《洪恩灵济真君灵签》

First slip, highly auspicious.

You have the talent to plan great undertakings. When the moment is right and government is clear and upright, you may offer your strategies. In times of turmoil many act with bold force; it is better first to quiet the mind and watch carefully how circumstances rise and fall.

Second slip, most auspicious.

An auspicious dream foretells a good omen. By seeking closely and examining with care, one can reach a satisfying result. If a boy is born and yet the hope of entering office and winning merit is not fulfilled, there is no need to lose heart; later there may still be a chance of high rank. Sanghu, the “mulberry bow,” refers to the ancient rite at a boy’s birth of shooting a mulberry-wood bow toward the four directions, a sign of ambition reaching everywhere. Nongzhang, “playing with the jade tablet,” means congratulations on the birth of a boy, and may also stand for distinction in an official career.

Third slip, middling.

It is now spring; flowers and trees flourish, and red blossom against pale green moves one to sigh. Yet in the Shanglin Park, the imperial garden of the Han dynasty, a west wind suddenly rises in a single night and the flowers and trees wither and fall. Does the traveler at the edge of the sky know of this change? The slip suggests that fortune may turn, while someone far away may not yet have noticed.

Fourth slip, inauspicious.

Strife over places as slight as a snail’s horn or a remote borderland will in the end only bring matters to nothing; only by returning to benevolence, righteousness, and the rites can the proper path be restored. Zou Yang, a man of letters of the Han, was once imprisoned, and word of him fell silent. Who could be like Tiying, the young woman of the Han who petitioned the throne to save her father? Through these old cases the slip laments that one in distress finds it hard to appeal, and that affairs may for a time find no favorable turn.

Fifth slip, of the highest great good fortune.

There is no need to hurry along the road ahead; steady progress is enough. Steer the boat well across the calm water. Just now the full moon stands overhead, and the way forward opens as broad as the cloudy sky. Yunqu, the “cloud thoroughfare,” means a lofty road that runs clear and far. This slip foretells smooth progress and a bright prospect.

Sixth slip, great good fortune.

A current rushes eastward, yet the person concerned seems set in a vast sea and for the moment cannot make out a direction. From the western hills comes the barking of a dog; the clear breeze and bright moon remain. Going on from here, the road toward the blue clouds will at last open. Qingyun, “blue clouds,” is often a figure for high official success or a favorable future.

Seventh slip, inauspicious.

The body is weak and the illness grave, and a cure may be hard to find; for now do not rashly use what are called wondrous medicines and fine remedies. If one can wait until a Rabbit year or a Sheep year, the outcome may in the end turn auspicious. Act with caution, and do not let a joyful matter become a sorrowful one.

Eighth slip, middling to low.

If an ox is lost or a horse goes missing, there is no need for excessive worry; worldly affairs need not be clutched like a useless growth on the body. Should something arise in early spring or at winter’s end, a woman ought not to consult and scheme by the roadside. The slip urges a broader mind toward gain and loss, and also suggests that certain times or settings are unfavorable for making plans.

Ninth slip, inauspicious.

Thin cloud and lingering mist have not yet cleared, and in every direction—east, south, west, and north—things do not go smoothly. It is best for now to settle in place and not rush about seeking success. When autumn comes, the scene may change as wild geese pass and crows fly by; yet the slip does not say plainly whether that change is fortunate or unfortunate.

Tenth slip, middling.

News from home need not be given too much weight; false report may be mixed in with it, so do not believe it lightly.

A man’s marriage will in the end turn out well; if hesitation keeps a decision from being reached, the matter may be delayed.

Eleventh Slip — Highly Auspicious

A few lines of vermilion edict are opened from their clay seal; glad news arrives, and one’s official career rises like clouds into the blue. As when the osprey recommends men of talent, the tidings that come are excellent; do not linger any longer in attachment to a hermitage amid mountains and forests.

Twelfth Slip — Middling-Low

The cold valley receives Yang Qi (vital energy), as though surpassing the design of Creation; ordinary flowers need not resent the spring wind. (The original phrase “赓冻外面传消息” is suspected to contain a corrupt character, and its meaning is hard to determine.) The plants upon the branches gradually turn green, and spring is at its height.

Thirteenth Slip — Middling

The perch is rich and fine, the wine mellow and fragrant, and suddenly a longing for home arises; facing myriad acres of waves, can one lower the hook and fish? Once the intention is revealed, the gulls fly off, and effort brings no catch; how much more so when the bright moon shines upon a boat returning fully laden?

Fourteenth Slip — Do Not Resent the Spring Wind

The original continues after the verse of the twelfth slip, and then repeats the oracle verse of the thirteenth slip. For the meaning of the repeated portion, see above.

Fourteenth Slip — Upper

Our side is strong and the other weak, and the flag of surrender has already been raised; do not go on telling passersby of your grievance. After the rain ceases and the clouds disperse, the matter is still not wholly settled; once the spring wind arrives, the situation will become clear.

Fifteenth Slip — Lower

There is no need to guess over and over or inquire again and again; you are already prepared to spread your wings and move toward the south. Suddenly news arrives, yet the invitation meets with obstruction; even if the matter is accomplished, the outcome may not be satisfactory.

Sixteenth Slip — Lower

The traveler is alone at the ends of the earth; he looks toward home from the yin direction (the direction indicated by that earthly branch). Gazing until the distance fails him, he is stricken with grief, and no word comes at all; pear blossoms bear the rain, and one branch hangs aslant.

Seventeenth Slip — Middling-Low

The Vermilion Bird (the divine bird symbolizing the south) holds sway, and the position belongs to the stem bing; there is no need to come and ask whether one’s descendants will meet with calamity. Where wind and waves are calm, one may step forward; be careful of harms such as a bee’s sting, but do not on that account injure yourself.

Eighteenth Slip — Middling

A distinguished guest arrives, and joy makes all seem renewed; one may take the open road, attach oneself to a person of influence, and rise by degrees. Yet ask who can recommend you and speak on your behalf; do not sigh over your own slight ability, like one who lives by cutting firewood.

Nineteenth Slip — Middling

All things shift and change like the flowers and leaves on a branch, never pausing for a moment. You once made a pledge with sworn brothers and with a mother bound by oath, yet this left behind estrangement and knots of resentment.

It is best to resolve former faults as soon as possible, praying to the Buddha and petitioning the gods, for only then can anxiety be dispelled.

Twentieth Lot: Auspicious

The peaches and plums before the vermilion gate have already borne fruit, and the results of earlier painstaking effort are gradually coming into view. Only after a period of trial will a brilliant prospect appear. So long as you press upward and strive, recognition will come when the opportunity arrives. Do not rush home merely because you have not yet achieved success.

Twenty-First Lot: Middling

Do not be too greedy in seeking wealth and profit. Do not lightly trust words that sound pleasing, for the matter may not yet have been fully stated, and what is sweet may not last. Only by undertaking business that brings real returns will there be genuine gain, and only then will joy show upon the face.

Twenty-Second Lot: Auspicious

Carriages, horses, and pleasure-seekers come and go, while a flower in a lonely corner waits bitterly for its moment. Without the aid of the spring wind, it can only slip quietly over the wall and bloom in the middle of the night. This means that support is lacking at present; even if the matter holds promise, you may have to wait in obscurity and slowly seek an opening on your own.

Twenty-Third Lot: Inauspicious

Do not suppose that finding even one or two things is easy. Even if the materials pile up until they fill the room, do not pursue and search blindly. When the destined affinity arrives, the matter will at last become clear. And who, amid mountains, woods, springs, and stones, can truly hear and appreciate a kindred spirit?

Twenty-Fourth Lot: Auspicious

Your talent has already shown itself and stands out among the many; only it has not yet received full recognition. When good news arrives, your reputation will spread like the fragrance of osmanthus, and your name will soon reach those who hold power.

Twenty-Fifth Lot: Inauspicious

Above, one feeds on dry earth; below, the way leads to the Yellow Springs. The two lips rise high, as if one slept in two places at once. After the river’s waters divide, the person too vanishes from sight. These lines depict a perilous situation and an unsettled whereabouts, reminding us that the dangers and obstacles of the world can sometimes be harder to cross than mountains and rivers.

Twenty-Sixth Lot: Middling

The feelings of both sides accord, and the relationship is harmonious—like the sun and moon in balance, able to bring many auspicious things. It is a comfort that no thieves come against the household gate. As for how the night indicated by “the Three Stars in the doorway” will turn out, the oracle does not say clearly; one must still await what follows.

Twenty-Seventh Lot: Inauspicious

Neither fate nor the body is favorable, and the season happens to be autumn; in the dark it seems as if ghosts and spirits are at work. Even when drinking and seeking pleasure beneath the moon and before the flowers, one must be careful: joy may turn in an instant to sorrow.

Twenty-Eighth Lot: Lower Middling

A person’s own insight can hardly alter the arrangements of Heaven, Earth, and creative transformation. The subtlety of nature’s fashioning is not something human effort can readily achieve. The affairs of the world are like a game of chess, the situation shifting unpredictably. The dragon and the snake beside the eastern wall can only be left to rouse themselves and leap. Here, “束壁” (shu bi, “bound wall”) is suspected to be a miswriting of “东壁” (dong bi, “eastern wall”).

Twenty-Ninth Lot: Upper Middling

A parched fish, its tail flushed red, looks up toward clear water, its faint spark of life all but spent. Only when three great waves surge at Yumen—the Dragon Gate of legend, which a carp may leap to become a dragon—does the chance arise to spring aloft. A luminous pearl should not be cast away in the dark; once the moment comes, dragons and serpents may soar as they will.

Oracle Slip Twenty-Nine: Upper-Middle

A parched fish, its tail flushed red, looks up toward clear water, its faint spark of life all but spent. Only when three great waves surge at Yumen does the chance arise to spring aloft. A luminous pearl should not be cast away in the dark.

Oracle Slip Thirty: Upper

The warmth and cold of the world, its favor and its chill, grow wearisome. Painting feet onto a snake, or cutting a crane short to lengthen a leg, are all acts that go against innate nature. So long as the household gate is not obstructed, one may, with talent like a spring breeze beneath the brush, take part in harmonizing the nurturing work of Heaven and Earth.

Oracle Slip Thirty-One: Upper

There is no need, out of sorrow and regret, to press questions of right and wrong. One has only to watch how human affairs shift, and the signs of Heaven’s intent come into view. Those who pass through rough places often meet with smooth going afterward, and a solitary lamp will burn bright once more.

Oracle Slip Thirty-Two: Lower

The jade of Kunshan has not yet been clearly distinguished, while coarse vessels in an earthen basin already clamor and grate on the ear. The present situation has not yet turned for the better, nor has fortune grown smooth; do not exhaust your mind in endless scheming.

Oracle Slip Thirty-Three: Lower

Over these years one has tasted much of both sweetness and bitterness, and a lifetime has already passed through six turns of cold and heat. Heavy with care, as if sunk in the dream of the human world, one bustles and hurries all day long—and to what end, after all?

Oracle Slip Thirty-Four: Middle

Between Heaven and the human world, meetings and partings have come round more than once. Standing alone, one still hopes to shore up a perilous situation. Calamity that snaps branches and severs limbs may be hard to avoid; it may even draw fire upon oneself, and yet one has not perceived it.

Oracle Slip Thirty-Five: Middle

Wind and waves suddenly rise on level ground. In recent years human affairs have been tangled, and quarrels have not ceased. One hopes to invite a person of real ability to take charge of the whole and, as salt and plums season a dish, to blend the various opinions into balance.

Oracle Slip Thirty-Six: Upper-Middle

Word is blocked, and the message that was promised is slow to arrive. Though spring has returned among grass and trees, it has not yet shown its brilliance. The sun sets over the western hills, leaving only a wash of afterglow; the one who traveled far will, in the end, come back from the edge of the sky.

Oracle Slip Thirty-Seven: Middle

The water has risen full, and the boat will soon be able to move; yet the matter of returning alone is still unsettled, and so doubt comes easily. The traveler’s heart is already inclined, waiting for the time when the moon is bright. After you meet, why press further to ask whether the purple zhi (zizhi) has been obtained—the numinous mushroom that stands for a life of reclusion, or for an elixir of the immortals?

Oracle Slip Thirty-Eight: Middle-Lower

Looking up, the sky is massed with dark clouds; one wishes to seek official rank and fame, yet has not obtained them. Only by giving out a great sound, as when the Yellow Bell is struck, can a response be gained; when a favorable wind arrives, one may ascend to Penglai and Yingzhou (the legendary immortal mountains in the sea).

Thirty-Ninth Slip (Middle)

The river flows westward, and one wishes to ask when it will be possible to board a boat and set out. How long must one wait, just now, before one’s achievements may be counted complete? Those nearby will bring news; by this autumn, one will be able to discern the course of events, like an arrow shot toward the clouds.

Fortieth Slip (Lower)

Do not be too greedy in the wish to seek wealth and profit. When the northwest wind rises, it is the moment to inquire whether the river can be crossed. One who hopes to obtain a precious pearl must still wait a while; life is like a dream, and in the turn of an eye one may awaken as from the dream-wandering of Nanke.

Forty-First Slip (Lower)

A spray of red blossom and purple blossom—one is just about to ask after the fullness of spring—yet the petals fall one by one and drift away with the water. The oriole building its nest and the swallow returning each have their own intent. Do not discuss right and wrong in the human world.

Forty-Second Slip (Middle)

The chrysanthemums have grown old, autumn is drawing to a close, and the myriad things are withered and spent; one looks back on past resentments and the joys of former days. Like the pearl beneath the jaw of the black dragon (a metaphor for something precious), though it has already emerged from the sea, its radiance is still held within. If one can go straight to the eastern gate, one may at dusk resign from office and withdraw into retirement.

Forty-Third Slip (Middle-Lower)

The dark bird flies into the clouds, yet is slow to return; if one wishes to seek news, one can only inquire in places vague and insubstantial. The Qin Tower lies thirty thousand li away, and the sun has already set; beyond the mountains of white cloud, there is yet another range of green hills.

Forty-Fourth Slip (Middle)

Sorrow and joy accompany one another in turn; when matters come to a head, one is often driven by desire to scheme. The opportune moment is like a chick not yet formed within the egg, and needs time in which to be brought forth. Looking further ahead, the road of hardship will in the end turn to open passage.

Forty-Fifth Slip (Middle)

Casting out old abuses and establishing a new order comes just at the season when Yang Qi (vital energy) rises again. Those who travel far will obtain valuable goods. Looking back, the chance of transfer or reassignment of post is close at hand; there is no need to labor in vain over trifling affairs, nor any need for suspicion.

Forty-Sixth Slip (Middle)

The opportunity for rank, fame, and profit seems fated across three lives; even a journey of ten thousand li is like the great Peng spreading its wings, the prospect ahead entirely within one’s grasp. Yet the ox and the horse each follow different roads and can hardly be compared. While fate still lies amid danger and obstruction, one should for the time being delay action.

Forty-Seventh Slip (Lower)

Dense clouds rise from among the mountains and long refuse to disperse; one remains stalled and does not know when the green hills will come into view. To contend with one another like the two kingdoms on the horns of a snail is in the end mere futility, and will moreover invite an empty name and the talk of the world.

Worldly affairs and human feelings shift as readily as a child’s thoughts and are hard to judge; when a matter runs to its end and circumstances reach their extreme, they return at last to the root.

The line “yishang zai sun qingshan” is obscure in wording and may reflect errors in transmission or differences among editions; it is not fitting to force an explanation here.

People contend with one another like the two states of Man and Chu quarreling over a trifling matter. In the end they only exhaust mind and strength to no purpose, and are left with an empty reputation for the world to talk about.

Worldly affairs and human feelings are changeable, and one need not pass judgment rashly; when things reach their limit, they return of themselves to the root. In handling affairs one should be cautious, and not lightly trust dealings with spirits of unknown origin, or the words of ghosts and gods.

Farming households enjoy good harvests year after year; when fortune changes, one may inquire of the seasons of Heaven. When Yin-Yang is in harmony and the seasons are clear, the fish seem to spit forth auspicious dreams; by autumn the harvest will fetch a good price, and the profit will be ample.

Pause for a while at the river’s edge and keep clear of wind and waves. Whether Heaven’s will will in the end accord with human wishes is still hard to foresee. Wait until the spring waters of ten thousand households grow warm and the waves lie calm, then board a wooden raft and sail all the way toward the Heavenly River. Here the legend of chengcha (riding a raft) up to the Heavenly River is used to describe waiting until the moment is ripe before acting.

In the give and take of human feeling, people often love the new and tire of the old; fifty years pass, and another round of years is added. In the end every matter must be decided by oneself. It is like people at the roadside debating how a house ought to be built; one need not hesitate back and forth on that account.

A solitary lamp is trimmed bright until the oil is nearly gone, yet one still tosses and cannot sleep; wiping away tears, the person longed for seems present before one’s eyes. Separated by ten thousand li, there has long been no word; at dawn one suddenly hears a magpie call, and a sign that news is coming seems to appear.

The season is peaceful, the year’s yield abundant, and the ways of the world clear and orderly; on this journey home, news of safety and smooth passage will come all along the way. The deities are pleased and human hearts are glad as well, and in the end good fortune can be gained; wishes stored up over many years may gradually be realized.