Yi Jing, Oracle of the Moon

001 The list of candidates

  You worked hard for it and still do. Now is the moment to prove your weight and then spread your wings. It may be your first start or it can be an expansion of what you already accomplished, but make sure you really grab this chance. It may be a long time before another comes along, if ever. Life is not generous with new opportunities.

002 The earth has spirits *

  Everything you do should honor the earth, and in return, she will offer the same courtesy to you and those around you. Undertakings in harmony with the earth last for long times, because they mimic her power to nurture, to make things grow and prosper, to heal and harmonize. But she is also ruthless when things go against her spirit.

003 The flowers of Chang’an

  Everything accomplished started with motivation. Use it, and if you just want to have a nice time, that is fine. It has its own value. But be aware that you will have to add substance in order to really accomplish anything. The success of the superficial is like its cause: superficial and short-lived. It has to be renewed again and again.

004 Autumn chrysanthemum

  The choice is yours: go for the joyful beauty of a moment or go for the lasting beauty of something sturdy. Both have their value. You should follow your heart because your own choices are the seat of your destiny, but it is good to have some idea where a choice will bring you. And most of all if it will bring you anywhere worthwhile, so choose wisely.

005 Dragon and tiger

  Every new beginning must chase the ‘old’ which holds it back. The dry winds of the tiger are useful to shatter the autumn leaves and dry the seeds, but spring needs the rains of the dragon. When times change, you need to leave the obsolete and put all your efforts in those new opportunities. Don’t miss it by holding on to the old or by waiting too long.

006 The one wonderful road

  What you really want is not mysterious. Unless of course you put it deep down, hidden below duties, common sense, wishes or assumptions from others, or buried under your own fears. Dig it out and take a good look! You will never be happy if you discard your higher destiny. Finding it is a duty you have toward yourself and those around you.

007 Change with changes

  When everything goes smooth and there are no problems, then move along with it and enjoy the ride. Make use of this space and let others join in. This is the opportunity to move ahead fast, or to enjoy the time of relaxation. You need to grab this opening, or else the opportunity is gone and life is back again to its same old pattern.

008 Unknown is scary

  Most people don’t examine or evaluate things themselves. They listen to what others say. So if you want to be heard, then advertise. Repeat your message often and loud, make it colorful and strong. No matter how wise or courageous or creative you are, if you don’t, you will not be heard. People are apprehensive of what they do not know.

009 A Phoenix appears *

  In everything all the details are linked together. And like chains are as strong as their weakest link, the same is true for an enterprise, a marriage, a body, a journey and whatever else you can think of. When the lucky omen of good connections shows up, you can be certain of a good outcome. Listen to the Phoenix in your life and your heart.

010 Good omens

  Most omens have an origin in nature and her seasons or in life itself. Returning geese refer to loved ones or steadiness. Clouds mean a promise of rain to help the crop. Look around, maybe you did not notice the omens in your life? They can give you rest or make you happy and hopeful. They help you to do the work which makes them come true.

011 No tracks or traces

  Denying or procrastinating for a long time makes clarity leave. After a while you cannot discern anything anymore. The facts disappear, memory is hazy, it will get more difficult the longer you postpone. One day disaster will crash down on you, and then it will turn even worse. And the cause of all of this - a first step not taken.

012 No fish to catch

  When you feel gloomy or without hope, there is nothing you can accomplish. Recharge your batteries, get rest, find something harmless which lifts your spirits. Or find a remedy if you think something is seriously wrong mentally, physically or socially. For now, that is the only useful way to put in efforts.

013 To achieve a name

  Having a lot of yang is not enough to make a name for yourself in this world. You also need the cooperation of your yin, or of a woman at your side. Thinking needs feeling, power needs compassion, focus needs joy, seriousness needs play. Yin is usually less visible, but don’t underestimate it!

014 Lack of skills

  It is not enough to know the theory, you also need the hands-on skills and experience to deal with real life. It will present you with many unexpected turns and situations. You need to learn to deal with them, but also how to stay free yourself. Until you learn, mishaps and frustrations will follow you.

015 Some color returning

  Both love and fear cannot be told how to behave. Mother nature has strong medicine to make things go the way she wants it. The mind can refuse to obey her, but your body and soul never got that message, they will react as nature intended them to. Try to find a solution which causes no hurt.

016 Together

  When heads and hearts and hands trust each other and collaborate, any enterprise can be tackled and completed. Same goes for your inner whole. Even your health is a matter of cooperation between all organs but also your head and heart. Families and marriages exist thanks to this unity.

017 Jade and pearls

  Both speculation and greed have their hazards, in whatever direction you go. On the stock market or with gems or gold, or maybe in the field of love. You will never be sure, never at ease, always hoping for more and afraid of less. Are you biting off more than you can chew?

018 Every thought a worry

  Thoughts have a huge power. You should be in charge or else they will be. Try to find a calm place, for your body, your mind, your heart. Going on like this is detrimental for anything which concerns you, like health or relations. Stop doubting yourself, find a way out or try to find help.

019 Smiling from the clouds

  It is very difficult to keep some distance from yourself and your life. When you are in the middle of it, there is no overview at all. Try to look from high above, and look with a smile. So many worries will suddenly become relative. The big picture will look very different and so much more beautiful.

020 No footing

  You flutter around from one flower to the next and forget about what matters. If you don’t pick up your life, the day will come when there is nothing left. Maybe colorful memories, but nothing substantial. Spring does not last forever, winter will eventually catch up with you.

021 The skill to surmount

  You went through huge hardships and never gave up, never let them win. You honed your will and wisdom, your vigilance and your carefulness. Nothing will be beyond your abilities now, whatever you set your mind to. Bad times are important for a better future, they teach you the necessary skills.

022 Mutual help

  Help can make a big difference, but it should not take things out of your hands. So accept and appreciate help but don’t rely on it. It can certainly make the road a lot smoother, and it can make the difference between success and failure. But you are still the one responsible.

023 The moon is bright

  When times are good, then enjoy them to the fullest. They will not stay that way, they never do, but that is even more reason to revel in a good time as long as it lasts. And who knows, maybe its fruits will bring you something later as well. Fruits grow and ripen when the season treats them well.

024 Precautions

  For many worries the solution is discipline. Not a list of to-do’s, but the unrelenting way of doing what you should do at this moment. Most are small things, with discipline they will be kept in order. They will extend to big things, and in the end you will feel safe and comfortable in whatever you do.

025 Seen and unseen

  Not everything is visible, and often the hidden things are the more dangerous ones. Always ask yourself if there might be something more than meets the eye. Hidden agendas, invisible obstacles, forgotten safety measures. You’ll be surprised at the number of ghosts behind appearances.

026 Phases of life

  Most things happen just once. Don’t try to hold on to them or get them back. Live your life the way it happens to you, each of its parts, each in its own right. A time of dawn, a time of sunset, a time of achieving and a time of letting go. Live each phase in your life in its own way, as it should be.

027 A real person

  Most people don’t like it when someone speaks his mind without any regard for social conventions. It takes those who want more from life than an easy path from birth to death to appreciate harsh truths. They see them as teachers instead of troublemakers. Humanity needs them to stay healthy.

028 Ambitions fulfilled

  When you hear about a self-made man, it is usually someone who started at a young age and was unstoppable. Not one with long years of study, or dependent on family or friends. When your ambitions are that strong, you don’t have the patience to wait. You go ahead and do it yourself.

029 The edge of Heaven

  Your heart and mind have been built since your birth, and before that by your heredity, your ancestors. To change a settled mind is difficult, but if you manage to, the reward is huge. Suddenly you have talents, wishes, opportunities, and much more you could not anticipate. A wide world in front of you.

030 Buying spirit

  Supporting culture or spirituality is good, but being part of it is better. Go to the temple or practice zen or paint or sing, do whatever makes your spirit rich. But if you don’t have the opportunity to participate, then contribute in other ways. It will help others to find an entrance to spirit.

031 A good companion

  It can be good to enter into a new venture. The old is safe but maybe just that - old. When a friend gives you a new outlook on things, or even offers to help, then grab this opportunity. If your current road is not satisfying, then try your hand in other fields. Now is the time.

032 Sunset

  Life moves like a pendulum. Every swing causes its opposite, very high will call up very low. Nothing comes without a price. See the down times as challenges. If you only value the good things, the sum total might disappoint you, especially when you grow older and make up the balance.

033 The way of the clouds

  After enough experiences of storms and high waves, one learns the movements of wind and water, clouds and rain. Then one can fill a high position and give advice to others. Experience and hardship are the best masters of all and the most dependable sources of knowledge and skill.

034 Raise your head

  Things are improving again. There are times when everything is moving down, and other times, like now, when they make an upward swing again. The coming time is still open and undefined, don’t make decisions yet but give it the opportunity to show its possibilities.

035 Just this sandbank

  You can worry and think and expect and fear… But what if you take just this one step you need to take right now? And then the next, and so on. Before you know it, you can look back and see that you covered a lot of ground. It will be much better than still worrying. The hardest part is starting.

036 Spring desires *

  There are times when everything comes together. The environment is wonderful, you can be proud of achievements, the future looks bright. Enjoy those moments, they give you the energy to go on and start a great future. Remind yourself of them, again and again, they will always inspire you.

037 Dao and De

  Our entire universe depends on structure. Without its laws, nothing can come into existence. Every creature obeys them, and for the sanity of our mind, we need to be aware of them. We call the laws Dao, the Way, and following them De, virtue. Dao and De decide if the time and the action are right.

038 The call of the golden bird *

  When the emperor’s messenger, or your mind, or your intuition, tells you something great is going to happen, then hurry to be part of it. The moment might be gone before you realize it. Then you will have to listen to the stories of others and that is all you will get. So start early and full of energy.

039 The other shore

  Saints do not become saints because they are intelligent. They are saints because of their compassion. You have to be empty, ‘innocent’, so there is room inside for others but also for your true self. Which means there is room for the entire universe. It is all about innocence and truth.

040 Dark mysteries

  Even without understanding the mysteries below the surface of life, you know the laws which hide there. You know when you go against the rules. Sometimes it is just a tiny hunch. If you can always hear them and act accordingly, you will not make mistakes and your life will be smooth sailing.

041 Everything as it should be

  There are many beautiful moments in life. Store them in your mind. When times are difficult, you can draw on the riches in your heart. A mind which is familiar with many good things, can aim for beautiful results. A poor mind will not be able to find the motivation, and will get small results.

042 The mysteries of fate

  Reality and facts are just a small part of life. There is a huge space which the rational mind can never fathom. It is both inside and outside because it is not ‘somewhere’, it just is. If you can reach into it, you can transcend the boundaries of this life and make it infinitely larger and richer.

043 Turn around and awaken

  If you put a goal in charge of your life, you might end up not having lived that life. Go back to where every little thing mattered, and then start again in an easy way. Look around, there are innumerable crossroads. Find the one which is truly yours and a goal might reveal itself as truly yours as well.

044 The road to Táoyuán *

  People search in all directions, North, East, South, West, for their happiness, ideals, and health. But paradise can only be found by staying in the center. You can ‘happen’ upon it, but searching is useless. In this place time disappears and your life is no longer a straight line from birth to death.

045 Home of spiritual values

  Not everyone who searches for spiritual values wants to be a hermit. There are people who walk this road together, who have their rituals and celebrations, conversations and mutual support. With the images and tools and names which define them. Just be careful that they do not shut in or shut out.

046 Stop running

  Your life needs a direction and you are the one to find it. Only you. If you don’t, you will achieve nothing and even lose whatever there was. Forget about superficial goals. Find your deepest wish and make it true. Find your strengths and use them to reach it. Find your spirit and make it free.

047 Return to the origin

  Nobody is really a clean slate. A child is innocent but it carries its ancestry in its soul and habits. Honor your deepest origin and those who came before by not denying this but by working along with it. Improve yourself, heal yourself where necessary, and make use of your inherited assets.

048 Consulting heaven

  Experience is a great way to learn. But you also have brains. Watch how others do things, talk to people, get information, read and exchange and think about all of it. And then there is your intuition, your deep inner knowledge of the laws of Heaven and the reality of Earth. Listen well.