Chinese Fortune Stick Reading of the Day

TRADITIONAL INTERPRETATION
Your current precautions against disaster are unlikely to be of any use. Rather than wearing yourself out trying to defend against all possible calamities, concentrate on the good aspects of your life. With care and consideration you can build these up, so that when bad times do come you are easily able to weather them. Paying attention to your finances is wise, as is cautious investment in long-term projects. This is a good time to travel and meet new people, but do not commit yourself to somebody personally unless you are very sure you can trust them.

REFLECTION
Al the imagery here is of struggle, anxiety, and difficulties. In the midst of this, do not give up. Continue to plan, to build, to try to journey on, even if all collapses or seems to do so. The mother's love never ceases, nor can the traveler act as if he or she is not traveling. It is difficult, but not beyond hope. Keep going, and eventually all will be better.




TRADITIONAL INTERPRETATION
This is generally a precarious and tricky time for you, and it would be a very bad idea to make new plans. Any wealth you are enjoying at the moment is likely to be wasted, unless you invest it wisely. You should pay more attention to your health, or you may suffer considerable pain. The best way to find peace for yourself and avert these problems is to perform good deeds for others.

REFLECTION
The infamous courtesan who drains the powers of the decadent Emperor is a common story of the demise of various dynasties. This is a warning to avoid people who might divert you from what is right and proper. Be yourself, warts and all, as trying to be something that you are not is a true recipe for disaster.




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