing words—ha,ha! The shock terrifies for a hundred miles, and he does not let fall the sacrificial spoon and chalice.
The shock that comes from the manifestation of God within the depths of the earth makes a man afraid, but this fear of God is good, for joy and merriment can follow upon it. When a man has learned within his heart what fear and trembling mean, he is safeguarded against any terror produced by outside influences. [W/B]
In case you may have missed it, the commentary makes reference to earthquakes – the manifestation of God within the depths of earth makes a man afraid.
A few days after the prognostication: there were several thunderstorms in my area; an earthquake the size of Richter scale 6+ hit Taiwan without causing much damage. A powerful earthquake with a magnitude 6.77 struck under the Pacific Ocean near Papua New Guinea on September 01. In such times, earthquake prone countries should closely monitor earth movements, to safeguard their people and assets. Readers who live near earthquake prone areas, like say California, Japan and Indonesia, could also take some extra precautions by keeping in touch with up to date news and the meteorological forecasts.
Meanwhile the shares one had started to invest in fell heavily all of a sudden (which provided a shock) because of a minor infringement of the listing requirements. The share price has fallen by 50% from its high in mid July. And I had bought more of the shares at current depressed prices. Let us see whether the Yi is right about the success part, if you cannot foresee the outcome already.
Once again, I wait cheerfully for the expected results arising from this investment.
Zhen means the arousing; shock and the trigram attributes represent thunder, the eldest son, and wood among other things. While this was discussed a few years ago in the I Ching Community forum, if we obtain the hexagram through divination, depending on the diviner, it can also indicate forthcoming earthquakes. And to me, it provides a credible and discernable test on whether the Yi really talks to a diviner or not.
After the Yi had answered my previous question on an investment (refer recent entry on 54 Gui Mei), I had asked about another share investment. The prognostication given this time was an unchanging hexagram 51 Zhen. Yes, perhaps right. A shock can bring success to the lethargic share market where the low liners have drifted lower since one sold all my share investments in Mid July. Some had fallen by more than 60%. And based on experience, Zhen is a better hexagram than Gui Mei for an investment in shares.
The Judgment:
Shock brings success. Shock comes—oh,oh! Laughing words—ha,ha! The shock terrifies for a hundred miles, and he does not let fall the sacrificial spoon and chalice.
The shock that comes from the manifestation of God within the depths of the earth makes a man afraid, but this fear of God is good, for joy and merriment can follow upon it. When a man has learned within his heart what fear and trembling mean, he is safeguarded against any terror produced by outside influences. [W/B]
In case you may have missed it, the commentary makes reference to earthquakes – the manifestation of God within the depths of earth makes a man afraid.
A few days after the prognostication: there were several thunderstorms in my area; an earthquake the size of Richter scale 6+ hit Taiwan without causing much damage. A powerful earthquake with a magnitude 6.77 struck under the Pacific Ocean near Papua New Guinea on September 01. In such times, earthquake prone countries should closely monitor earth movements, to safeguard their people and assets. Readers who live near earthquake prone areas, like say California, Japan and Indonesia, could also take some extra precautions by keeping in touch with up to date news and the meteorological forecasts.
Meanwhile the shares one had started to invest in fell heavily all of a sudden (which provided a shock) because of a minor infringement of the listing requirements. The share price has fallen by 50% from its high in mid July. And I had bought more of the shares at current depressed prices. Let us see whether the Yi is right about the success part, if you cannot foresee the outcome already.
Once again, I wait cheerfully for the expected results arising from this investment.
Friday, September 01, 2006
When there is Tao
While millions of people have heard of and/or like to learn about Tao, not many can discern the duality concept of things. Through their readings, studies, and discussions, perhaps they could understand the duality concept between light and dark, heaven and earth, yin yang, female and male. But, they tend to miss what has been taught by the ancients. The ‘moon’ is not the duality, neither is the so called ‘arm’ that points to the moon.
In reality, duality exists. So does life and death. (That is also a duality.) If students or scholars insist in closing their eyes and ears to further learning and think they know all about duality. Good. There is nothing much for them to know in this entry.
After all, this discussion is meant for the esoteric – be they Buddhists, Confucians or Daoists – and those who practice breath control meditation and/or cultivate Tao.
In the past, ancients have taught about the center and the Tao. Within the center there is a duality (TTC). Upon reaching the center, one could attain Tao through emptiness. But in between the far journey, one could also encounter the opposite to Tao. And what is that, if you do not know it already?
In their texts, classics and sutras, the ancients had given warnings to cultivators, so did the Daoist immortals. More recently, various immortals have reiterated their warnings in planchette messages. In their paraphrased message, they say: ‘When there is Tao, there is Mo, be wary of this.’
Mo is the Chinese word for Demon(s). In this context, we are not looking at the duality of ‘Kuei Shen’ but something more sinister and powerful. Just like Kuei (ghosts, dark spirits), Mo (Demons) roam this earth. They take every opportunity to harm or injure human beings especially those who cultivate.
In the Leng Yen, Buddha had warned cultivators who meditate of the need to be circumspect and modest, lest they succumbed to demons’ influences at various stages of cultivation. Lu Dongbin in the Secret of the Golden Flower had also mentioned this: Furthermore, one must not fall victim to the ensnaring world. The ensnaring world is where the five kinds of dark demons disport themselves… Nor must a man be led astray by the ten thousand ensnarements …and enter the world of illusory desires.
This provides a valid reason why cultivators need the light and warmth during meditation to ward off the evil. And perhaps the need to learn under a real neidan master or a Daoist immortal who could discern if the student has succumbed to the influences of demons.
Hopefully, after reading through this entry, more students and cultivators can see the Light in things?
In reality, duality exists. So does life and death. (That is also a duality.) If students or scholars insist in closing their eyes and ears to further learning and think they know all about duality. Good. There is nothing much for them to know in this entry.
After all, this discussion is meant for the esoteric – be they Buddhists, Confucians or Daoists – and those who practice breath control meditation and/or cultivate Tao.
In the past, ancients have taught about the center and the Tao. Within the center there is a duality (TTC). Upon reaching the center, one could attain Tao through emptiness. But in between the far journey, one could also encounter the opposite to Tao. And what is that, if you do not know it already?
In their texts, classics and sutras, the ancients had given warnings to cultivators, so did the Daoist immortals. More recently, various immortals have reiterated their warnings in planchette messages. In their paraphrased message, they say: ‘When there is Tao, there is Mo, be wary of this.’
Mo is the Chinese word for Demon(s). In this context, we are not looking at the duality of ‘Kuei Shen’ but something more sinister and powerful. Just like Kuei (ghosts, dark spirits), Mo (Demons) roam this earth. They take every opportunity to harm or injure human beings especially those who cultivate.
In the Leng Yen, Buddha had warned cultivators who meditate of the need to be circumspect and modest, lest they succumbed to demons’ influences at various stages of cultivation. Lu Dongbin in the Secret of the Golden Flower had also mentioned this: Furthermore, one must not fall victim to the ensnaring world. The ensnaring world is where the five kinds of dark demons disport themselves… Nor must a man be led astray by the ten thousand ensnarements …and enter the world of illusory desires.
This provides a valid reason why cultivators need the light and warmth during meditation to ward off the evil. And perhaps the need to learn under a real neidan master or a Daoist immortal who could discern if the student has succumbed to the influences of demons.
Hopefully, after reading through this entry, more students and cultivators can see the Light in things?
Sunday, August 27, 2006
54 Gui Mei / The Marrying Maiden
At times the Book of Changes provide profound answers that need deep pondering, but knowing that I am simple minded, the Yi often answer my questions in a straight forward manner. No twists and turns.
To a previous question on the purchase of a share investment, the Yi had given Hexagram 8 Bi / Holding Together as the prognostication, and already mentioned in one of the ‘Do not chase after your horse’ entries, one did not invest in this particular share at the time. For two months, the share has hovered around the price at the time of asking. In line with the Judgment of Bi, one inquired of the Oracle once again if it was the right time to buy the shares.
The answer to my latest question came in the form of Gui Mei with second and third lines moving and changed the hexagram to Hexagram 55 Feng / Abundance.
Before we look into the prognostication, let me briefly run through what is happening or has happened to the particular company. The major shareholder or owner, a corporate, had tried to dispose of its investment in the company to an international suitor, several years ago, for a few billion ringgits. But the then Prime Minister did not accede to the sale. The company is currently being restructured and repackaged to make it more attractive to international suitors. (This forms part of my homework to gather relevant public information on a potential investment before investing.)
With this brief background on the potential investment, perhaps you can see why the answer from the Yi to my question is straight forward.
The Judgment:
The Marrying Maiden. Undertakings bring misfortune. Nothing that would further.
Second line:
A one-eyed man who is able to see. The perseverance of a solitary man furthers.
Third line:
The marrying maiden as a slave. She marries as a concubine.
In the judgment, the company is depicted as the Marrying Maiden. And the Yi advises not to undertake anything as nothing would further.
The commentary to the second line talks about a situation of a girl married to a man who has disappointed her. Here the girl is left behind in loneliness; the man of her choice either has become unfaithful or has died. Though the other eye is gone, she maintains her loyalty even in loneliness.
Think of the previous international suitor, a man of her choice. The girl could have done well under his guidance as they could have worked together. Both are of the same nature – in the same line of business.
The commentary to the third line says this:
A girl who is in a lowly position and finds no husband may, in some circumstances, still win shelter as a concubine.
Sometimes it is not right for a father - read the then Prime Minister - to interfere in his daughter’s marriage to a good suitor of her choice, just because of face. Otherwise she would not have come to this position and circumstance.
In conclusion, the Yi is saying, do not invest in the company’s shares as undertakings bring misfortune. She will not marry as a wife but as a concubine. Probably the company will become part of a big group of companies and will be neglected by the husband later.
In times like this, we have to wait for impending falls of its share price and buy the shares after the plunge and before the price flares up again – see the Judgment of Feng / Abundance.
The Judgment:
Abundance has success. The king attains abundance. Be not sad. Be like the sun at midday.
If we want to ensure the time is right to buy the shares after its price plunges, if at all, we can still ask the Yi then. But we can miss the boat too, if you know what I mean.
Hopefully with this simple and easy analysis, you can understand how one interprets a straight forward prognostication and the follow up actions required of a divination.
To a previous question on the purchase of a share investment, the Yi had given Hexagram 8 Bi / Holding Together as the prognostication, and already mentioned in one of the ‘Do not chase after your horse’ entries, one did not invest in this particular share at the time. For two months, the share has hovered around the price at the time of asking. In line with the Judgment of Bi, one inquired of the Oracle once again if it was the right time to buy the shares.
The answer to my latest question came in the form of Gui Mei with second and third lines moving and changed the hexagram to Hexagram 55 Feng / Abundance.
Before we look into the prognostication, let me briefly run through what is happening or has happened to the particular company. The major shareholder or owner, a corporate, had tried to dispose of its investment in the company to an international suitor, several years ago, for a few billion ringgits. But the then Prime Minister did not accede to the sale. The company is currently being restructured and repackaged to make it more attractive to international suitors. (This forms part of my homework to gather relevant public information on a potential investment before investing.)
With this brief background on the potential investment, perhaps you can see why the answer from the Yi to my question is straight forward.
The Judgment:
The Marrying Maiden. Undertakings bring misfortune. Nothing that would further.
Second line:
A one-eyed man who is able to see. The perseverance of a solitary man furthers.
Third line:
The marrying maiden as a slave. She marries as a concubine.
In the judgment, the company is depicted as the Marrying Maiden. And the Yi advises not to undertake anything as nothing would further.
The commentary to the second line talks about a situation of a girl married to a man who has disappointed her. Here the girl is left behind in loneliness; the man of her choice either has become unfaithful or has died. Though the other eye is gone, she maintains her loyalty even in loneliness.
Think of the previous international suitor, a man of her choice. The girl could have done well under his guidance as they could have worked together. Both are of the same nature – in the same line of business.
The commentary to the third line says this:
A girl who is in a lowly position and finds no husband may, in some circumstances, still win shelter as a concubine.
Sometimes it is not right for a father - read the then Prime Minister - to interfere in his daughter’s marriage to a good suitor of her choice, just because of face. Otherwise she would not have come to this position and circumstance.
In conclusion, the Yi is saying, do not invest in the company’s shares as undertakings bring misfortune. She will not marry as a wife but as a concubine. Probably the company will become part of a big group of companies and will be neglected by the husband later.
In times like this, we have to wait for impending falls of its share price and buy the shares after the plunge and before the price flares up again – see the Judgment of Feng / Abundance.
The Judgment:
Abundance has success. The king attains abundance. Be not sad. Be like the sun at midday.
If we want to ensure the time is right to buy the shares after its price plunges, if at all, we can still ask the Yi then. But we can miss the boat too, if you know what I mean.
Hopefully with this simple and easy analysis, you can understand how one interprets a straight forward prognostication and the follow up actions required of a divination.
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