Tarot and Liu Yao Divination

Both Tarot and Liu Yao Divination are used for divination purposes. Tarot focuses on emotions, while Liu Yao emphasizes connections with external influences.

Tarot originated in Europe and developed into a divination tool around the 14th century, heavily influenced by Western mysticism. The Tarot system includes 22 Major Arcana cards (also called Major Cards) and 56 Minor Arcana cards (also called Minor Cards), totaling 78 cards. Each card has unique designs and symbolism; Major Cards indicate the general direction of a prediction, while Minor Cards provide details. Tarot is often used to divine matters related to feelings or subjective experiences, such as, 'Is my friend sincere?'

Tarot Spreads

A spread is the arrangement and number of cards, where each position represents a different meaning. Tarot has various spreads, and the Fortune Teller chooses the spread based on the question. For example, the following spread could be used for the question: 'Will I develop a romantic relationship with XXX?'

The choice of spread is selected by the Fortune Teller based on the question. Different Fortune Tellers may use different spreads for the same question.

Tarot Reading

The querent or the Fortune Teller draws cards according to the number and order of the spread and places them in the designated positions.

In Tarot, it’s not necessary for the querent to draw the cards. Some Fortune Tellers believe a spiritually attuned Fortune Tellers can connect better with the cards for more accurate divination.

Interpreting Tarot Cards

Each Tarot card has a corresponding meaning, which the Fortune Teller interprets based on the card’s position and orientation.

Each Fortune Teller may interpret the cards differently. For example, if a Lovers card is drawn in the (Woman-present) position in the spread, but the card is reversed, it may lead to the following possible interpretations.

The Lovers card indicates new love or attraction. However, if reversed, different interpretations may arise:

Fortune Teller A: The Lovers card means new love is possible, but reversed, it suggests the woman may not desire a relationship.

Fortune Teller B: The Lovers card signifies attraction, but reversed, it means the man now draws the woman’s attention more than the other way around.

Each card in a spread relates only to its designated meaning and interpretation, with no logical connection between cards. Each Fortune Teller interprets based on their own understanding.

The Principle of Tarot

Each of the 78 cards represents various possibilities, and the upright or reversed orientation of the cards adds further meanings. By choosing a spread, these meanings are then applied to different times and individuals. For example, if drawing 10 cards, Tarot offers a total of 87 x 77 x 76 x 75 x 74 x 73 x 72 x 71 x 70 x 69 x 68, which is over 3 x 10²⁰ possible outcomes , each outcome having an equal probability. Considering both upright and reversed cards, the number of possible outcomes becomes even more incalculable. Therefore, the result of a divination largely depends on the diviner’s interpretation of each individual card rather than an analysis of the whole.

Tarot visualizes possibilities as countless outcomes through cards, allowing the Fortune Teller to find answers using their intuition, mainly for feelings and subjective insights.

Liu Yao Divination originates from the Chinese I Ching, with over 5000 years of history. Based on the theory of the Five Elements, Eight Trigrams, and 64 Hexagrams, it involves tossing coins to find a corresponding hexagram for divination. It is often used to divine relationships with the external world, such as asking, 'Should I agree to invest in a restaurant in Paris next month?'

The 64 Hexagrams

Each of the 64 hexagrams has six lines (either a solid line or a broken line), and each line corresponds to a line text. Together, the six line texts form a story.

The diviner tosses coins to determine the primary hexagram (one of the 64 hexagrams). Then, changes are applied to the primary hexagram to obtain the transformed hexagram (also one of the 64 hexagrams). By studying the influence between the primary and transformed hexagrams, the current situation and future prediction of the matter can be determined. In total, there are 64 x 64 = 4,096 possible outcomes.

How to Perform Liu Yao Divination

The diviner needs to prepare three identical coins. By tossing the coins and recording the results as heads or tails, lines are drawn from bottom to top as solid or broken lines. This process is repeated six times to create six lines (six yao), forming a hexagram. The primary hexagram is then modified to produce the transformed hexagram. Detailed instructions can be found in the link below.

I Ching - Sixty-Four Hexagrams - Hexagram Interpretation

Detailed steps on how to perform Liu Yao divination:

I Ching - LiuYao Divination – A Link Across Time and Space

Interpreting Liu Yao Divination

Liu Yao divination primarily interprets events through the Five Elements interaction principle applied to the primary hexagram and the transformed hexagram. The name and content of each of the 64 hexagrams can be referenced online, with each hexagram consisting of six lines (six yao), and each line has its own Five Elements attribute.

First, based on the question the querent wants to ask, the corresponding Significator Yao, Correlative Yao, and Event Yao are identified. For example, with the question, 'Will my restaurant investment in Paris next month be profitable?

Then, analyze the Five Elements attributes and meanings of each yao to make predictions about the question being divined.

The interpretation of Liu Yao divination follows detailed rules and steps, requiring a certain understanding of the I Ching. For detailed examples, see:

I Ching’s 64 Hexagrams - How to Interpret Hexagrams

Principle of Liu Yao Divination

All possible outcomes are encoded in the 64 hexagrams. Including transformed hexagrams, there are a total of 64 x 64 = 4,096 possible outcomes. The querent establishes a connection to the situation through coin tosses, which reveals one of these possibilities. Each outcome does not have an equal probability, as a transformed hexagram only occurs when all three coins land heads or tails, reflecting natural phenomena—some outcomes are more likely, while others are less so. The interpretation of Liu Yao divination largely relies on the interpreter's understanding of the I Ching, rather than personal feelings. This means that, with study, anyone can interpret the hexagrams, and interpretations for the same hexagram should be largely consistent

Principle

Similarity: Both methods digitize various possibilities and, through a certain method, connect to the question being divined to find the corresponding outcome.

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Possibilities and Probability

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Tools

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Executor

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Research Focus

Similarity: Both are methods of divining events

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