Kongming Musters His Generals
Auspicious
The poem
Original: 烦君勿作私心事 / 此意偏宜说问公 / 一片明心光皎洁 / 宛如皎月正天中
The story
When Zhuge Liang first took command, Cao Cao sent a hundred thousand men against the small town of Xinye. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei openly scorned the young strategist's orders, so Zhuge Liang borrowed Liu Bei's sword of command to enforce them, deployed his forces, and destroyed the invading army with fire. He played no favourites and his rewards and punishments were exact.
What it means
The image is the bright moon at the zenith. The verse is blunt: drop the private calculation and put the matter into the open. When the heart is straight the reasoning follows and the rules turn out to be generous. A clear mind shines like the moon overhead, showing everything plainly and leaving your enemies nothing to work with. The lot also asks you to look inward, because most of the difficulty here is not outside you but in whether your own motives and qualifications survive inspection. Deal from public spirit and use good people, and the weight lifts.
By area of life
Wealth
Returns are average. Choose sound, inspectable assets and run the business straightforwardly, because your advantage in this matter comes from plain honesty rather than from cleverness.
Love
Assess honestly whether you and the other person are well matched. If the gap is wide, let it go; if it is not, speak openly and without games.
Work
Employment requires genuine skill; connections alone do not last. Lead by fairness, use talented people well, and the road ahead opens.
Health
Clear the confusion in your mind and the body lightens. Look inward, release what you are holding, and combine that with proper medical care.
Travel
Before you go, be clear about why. With honest motives and a straight objective, the road runs smoothly and help appears at the destination.
Advice
Take the private angle out of it and say the thing plainly, and the situation becomes as clear as a moon at midnight.