Category:Chinese books of divination

In China oracle have a millennia-old tradition.

Molding

Animal bone oracle (also Skapulamantie )

The oldest is the oracle with heated in the fire of animal bones. Evidence of this can be found (ca. 5000 BC), the highlight was recorded during the falling in the Bronze Age Shang Dynasty already in the Neolithic period.

Originally came the bones of sacrificial animals, often involved the shoulder blades of pigs, sheep or cattle. Later used increasingly the belly plates of turtles. The Oracles survey itself has traditionally been in the hands of rulers who hoped for from this information about the success of upcoming campaigns, the development of the weather and the harvest or the progress of the dynasty. On the other hand, they got the oracle but also advice, for example, the appointment of officials, the building of cities and political decisions of all kinds usual were finally requests to the ancestors.

The bones were specially prepared prior to use; as round or oval cavities were drilled about, which in turn were provided with bronze wires. The heat is then formed in the bone cracks and fissures, which reminded some of a "T " or the Chinese character bù (不"not "). From the exact course of the lines then specially trained soothsayer drew their conclusions and held these lyrics to the respective bone fixed. Some of the inscriptions have also been applied previously, in such a way that they present a case in affirmative and negative, form, separated by an unmarked space. The course of the cracks were then defines which variant will occur.

The oracle inscriptions have made ​​a significant contribution to the study of early forms of Chinese writing, this, see in particular the oracle bones.

Yarrow oracle

Against 1000 BC also dealt with the so-called yarrow oracle. In this case ( even thin strips of wood, metal or ivory today ) were pulled in a complicated process and fifty designed for a specific system that tri- or hexagrams of solid or broken lines originated from a bunch of dried stalks of yarrow. The yarrow oracle is based on a complicated numerology.

From the yarrow oracle the Weissagungstechnik of the I Ching ( Book of Changes ) has developed. The following rules apply:

• After a ritual cleaning of the room, the rods 50 are taken in the left hand and one aside, then the remaining 49 are divided into two clusters, and counted under removal of four rods. Depending on the remaining four or less - determined at the numbers "2" or "3".

Thus, in the first count to remain about five or nine rods; in the subsequent last two censuses four or eight rods. Five or four sticks is the number "3". Nine or eight rods is the number "2".

• This operation is performed three times and the figures calculated added: This results in eight possible combinations of the sums 6, 7, 8 and 9 "6" and "8" corresponds to a Yin (). The " 7 " and " 9 " correspond Yang ().
• This operation is repeated six times. This results in from bottom to top, the six strokes of the Hexagrammes.
• The using the number " 6 " and " 9 " determined lines or strokes of a character are the changing lines, by the their respective opposite takes its place and thereby dissolve into one of 63 different characters.

Each hexagram thus created represents a certain combination of yin and yang influences and thus for a specific future development.

Chopsticks oracle

Under the influence of Buddhism eventually the stick oracle has evolved. It is easier to perform and interpret than the aforementioned forms, which has contributed to its greater popularity.

Customarily a specific question was asked about a topic of personal future, such as shops, health, marriage and young prospects and the like in a temple of the goddess Guanyin. Then they shook in a mug with a certain number of characters BANDED wooden chopsticks ( Chinese:签Qian ) and pulled one out of it. The prophecy contained therein were then reply to the question asked.

The Münzorakel

Later, therefore, developed a method to answer simple questions quickly, in the form of a Münzorakels. This type of the oracle was probably ( 403-221 BC) used in China since the era of the Warring States. According to legend, the Münzorakel of the I Ching by Taoist hermits and philosophers Gui Guo Zi was developed. The ten-pence coin found in Chinese society soon a wide distribution. However, the number of coins used in each case was different. In conjunction with the I Ching, finally the method of three coins prevailed largely. The survey and in particular the interpretation of the oracle should be done immediately after or during meditation - this is true for any of the listed methods.

The front of a coin is the number "3" assigned to the back of the number "2". Thereafter, the method follows similar to yarrow oracle.

16 marbles

These 16 marbles are distributed as follows in an urn: An Marbles bears the number "6", three marbles enter the number " 9 ", five marbles enter the number "7" and seven marbles enter the number "8". The four different numbers are provided for four different line qualities, which will be explained later.

Now six marbles are to be drawn from the urn, each drawn marble is put back before withdrawing again. In this way we obtain six numbers, then form the one above the other painted lines the oracle, since each number represents a different line style.

Which has the same probability as the yarrow Method: random ( array ( 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 9, 9, 9, 6) );

The rarest character is thus the hexagram with the bars 6,6,6,6,6,6.

For this purpose, the I Ching ( hexagram with the No. 2): " All the lines: your character is strengthened and balanced. You can have a lasting and beneficial impact on the world now. "

More oracle forms

In addition, there is evidence for more oracle forms: So the legend says about the fact that the two sibling gods Fuxi and Nüwa only unifying columns of smoke were an oracle of two in the air made ​​to defer their concerns about an incestuous connection and marry each other.

The resulting book around the time of Shen Shu contains a Münzorakel.