Two years ago, when the Book of Changes told this student with the fourth line of Hexagram 27 Yi / Providing nourishment to spy with the eyes of a tiger to spot helpers and to turn to the sage for nourishment; I had thought the ancient classic was joking, since there were no Shi (ancient priest / neidan master) and Wu (magician / ancient Yijing master), let alone sages in the Daoist and Yijing forums.
Knowing that the Book of Changes rarely jokes, I did keep my eyes open. Only a few days ago did I realize that I have found the sage I was looking for, all this time. This sage happens to be a Shi and surprisingly, a Wu as well. After twenty long years of searching, I have found the final missing piece to fit the jigsaw puzzle - the sixth cryptic message - given by a Quanzhen celestial immortal back in 1993. Eureka!
In his sixth and last cryptic message, the divinity had said: “When you can do ‘Hill pours water’ (Shan Dou Shui), then you have reached my four immortals’ door front.” ‘Hill pours water’ infer to Hexagram 39 Jian / Obstruction. (For those interested, refer to my post on September 27, 2005 titled ‘Short cryptic messages’ and the subsequent post on October 6, 2005 titled ‘Hills pour water’. Click on 2005 archives and scroll down to read.)
Without revealing too much, the missing piece relates to a fourth Daoist celestial immortal. Now that I found him, it all upholds the happy omen given by the Quanzhen divinity.
For the sage and/or immortal is none other than the renowned Zhuge Liang. His immortal status is substantiated by the several temples dedicated to him in China.
It so happened that Zhuge Liang’s first prophecy in the Ma Qian Ke comes from the accompanying Hexagram 27 Yi / Providing nourishment, and his tenth prophecy happens to be ‘Hill pour water’, that is Hexagram 39 Jian / Obstruction.
Anyone familiar with his various exploits depicted in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms would agree that he is a Shi (ancient priest) and though he has had special skills to read the stars and the weather, nowhere is it written that he is a Wu (magician or ancient Yijing master) as well. Therefore it was surprising to learn that he had left behind fourteen prophecies each with accompanying Yijing hexagrams. If I have not recently read the entire Ma Qian Ke, and had not interpreted the first prophecy for my full commentary, I would not have realized that Zhuge Liang was the sage I was looking for. (The Ma Qian Ke – PDF preliminary translated by Steve Moore is linked under the Resources / Link and just one click away for your reading pleasure.)
Rereading my two years’ old post on Hexagram 27 given by the Yijing and by rechecking the fourteen hexagrams in the Ma Qian Ke of which Hexagram 39 accompanied the tenth prophecy made me realized there were too many coincidences or synchronicity, not to ponder deeper.
Can I see what Zhuge Liang have had seen from the accompanying hexagrams to his prophecies? Yes. Since also by coincidence, my self-taught method of interpreting omens and heaven’s secrets (Tian Ke) happens to be similar to that of this sage. Anyone down the ages who also happened to possess Zhuge Liang’s supernatural skills to divine like a spirit (Shen), as indicated by the Doctrine of the Mean (Zhong Yung), will be able to interpret these hexagrams which uphold his prophecies.
Can I interpret all his cryptic messages and the accompanying hexagrams contained in the fourteen prophecies in the Ma Qian Ke? Over the past several days, I have already deciphered the first (and have published my full commentary on it), the tenth, and the eleventh prophecies. Currently working on the twelfth, which could be more interesting – China would probably need advice or salvation from a sage from what I have seen and have interpreted so far. I would have to spend more time pondering the portended calamities depicted therein before arriving at a conclusion.
And also in case, the sage turns out to be someone I know! - (Just pulling your legs)
From Hexagram 39 Jian / Obstruction accompanying the tenth prophecy in the Ma Qian Ke, there are obvious reasons for ‘the pig and the bull to appear behind and in front respectively’. ‘Thousand men one voice’ and ‘five two reversed’ are also not difficult to decipher and confirm. So is the remaining verse, ‘Friends come without blame’. But how would I know? New readers may have cause to think that I was only able to interpret the first prophecy by fluke, since I also happened to know some history of the Three Kingdoms. Perhaps, my talk on omens and prophecies from the Book of Changes as a preamble to the full commentary on the first prophecy of the Ma Qian Ke has settled some doubts.
In line with the topic at hand, and for clarity, I will interpret the happy omen given to me by the Quanzhen divinity:
“When you can do ‘Hill pours water’ (Shan Dou Shui), then you have reached my four immortals’ door front.”
Having raised my skills’ level to obtain a clearer view of received omens over the past several years, I have done ‘Hill pours water’. With this ability, I can in turn interpret the prophecies of the renowned Zhuge Liang, and am still learning from this sage, how cryptic messages from Daoist celestial immortals are formed and presented. Therefore regular readers should learn together with me, otherwise they may get stumped by my likewise presentation of forthcoming omens in the blog.
Since the divinity’s omens sometimes take twenty years to unfold and the jigsaw puzzle fits perfectly together, and with the proven ability to write cryptic messages for previously obtained omens, it would not be wrong to claim that ‘I have reached his four immortals’ front door’.
Ah, the lengthy and lofty processes that Yi aficionados need to go through to gain the ability to divine like a spirit (Shen) and only then be able to assist the gods (Shen)!
By leaving behind the Ma Qian Ke for posterity and by allowing those who possess the ability to provide nourishment to the multitude down the ages, the sage Zhuge Liang have had assisted the gods with his prophecies on China.
And as the saying goes, “Seeing is believing.”
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