~ Stick # 16 ~
Though his stepmother slandered him to his father's face,
The faithful son loved her despite all her faults.
When her illness had brought her near the gate of death,
He found her medicine and warmed her heart forever.
Though his stepmother slandered him to his father's face,
The faithful son loved her despite all her faults.
When her illness had brought her near the gate of death,
He found her medicine and warmed her heart forever.
TRADITIONAL INTERPRETATION
Any divisions in your life at the moment will require a lot of time and effort to settle, but this is not too large a price to pay for peace, as the consequences of letting disagreements continue could be horrendous. Your chances of personal gain are slim and your health uncertain, but you can work to help others. Place other people before yourself, and their gratitude will make your life much easier.
REFLECTION
The famous legend of Shun the Filial, whose father left him to the attacks of his new wife and her family, is one of the classics of Confucian piety. The moral of the story of selfless obedience to the rules of filial piety was that the Emperor Yao heard of this and appointed Shun to be his successor. Troubles borne bravely now will bring rewards in the future.
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Each day I sit down, take up the cup of sticks and ask the same question, “What does the Keen community need to know or hear today?” I shake the cup until a stick (or 2 or 3…) falls out. I then post the stick number and the meanings for you to get what you can out of them.
The sticks themselves are a form of I-Ching. There are a total of 64 sticks in the set that I use* with a poem and small interpretation/story to go along with each stick. The poems, meanings and reflections are meant to be read and (as a good friend of mine once said) marinated in. In our culture, we’ve grown accustomed to getting instant gratification. In other words, we’re used to everything being given to us with little or no work on our parts. These readings are the exact opposite of that type of attitude.
Chinese Fortune sticks are meant to make us slow down and reflect on what is being said. As each sticks’ meaning can be profoundly personal to each person who reads them, it’s more important for you to read them rather than have someone give you a watered down version. These readings are meant to sing to a level of your consciousness and bring you a measure of peace, or at least enlightenment.
The best way to get the most you can out of these readings is to approach them with an open mind. Before sitting down to read that morning’s reading, make some quiet time for yourself. Sit still for a moment and clear your mind. Silence the chatter in your head and take a few deep breaths, letting them out slowly. Once you feel yourself slow down a little (or a lot), read through the reading of the day. Go over it a few times if you feel the need. Then take a moment, sit back and think about what that reading means for you. Some will be very straightforward; others require a bit more thinking. Either way, let the reading from the sticks guide you that day on the decisions or experiences you have. These aren’t meant to tell you what to think, but rather to help you look at things in a different way or to allow you to access truths you already have.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me!!
* written by Zhao Xiaomin & Martin Palmer