Guanyin fortune stick

72

Middle stick

Guanyin fortune stick 72: Keeping Bees, Seeking Sweet, Finding Bitter

If you keep bees, it's for the honey you hope to get,
but you fear the needle at the end of the tail.
There may be another road open before your eyes,
yet in the dark it is thick as a thorn wood.

jadealmanac.com

The verdict

Be careful in everything and don't force it; teaming up with bees for honey, what good can come of that?

What it says to you

You want the honey, and the bees have stings. The poem is plain about the bargain: whatever sweetness you are after comes with a real chance of getting hurt, and the side path that looks open is thorny once you're in it. Graded middle, the stick is not a refusal. It is a request to slow down and look closely before reaching into the hive. Don't force the deal, the conversation, the shortcut. Ask who else is involved and what they stand to lose. If you go ahead, go with gloves on: check the details twice, put things in writing, and accept that the harvest may be small.

The story behind the stick

Two men compete for this lot. Two editions name Wang Mang seeking worthy men; one names the poor early years of Liu Zhiyuan, later an emperor of the Five Dynasties period, and another lists both. Wang Mang was a nephew of the empress dowager of the Western Han. He won a reputation for humility, generosity and respect for scholars, and climbed to the highest offices. In AD 9 he took the throne for himself and founded the Xin dynasty. His sweeping reforms modeled on ancient systems brought hardship and revolt, and he was killed in AD 23; Liu Xiu then restored the Han. His story is the image line exactly: he sought sweetness and found the sting. The lot stays middle because the honey is real, but every move toward it must be careful.

Line by line

1. Keep bees and you hope for their honey. Readers take this as an honest wish for reward from work or from dealings with other people.

2. Yet you fear the needle at the end of the tail. Traditionally the sting is a hidden risk inside the very thing you want, often an ally or partner who can turn on you.

3. There may be another road open in front of you. Temple readers say an alternative will appear and look attractive, especially when the main route is slow.

4. In the dark it is thick as a thorn wood. Readers apply this to shortcuts and side deals whose dangers cannot be seen in advance, and the lot advises against moving or switching.

The original verse

养蜂须用求他蜜
只怕遭触尾上针
须是眼前有异路
暗里深如荆棘林

Seven characters a line, as printed in the BW Monastery edition.

Sources for the story: https://www.51chouqian.com/guanyinlingqian/72.html (Wang Mang Seeks the Worthy); https://www.nongli.com/item5/guanyin/72.html (Wang Mang, plus Liu Zhiyuan); masterseanchan.com/guanyin-oracle/lot-72 (edition A: Liu Zhiyuan Keeps the Night Watch, also Wang Mang).

Optional: the temple way

At a temple the stick is not yours until two moon blocks agree: one flat side up and one round side up, a holy cup.

Confirm with the moon blocks

About stick 72

Is Guanyin stick 72 good or bad?

Stick 72, "Keeping Bees, Seeking Sweet, Finding Bitter", is a middle stick, a mixed stick, good with conditions. Be careful in everything and don't force it; teaming up with bees for honey, what good can come of that?

What does Guanyin stick 72 say about love?

Something stands between you.

What does Guanyin stick 72 say about money?

Obstacles; deals will be delayed.

What does Guanyin stick 72 say about work?

Hard going; push on and you'll pass the exam.

Draw another stick , or for a straight yes or no, throw the moon blocks

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The verse follows the BW Monastery edition of the Guanyin set; the English rendering and reading are Jade Almanac's own. A drawn stick is a tradition and a prompt for reflection, not advice about health, money or the law.