He Wenxiu Meets Disaster
Inauspicious
The poem
Original: 月照天书静处期 / 忽遭云雾又昏迷 / 宽心祈待云霞散 / 此时更改好施为
The story
In the Jiajing era, He Wenxiu's family was ruined by a treacherous official. He was helped by Wang Lanying, a minister's daughter, and they pledged themselves privately. A local bully then had him falsely imprisoned; rescued and later placed as a regional inspector, he searched for her disguised as a fortune teller. They were reunited and the bully was executed.
What it means
The image is mist covering the moon: nothing succeeds, so hold what you have. You were ready to act when the mist came down and the view went dark. The lot is classed as inauspicious, yet it gives a clear remedy: ease your heart and wait for the mist to scatter, and meanwhile change your methods, your approach and your strategy. When the obstruction lifts and you have also changed, that is the moment to act. Pressing on through fog only takes you off the road, whereas willingness to change dissolves the harm.
By area of life
Wealth
Investing now is badly timed and gain is hard. Wait out the bad stretch, revise your strategy, and enter afterwards.
Love
Marriage does not fit, and neither pursuit nor reconciliation belongs to this moment. Change yourself while the mist lasts and try again once it has scattered.
Work
Nothing you attempt goes well, and examinations or elections will disappoint. Adjust and improve first, then compete again when the obstruction has actually cleared away.
Health
You have not found the root, which is why treatment fails. Changing the direction of treatment may open a new possibility.
Travel
An obstacle stands directly in front of you and this is no time to travel. Wait for it to pass and replan the trip.
Advice
Do not push through the fog; use this dim stretch to change how you are doing things.