Plum Blossom Topics

pocossin · Sep 17, 2013

Newlife has made Jou's I Ching conveniently accessible to everyone.

http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/frie...e-E-Book-The-Tao-of-I-Ching-Way-to-Divination

In addition to this, one at a minimum should have Lorraine's essay on medical divination, and Harmen's review of Lilian Too's book.

http://www.biroco.com/yijing/lilliantoo.htm

pocossin · Sep 17, 2013

Blossom or Flower?

Well, is it 'blossom' or 'flower'. Persons with English as a second language often prefer flower. In my opinion they are wrong. Nobody uses the expression 'cherry flowers'. It's cherry blossoms. A blossom is the flower of a plant producing an edible fruit. Blossoms occur in mass and are typically short lived, so the translation should be 'plum blossom'.

pocossin · Sep 17, 2013

Index to Plum Blossom Divination in Jou's Book

Plum Blossom pages in Jou, p.69 - 112, WinDjView p.73 -116

Plum Blossom Stories in Jou

The Old Man Who Gave an Odd Impression, book p.95
A Cow Mooing Hoarsely, p.98
The Young Man with a Happy Expression, book p.99
A Rooster's Untimely Crowing, book p.100
Two Sparrows Fighting, book p.104
Doomed Peonies, book p.108
The Neighbor Who Borrows at Night, book p.110

The rule seems to be: Add 4 to the book's page number to get the WinDjView page number.

pocossin · Sep 17, 2013

Why is Plum Blossom Divination So Attractive?

Because it's wild. There are no rules, or rather, the only rule is, "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law." There is in it a sense of freedom and vitality. Like Fallingwater, a domestic absurdity, a masterpiece of art. The rules of Plum Blossom are the rules you choose to follow, based on subconscious impulses, hopefully. If you haven't introduced a personal oddity, you aren't doing Plum Blossom. Convention isn't Plum Blossom. If your imagination isn't engaged, it isn't Plum Blossom. And my pronouncements may be ignored just as may anyone else's. Suit yourself and be satisfied. Live long and prosper.

pocossin · Sep 17, 2013

A Plum Blossom Casting

A Plum Blossom casting produces three hexagrams: the cast hexagram, its nuclear hexagram, and the hexagram resulting after the changing lines change. This sequence is interpretationally significant, like beginning, middle, and end. But how to cast? Jou gives two broad categories that uses date and occasion, so use whatever suits you. He also gives rules by which a hexagram cast by yarrow or coins or marbles or beads, etc. may be converted into a Plum Blossom casting.

If there are no changing lines, the lower trigram is ti.
If the changing lines in the upper and the lower trigram are of equal number, the lower trigram is ti.
If the changing lines in the upper and the lower trigram are unequal in number, the quietest trigram is ti, and the most active trigram is yong.

pocossin · Sep 17, 2013

Interpetation: Core and Periphery

The cast hexagram consist of two trigrams, the upper and the lower. The most stable by the above rules is the core (ti), and the most active is the periphery (yong). The core represents the self, the essence, the topic of divination. The periphery represents the not-self, the accident of medieval logic, the overall condition. In medical divination the core is the body, and the periphery represents the disease. The trigrams of the nuclear hexagram and of the resulting hexagram are also periphery.

pocossin · Sep 18, 2013

The Five Elements

earth
wood
metal
fire
water

There are five relations between the elements.

parent
child
ruler
subject
friend.

For example, earth is the parent of metal, the child of fire, the ruler of water, the subject of wood, and the friend of earth.

Earth is the parent of metal: metal comes from the earth.
Earth is the child of fire: fire makes ash, an earth.
Earth is the ruler of water: canals, ditches, and levees control the flow of water.
Earth is the subject of wood: wood overgrows earth and holds it in place.
Earth is the friend of earth: they support each other and are friends.

The other elements may be developed in the same way. The five relations are a helpful way to remember the relations between elements.

pocossin · Sep 18, 2013

Energy

Each trigram is associated with an element.

earth: gen, kun
wood: zhen, xun
fire: li
metal: dui, qian
water: kan

When the trigrams are considered as elements, between any two elements there is an energy relationship.

parent: the parent gives energy to the child. Negative for the parent. -
child: the child receives energy from the parent. Positive for the child. +
ruler: the ruler expends energy in ruling. Half negative, half positive. /
subject: the subject loses energy to the ruler. Negative for the subject. -
friend: a friend gives energy to a friend. Positive for the friend. +

When the core has more energy than the periphery, the casting is auspicious.
When the periphery has more energy than the core, the casting is inauspicious.

An example of energy in a Plum Blossom divination.

http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/frie...-Direction-Meaningful-Work-1-2-13-and-30-6-55

What kind of work would I be best suited to doing?
30.6 > 55

Code:

[size=3]
 ☲+ ☱\ ☳+
[☲] ☴+ ☲+ 
[/size]

The three hexagrams are the cast, nuclear, and resulting. The lower trigram of the cast hexagram is the core. The upper trigram is periphery as are the trigrams of nuclear and resulting. The upper trigram of the cast hexagram befriends the core, strengthening it. In the nuclear hexagram, the upper trigram is metal. Fire is the ruler of metal. Ruling takes energy, so the core is weakened. The resulting hexagrams contains a wood trigram and a fire trigram. Both are positive for the core. Wood is the parent of fire and gives energy to it, and the fire friend aids the fire core. Overall, core is strengthened by periphery, and the casting is auspicious but with a metal difficulty as the situation develops.

pocossin · Sep 18, 2013

More Plum Blossom Links

http://www.fivearts.net/index.php/board,51.0.html
Five Arts Plum Blossom section

http://www.fivearts.net/index.php/topic,4552.0.html
Shao Yong stories

http://homepage2.nifty.com/index_Z/meihua.html
Ogino Makoto's Plum Blossom page

pocossin · Sep 19, 2013

Seasonal Element

The seasonal element (Gua Qi) is the element quality of the time of casting. Wilcox describes it on pages 8 to 11. This seasonal influence may strengthen or weaken the core directly. If the seasonal element is the parent or friend of the core, its influence is positive. If the seasonal element is the ruler or child of the core, the influence is negative. If the seasonal element is the subject of the core, the effect on the core is neutral. The seasonal element also affects the core indirectly by strengthening or weakening peripheral trigrams that in turn affect the core.

September 16th, 2013, 04:10 PM
seasonal element: water

Code:

 30  28  55
 ☲+  ☱\ ☳+
[☲]  ☴+ ☲+

Traditionally the seasonal element is found by consulting the Chinese Ten-Thousand Year Calendar. To avoid this complication, I used the calendar-related Great Mystery Classic, which for the time of posting gives tetragram 60 and the element water. Water is the ruler of the fire core and weakens it. Since direct influence dominates over indirect influence, there is no need to go further, but for the sake of example I consider them. The water seasonal influence weakens the core's friend in lower 55 and thus weakens the core. It weakens metal in upper 28 since water is the energy-draining child of metal, decreases the amount of energy lost by the fire core in ruling metal, so the core's strength is increased. The water influence is good for wood in lower 28 and upper 55 and thus increases the strength of the fire core.

newlife123 · Sep 20, 2013

It's too much for me to handle right now. I read all the links and didn't understand much. Do you mind doing a casting for me?

pocossin · Sep 20, 2013

newlife123 said:
It's too much for me to handle right now. I read all the links and didn't understand much. Do you mind doing a casting for me?

Not at all. Post a question.

newlife123 · Sep 20, 2013

It's kind of personal so I will message you.

pocossin · Sep 20, 2013

Timing

When will a predicted outcome occur? When an outcome is expected immediately, as in "The Neighbor Who Borrows at Night," further timing considerations are irrelevant. When the outcome is in a distant future, timing considerations come into play. There are at least two ways to time an outcome: 1. the timing factor, 2. time associations of the resulting hexagram.

trigram1 + trigram2 + hour of query = timing factor, where the trigrams numbers are those of the cast hexagram, and the hour of query is the Chinese hour (Wilcox) or the 24-hour clock in local time (Jou). Use you judgment as to which you prefer. (Indeed, "Use your judgment" might be the motto of Plum Blossom divination.)

The timing factor is adjusted for tempo.

If the diviner is lying down or sitting, the timing factor is multiplied by 2
If the diviner is standing still, the timing factor is unchanged (multiplied by 1).
If the diviner is walking, the timing factor is multiplied by 1/2.

We now have a timing factor, but we do not know the unit of time it represents. The units of time are seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, fortnights (popular in Great Britain), months, years, decades, centuries, millennia, etc. The unit of time is determined by the life cycle of the querent (person or object being divined about). The timing factor's units must fall within the life cycle of the querent but not be unconscionably brief. When units are selected, one has a definite period of time. If the timing factor is 18 and the unit of time is hours, then the period is 18 hours. This period is added to the moment when an intent to divine occurred to give the time when the outcome will occur. For example, in the "Doomed Peonies," the cast hexagram is 44.

☰ = 1
☴ = 5

The intent to divine occurred at a little past 12 noon, so the timing factor is 1 + 5 + 12 = 18. Shao was standing when he observed the flowers, so tempo does not change the factor. Shao takes the unit of time to be hours. Peonies are short lived, and the unit of time cannot be days. 12 noon + 18 hours gives 6am the next day (Jou, p.109).

However, in this case Shao finds the time associations of the resulting hexagram to be more compelling than the timing factor. The resulting hexagram is

☲
☴

Shao sees this as the bright sun (fire) over the peonies (wood), so decides that the outcome will be at noon the next day.

pocossin · Sep 20, 2013

newlife123 said:
I read all the links and didn't understand much.

Jou's book is a good place to start.

newlife123 · Sep 21, 2013

Was post #14 meant for me? I don't really understand. I guess it must not be good news.

pocossin · Sep 21, 2013

newlife123 said:
Was post #14 meant for me?

No, you PM'd me, so I will respond by PM, but it may take some time. Post #14 is about timing methods in Plum Blossom, and it's for anyone interested in this kind of I Ching divination.

pocossin · Sep 24, 2013

Trigram Correspondences

There is an extensive list of trigram correspondences at

http://www.fivearts.net/index.php/topic,1563.msg452698.html#msg452698

Harmen says that much of the Mei Hua Yi Shu (梅花易数) has not been translated into English, so those who are restricted to English, as I am, are limited. My opinion is that anyone who focuses on Plum Blossom method and uses his/her mind, irrespective of language limitations, can make significant progress, perhaps even progress beyond those who know classical Chinese. I have been repeatedly disappointed by the Chinese. I have found them unaware of aspects of Chinese metaphysics that are obvious to a westerner.

1eleven · Sep 25, 2013

Hi pocossin,
Thank you for your efforts on this thread. I have the book for reference but haven't quite dug in yet to the details. Would you mind offering a reading example for me?

My question is, "What am I not seeing in relation to my business?"

Thanks!
1eleven

pocossin · Sep 26, 2013

What am I not seeing in relation to my business?
10.5 > 38

Code:

 ☰  ☴ ☲ 
[☱] ☲ ☱

To have metal as the core of a business is good, because the purpose of business is to make money, and the metal friend in the cast hexagram outweighs the negative influence of fire in the nuclear (intermediate) and resulting (longer term). I understand hexagram 38 as finding friends outside the family. With respect to business, the implication is that you aren't reaching potential customers.

1eleven · Sep 26, 2013

Pocossin,
Thank you so much. You're dead on... I've been playing it safe, a bit close to home with close connections and existing clients.

May I ask which method you used to create these hexagrams? I have both Jou's book and I Ching Numerology by Da Liu. I'm digging deeper into these books at the moment - I find the options and which method to choose a bit daunting. Have you experimented with all methods or just picked one to focus on?

Thanks again, I really appreciate your time.

1eleven

pocossin · Sep 26, 2013

1eleven said:
I've been playing it safe, a bit close to home with close connections and existing clients.

That is the implication of Family (hexagram 37) as the medial hexagram. I also considered element relations, the tetragram and element of the time, and hexagram associations that are not in books, but explaining these details is so tedious that I did not report them.

I'm digging deeper into these books at the moment

On the basis of Harmen's recommendation I have ordered Liu's book, but haven't received it yet. Harmen is correct in that not knowing classical Chinese and having the ability to read the Mei Hua Yi Shu and its commentaries limits the western practitioner of Plum Blossom divination. However, a dozen years ago much quality Plum Blossom material that no longer exists was on the net, including translations into English by Wilcox and three Russians who had Bronislav Vinogrodsky's Russian translation of Mei Hua Yi Shu. Harmen gives an example of trigram correspondences that are in the Mei Hua Yi Shu but are not available in English, but I believe I could have reconstructed these correspondences on the basis of correspondences already known.

May I ask which method you used to create these hexagrams?

I use the method that inspires me at the moment. In your case, I used six nickels -- shaken, dropped, and pressed into a column with eyes closed -- and a die to determine a moving line (à la Russell). Money seemed the appropriate method of casting since the question was about business.

Have you experimented with all methods or just picked one to focus on?

I have neither experimented with all methods nor pick one to focus on. Like Shao's son I prefer to come up with my own. For example, using the hands of a clock to identify trigrams.

1eleven · Sep 26, 2013

Thank you for clarifying. My confusion seems to be around which time, calendar, etc to use. I see you didn't use any of that so it's helpful.

I just did a few readings around the weather at my wedding next week (seems like something with results I can validate sooner rather than later). I just kept spinning my wheels as to how to use the calendar. Jou says no need to use the Chinese calendar and Dai Li says use the Chinese Month and Year but not the number for the day... I just need to choose and stick with it and focus more on the interpretation of the trigrams, for now.

Thanks again.

pocossin · Sep 26, 2013

Congratulation on your approaching wedding. May you and your partner have lives of bliss and sunny weather. Outer weather is not so important as inner weather. However, the first topic of the 18-topic Mei Hua Yi Shu is weather. If I ever knew, I do not remember how ti and yong are assigned in weather prediction. I suppose ti would be wedding, and weather would be yong.

1eleven · Sep 26, 2013

That's very kind of you pocossin, thanks so much! You're right about inner weather... we create our own inner climate. "Be like the sun at midday."

Yes, that's how I did it with ti (core) as wedding.

1eleven · Sep 27, 2013

For my latest attempt (please move if you feel this should be in Shared Readings):

"How can I deepen my understand and improve conversations with the Yi Jing?"

16.5 (39 nuclear) > 45

16
Thunder/Wood
Earth/Earth

39
Water/Water
Mountain/Earth

45
Lake/Metal/Water
Earth/Earth

(Sorry, I haven't quite dabbled in posting trigrams)

Here are some quick notes:
Wood destroys Earth - misfortune
Water injures Earth - slight misfortune
Metal produces Earth - good fortune

How would you elaborate further on this? I would like to see how my further data compares.

Thanks!

1eleven

pocossin · Sep 27, 2013

Some notes.

I haven't quite dabbled in posting trigrams

It's easy. Here they are

☰ ☷ ☳ ☴ ☵ ☲ ☶ ☱

They can be copied and pasted like any other character when your word processor is set to UTF-8. The problem is to get columns to stay aligned since Clarity doesn't recognize extra spaces. I have been using code tags to force alignment, but that isn't a good solution.

Code:

 ☳  ☵ ☱ 
[☷] ☶ ☷

45
Lake/Metal/Water
Earth/Earth"

Lake should be Metal, I think. Metal was used to make mirrors like the surface of a lake.

Metal produces Earth

It's the other way around. Earth produces Metal. That is, metal is mined from the earth.

1eleven · Sep 28, 2013

Whoops. Nice catch, thanks for that.

Any other interpretations for those?

With gratitude,
1eleven

pocossin · Sep 28, 2013

How can I deepen my understand and improve conversations with the Yi Jing?
16.5 (39 nuclear) > 45

Code:

 ☳- ☵/ ☱-
[☷] ☶+ ☷+

Through social interaction. Taking periphery(yong) as study and core (ti) as yourself, in the initial hexagram periphery dominates: wood rules earth. Thus, the self is weak compared to the magnitude of its tasks. There is a principle of proximity at work here. A near threat is more powerful that distant threats and aids, so the earth friends in the medial and final hexagrams are too far away to help. Improving your understanding of the Yi Jing is going to be a struggle (hexagram 39). However, hexagram imagery trumps five element relationships, and Congregation (45) is positive. You will eventually reach a congenial setting, so you can do it, but it won't be easy.

The hard part in Plum Blossom Calculation isn't the calculation. A machine could do that. The hard part is interpretation. Da Liu says:

The art of foretelling lies in the interpretation. Interpreting the I Ching poses many difficulties because its structure is complex and its language is elusive and cryptic (p.60)

But I think Da Liu is mistaken in this. The real difficulty is a shift from a calculative to a contemplative or poetic frame of mind. This shift cannot be taught directly since it depends on the initiative of the student, but it can be acquired through example. It is a leap into darkness. In addition to this extraordinary difficulty, you also have the immediate obligations of business and marriage, which is how I interpret the initial hexagram. These matters have priority, and excelling in them now will aid your studies later.

pocossin · Sep 29, 2013

Da Liu's helpers

From the preface to I Ching Numerology

Olive Wong
C.T. Chang
Susan DeIone
Janice Kovar
David Sheinkin
Kao Liu Yu Ying
Rosemary Birardi
Ted Mauren

Olive Wong

The range of Olive’s interests and talents was reflected in her many accomplishments. She was a theater director, a costume and fashion designer, a librarian in both California and New York City, a writer of several published children’s books, and co-author with the late Tai Chi master Da Liu of I Ching Numerology.
http://www.fellowshipsf.org/news.html

Janice Kovar

Continuing her education has been Kovar’s way since her college days. After earning a degree in dance from the University of Illinois, she went on to study modern dance at the Cunningham Studio in New York City. While in New York, she studied improvisation with Yvonne Rainer and Tai Chi Chuan with Da Liu.
http://news.keuka.edu/features/a-leg-up-in-dance

David Sheinkin

Probably the MD and writer.

Rosemary Birardi
-- Also in The Tao of Health

Ted Mauren
-- Also in The Tao of Health

Read The Tao of Health online.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/73830022/The-Tao-of-Health

Plum Blossom Topics

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