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Chapter 60 of 131
Zeng Shan Bu Yi — Revised I Ching Divination
Chapter Fifty-Five: Divination on Official Promotion and Alternate Selection
To bring honor to oneself through official positions, it is best to have the Official Star (官鬼爻) residing in the World Line (世爻). Financial blessings sustain life, and it is most favorable for the Wealth Line (财爻) to generate and support the World Line. 🔥
If the Official Star is strong and resides in the World Line, or if the Day, Month, or Moving Lines act as the Official Star to generate and harmonize with the World Line, or if the World Line moves and transforms into an Official Star that generates the World Line, these are all auspicious signs. Additionally, if the Wealth Line moves to generate the Official Star, a good position may be obtained; if the Official Star aligns with the Day or Month, an extraordinary promotion is certain. 🌟
If the Offspring Line (子孙爻) resides in the World Line, do not expect a promotion. If the Official Star is in vain (空亡), broken by the month (月破), enters the tomb (入墓), or is in a barren state (绝地), as well as moving and transforming into an inauspicious sign, hopes for filling a vacancy or promotion are slim. 🌪
Receiving favor is like dew and rain, with harmonies meeting harmonies. 🌊
If the World Line and the Official Star form a Three-Harmony Official Formation or Wealth Formation, or generate the World Line, or the World Line is within the formation, or the Official Star resides in the World Line and harmonizes with the Day, Month, or Moving Lines, or if a Six-Harmony Hexagram is encountered, or the hexagram moves and transforms into a Six-Harmony Hexagram, these are all like blessings bestowed by heaven. 💫
For example, in the seventh month (申月) on the Jihai Day (己亥日), a divination was performed to inquire about obtaining a vacant position, resulting in the Well Hexagram (井卦) changing to the節 Hexagram (节卦). The hexagram showed the inner trigram forming an Official Formation with Si-You-Chou (巳酉丑), but it generated the Response Line (应爻) instead of the World Line. This is called "appearing without sentiment," so the position could not be obtained. When asked why, the response was that the Official Star generating the Response Line meant it would certainly not be obtained. Later, someone else was indeed selected. 📉
When the wind and clouds have not yet met opportunity, clashes compound clashes. ⛰
If the World Line and the Official Star are not strong, and a Six-Clash Hexagram is encountered, or the Official Star is clashed by the Day or Month, or the hexagram is a Six-Clash Hexagram changing to another Six-Clash Hexagram, these are all times when the wind and clouds have not yet met, and promotion is hopeless. 🌬
If the Prime Source (元神) is weak and still, and the leakage line (泄气爻) moves, the inquiry about promotion will be遥遥无期 (far off). 🌱
For example, if the Official Star belongs to Wood, the World Line is weak and unmoving, and the Fire Line moves to leak energy, etc. Other situations are similar.
[New Commentary]: This principle is correct, but even if promotion is not possible, there is an implication of a change in position. This is because the Parent Line (父母爻) in ancient times represented government offices, and in modern times represents the workplace. If the Parent Line moves, it必定 (certainly) indicates a change in the work environment. 🏢
Example: A county magistrate performed a divination in the fourth month (巳月) on the Gengyin Day (庚寅日) to predict whether he would be promoted that year, resulting in the同人 Hexagram (同人卦) changing to the遁 Hexagram (遁卦). The Official Ghost Line (官鬼爻) did not receive generation from the Day or Month and was broken by the month (月破), indicating no hope for promotion. The Official Ghost Line being broken by the month was fortunately rescued by the Day's harmony; otherwise, not only would there be no promotion, but he might also lose his position. The Parent Line, Mao Wood (卯木), moved, indicating a change in position within the year. Later, he was indeed not promoted but was transferred to another county as magistrate in the sixth month (未月). 📊
If the World Line moves, and the Official transforms into an Advancing Spirit (进神), glory and promotion are imminent. 🚀
If the World Line moves, or moves and transforms auspiciously, or if the Salary Horse (禄马), Day, or Month align with the World Line, or if the Official moves, transforms auspiciously, and generates or harmonizes with the World Line, one can prepare to pack and wait for promotion.
If the World or Official is broken, do not hope; if the World Offspring is empty, promotion may still occur. ⚠️
If the World Line is broken by the month (月破), even if the Official Star resides in the World Line, not only will there be no promotion, but one must also guard against other changes.
[New Commentary]: The above example is exactly where the Official Ghost resided in the World Line and was broken by the month, and indeed there was no promotion. However, there were no unfavorable changes. A transfer to another county at the same level, to a place with a more developed economy, cannot be said to be bad. 💼
If the Offspring Line resides in the World Line and is in vain (旬空), promotion should also not occur. But if the inquiry is about something within two or three days, it may be possible. Why? Because the Offspring has not yet exited emptiness and does not克制 (restrain) the Official Star. ⏳
Ye He (野鹤) said: I have divined for three people, all of whom obtained official positions but died shortly after. 😔
On the seventh month (申月) Wuyin Day (戊寅日), a divination was performed to inquire about obtaining an assignment, resulting in the泽天夬 Hexagram (泽天夬卦). The Offspring residing in the World Line indicated that the assignment would not be obtained, and the World Line being empty also meant it would not be obtained. However, the assignment was obtained within three days, but the person died on the way. Why? Obtaining the assignment within three days was because the Offspring had not yet exited emptiness; dying on the way was because the World Line was empty. Similarly, on the first month (寅月) Gengchen Day (庚辰日), a divination was performed to inquire about obtaining a vacancy, resulting in the水天需 Hexagram (水天需卦). The Offspring residing in the World Line encountered旬空 (vain emptiness), yet the vacancy was obtained, but the person died within two months. Another example: on the third month (辰月) Dingchou Day (丁丑日), a divination was performed to inquire about reappointment, resulting in the渐 Hexagram (渐卦) changing to the观 Hexagram (观卦). The Offspring moved and transformed into an Official, indicating reappointment, but the person's son died six days later, and the person died eight months after assuming office. The death of the person and the son was because the World Line and the Offspring Line together transformed into Ghosts. Ye He paid attention because of the previous hexagram's indication of assignment, but people today easily forget and find it difficult to master the profundities. 📚
[New Commentary]: Ye He's verification of three hexagrams may not represent absolute truth. If the Offspring resides in the World Line and is in vain, the Official Ghost must also be strong for promotion to occur; if the Official Ghost is weak and inactive, promotion will not occur. As for death after promotion, in the first hexagram, the World Line was in a barren state (绝) in the Official Ghost, and the fifth line represents the road. The World Line facing barrenness and emptiness resulted in death on the road. If it were not barren in the Official Ghost, death might not have occurred. In the second hexagram, the World Line was broken by the Official Ghost's clash, an inauspicious sign. In the third hexagram, the World Line moved and transformed into an Official, indicating seeing the official position but transforming into an Official entering the tomb day, an inauspicious sign leading to death. I will provide examples from my own experience. 🔍
Example 1: In the ninth month (戌月) on the Xinyou Day (辛酉日), a woman performed a divination to inquire about whether she would pass the入职考试 (entry exam) for China Unicom, resulting in the剥 Hexagram (剥卦) changing to the坤 Hexagram (坤卦). The Offspring residing in the World Line was in vain. According to Ye He's method, it would be concluded that success might occur within two or three days; otherwise, there was no hope. I did not interpret it this way. The Wealth Line, Yin Wood (寅木), moved, and Mao Wood (卯木) moved暗动 (covertly). The Wealth moving to generate the Official indicated侥幸得名 (gaining fame by luck). I concluded that the passing score might just be met, but employment was not certain, and success might require connections. The result was that she was not selected initially as the recruitment quota was filled, but later, through connections, she was added to the list. There was no death, and she remained well four years later. In this example, the World Line received generation from the Day and was not broken by the Official Ghost's clash, nor was it barren in the Official Ghost. 👩
Example 2: In the fourth month (巳月) on the Xinsi Day (辛巳日), a man performed a divination to predict promotion, resulting in the夬 Hexagram (夬卦) changing to the兑 Hexagram (兑卦). The Offspring residing in the World Line was in vain. I concluded that promotion would not occur, and indeed it did not. The Official Ghost did not receive generation from the Day or Month, and the Prime Source was broken by the month and the day. How could promotion occur? However, the World Line received generation from the moving Brother Line, Chen Earth (辰土). Although the Day and Month克制 (restrained) it, there was the meaning of长生 (long life), and no inauspicious signs were seen. He remained well two years later. 👨
Following the Official into the tomb, if the World is strong, the official will be promoted. Helping the Ghost injure the body, if the body is weak, disaster will come. ⚖️
The ancients considered following the Official into the tomb and helping the Ghost injure the body as inauspicious. I have tested this repeatedly: if the World is strong, promotion actually occurs; if the World is weak, it is inauspicious. If helping the Ghost injure the body occurs with the Prime Source moving together, the official will certainly be promoted. If the World is weak and inactive, there will必定 (certainly) be disaster. For example, in the first month (寅月) on the Yiwei Day (乙未日), a divination was performed to inquire about promotion, resulting in the比 Hexagram (比卦) changing to the观 Hexagram (观卦). The strong Wood Official residing in the World Line, with the Water Wealth Line moving to generate it, though entombed on the Wei Day, the World Line receiving help was harmless. Indeed, promotion occurred in the tenth month (亥月). Another example: in the ninth month (戌月) on the Xinyou Day (辛酉日), a divination was performed to inquire about when an official vacancy would be filled, resulting in the蹇 Hexagram (蹇卦) changing to the需 Hexagram (需卦). The Yin Wood Wealth Line generated and assisted the午 Fire Ghost, and the Fire Ghost克制 (restrained) the World Line, helping the Ghost injure the body. Fortunately, Chen Earth generated Shen Metal, and the午 Fire, greedy for generation, forgot to restrain. Promotion would certainly occur in the winter month, and indeed it did. The response of the winter month was because Chen Earth transformed into子 Water, which was empty and vain, but in the eleventh month, it was no longer empty. 📈
[New Commentary]: This hexagram is profound. If the Parent Line,戌 Earth, had moved, forming a Three-Harmony Official Formation restraining the World Line, not only would there be no promotion, but it would also be inauspicious. If the Response Line did not move, the Official restraining the World Line and generating the Response Line without sentiment would also mean no promotion. The妙 (subtlety) lies in the Official generating the Response Line, and the Response Line moving to generate the World Line, fulfilling the wish for the official position. However, it is not suitable for the Response Line to be empty or broken. In this hexagram, the Response Line was broken by the month, but妙 (subtly) rescued by the Day's harmony, so it was not broken. If it were not for the You Day, promotion would have been difficult. 🎯
Ye He said: The ancients considered the晋 Hexagram (晋卦) and升 Hexagram (升卦) as auspicious, and the屯 Hexagram (屯卦) and蹇 Hexagram (蹇卦) as inauspicious. I have verified the晋 and升 Hexagrams repeatedly, but the World Line must be in a favorable position; if it is lost or trapped, it is inauspicious. For the屯 and蹇 Hexagrams, if the World Line is strong, what does it matter? 🌌