《Plum Blossom Divination》

Plum Blossom Divination is one of the ancient Chinese divination methods, also known as “Zhouyi Plum Blossom Divination” and “Plum Blossom Heart Divination.” It is said to have been written by Song Dynasty scholar Shao Yong and is widely circulated among the people. The following is a detailed introduction:

Introduction

Origin of the name: According to legend, when Shao Yong was admiring plum blossoms, he saw sparrows quarreling on a plum branch. After deducing from the principles of Yi, he predicted that a woman would come to pick plum blossoms the next night, and would be discovered and chased by the gardener. The woman panicked and fell, injuring her knee. The prediction was verified exactly the next night, so people named this prediction method “Plum Blossom Yishu”. Theoretical Foundation: Plum Blossom Divination is a divination technique based on the mathematics of the Yijing (I Ching) school, incorporating the “Xiang” (Xiang) theory of the Yijing. It follows the numerology of the Eight Trigrams (Qian) (one), Dui (two), Li (three), Zhen (four), Xun (five), Kan (six), Gen (seven), and Kun (eight). It can be used at any time and in any location, with a variety of methods for selecting a hexagram. The theory of substance and function lies at the heart of the Plum Blossom Book of Changes. Yixue is divided into innate and acquired, with the innate understanding of substance and the acquired understanding of function. Substance and function are inseparable. In divination, by “distinguishing the hexagrams of substance and function,” “observing the principles of the generation and restraint of the five elements,” and “understanding the causes of good and bad fortune, regret and loss,” this fusion of symbolic mathematics and moral principles is used to interpret the world and predict good and bad fortune. Divination Methods: Prenatal Divination: First determine the number, then the hexagram. Common methods include the time method, the number method, and the character method. For example, with the time method, the number is determined based on the year, month, day, and time of the event. The upper and lower hexagrams, as well as the moving lines, are then determined based on the prenatal Bagua numbers. Postnatal Divination: Before the number is determined, the hexagram is determined first, and then the number is determined based on the hexagram. For example, divination is based on the hexagram image and direction of the person. For example, in the “Plum Blossom Divination,” the “Old Man with Worried Expression” divination is based on the person’s Qian direction as the upper hexagram and the Xun direction as the lower hexagram. Divination principles: Plum Blossom Divination has the “Four Unpredictable” principle, namely, no prediction if there is no sincerity, no prediction if there is nothing to predict, no prediction if there is no movement, and no prediction if there are repeated hexagrams. It emphasizes that when divining, one must be sincere, have a specific reason, and be aware of the relevant circumstances, and avoid repeating the hexagram to ensure accuracy. Scope of application: Plum Blossom Yishu has a wide range of applications. It can not only be used for divination and fortune-telling, but also can be used in daily life such as feng shui, choosing auspicious dates, matching marriages, naming, shopping, etc. It is even used in clinical Chinese medicine.

Application Areas

The Plum Blossom Divination method has a wide range of applications, covering personal decision-making, interpersonal relationships, practical life and many other aspects, as follows:

• • Personal Decision-Making: Career Development: You can use the stroke count of a company name, or the time of the interview day, to determine whether you should accept a job offer or whether your current job is suitable for a new job. Investment and Financial Management: Use the stock code number hexagram or the direction hexagram when viewing a house to help determine whether a particular stock or fund is worth buying, as well as the timing of real estate investment. Academic Exams: Based on the time you leave the exam or the exam seat number hexagram, you can predict whether you will pass the exam and help choose the right major.
  • Interpersonal Relationships: Marriage and Romance: Analyze the potential for marriage and the suitability of the blind date by combining the birth months of two people or by the external hexagrams associated with a date, such as the hexagram corresponding to the color of the other person’s clothing. Business Partnerships: Analyze the reliability of a partner and predict the outcome of a negotiation based on the hexagram of the other party’s company registration date or the hexagram drawn with the signature pen when signing a contract.
  • Practical Lifestyle: Health and Disease: Use the hexagram associated with the time of onset or the corresponding hexagram for a body part, such as Qian for a headache or Kun for a stomachache, to investigate the cause of a symptom and determine whether a treatment plan is effective. Locking People and Things: Combine the hexagram associated with the time of loss and the direction of the loss, or use the hexagram associated with the item’s characteristics, such as red for Li or a circle for Qian, to locate lost keys or pets. Travel Safety: Use the hexagram associated with the departure time or the license plate number to predict flight delays or the success of a road trip.
  • Special Scenarios: Feng Shui Adjustment: Based on the house’s orientation, or by using a compass to measure the exact degree and dividing it by 8, determine the auspiciousness or inauspiciousness of missing corners in the house and optimize desk layout. Choosing Auspiciousness and Avoiding Inauspiciousness: By comparing the numeric hexagrams of candidate dates or combining the hexagrams with the person’s birth chart, choose the best date for a wedding, a business opening, or the appropriate time for surgery. Event Prediction: Based on the hexagrams of the time of an event or the names of key figures, predict weather trends and the direction of social events. Spiritual Exploration: Using the hexagrams of dream keywords and strokes, or the numeric hexagrams that emerge during meditation, explore the implications of dreams and explore past life causal connections.