(5 min read)
It is an annual tradition to cast a divination lot or stick at the start of a new lunar year. This ritual is always carried out by temple worshippers who want advice to start the new year.
At an individual level, the average Joe or plain Jane will seek advice for matters relating to relationship, health, career or wealth. At a country level, government officials seek advice for matters relating to policies, strategies or tactics. The divination lot is normally cast at a popular temple or famous one at an auspicious hour by somebody more important. For personal well being, it is the I who cast it.
This divination lot casting ritual is popular in Taiwan and Hong Kong which has a predominantly Chinese population who are mostly Taoists or Buddhists. Regardless of the temple from where the divination lot is cast, this ritual is based on the I-Ching or Chinese Oracle which is steeped in wisdom of old sages in early China.
The Chinese Emperor in ancient China had his imperial astrologer predict the future based on the stars and the formation seen in the skies. It was not an easy task then for those imperial astrologer as bad news predicted would mean the demise of his life and his whole clan.
I suspect that the imperial astrologer came up with the idea of drawing up the I-Ching trigrams and hexagrams to hide any dreaded bad news. Moreover the message of the Oracle is subject to interpretation and dependent on the skills of the astrologer.
In modern times, there are still astrologers abound and they will continue to hog the temples more when the pandemic is over.
I wish you receive a good divination lot from the deities.
OXOX
Soothsayers and Fortune Tellers
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