It is human nature to seek answers from above or from others in order to confirm our decisions. Some may ask friends and family about their decisions, while others choose churches, temples, or other places of worship and reverence. One such practice can be seen in how we Singaporeans go to the Guanyin (觀音), short for Guan Shi Yin (觀世音), the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion for divination in order to ask for answers to their supplications.

Guanyin divination is usually performed after honouring the Goddess with offerings of flowers or joss sticks. Kau Cim (求签 in Chinese) literally means “begging for a stick”. The entire ritual involves using a pair of hemispherical Jiao Bei (筊杯) blocks, along with Kau Cim Cylinder (签筒) which contains a total of 100 sticks with numbers inscribed on them. This divination method involves shaking the cylinder full of sticks until one of the 100 sticks falls out.

How To Consult the Goddess of Mercy for a Divination Lot

To begin, it is important to keep a calm and open-minded, stating only the question that you have clearly in your mind. Be sure to ask only one thing at a time. The question should be as specific as possible with full details, including the person’s name, address or date and time to get fully connected with the cosmic energy.

Remember, do not ask multiple questions. Repeating the same question or wish that you would like to ask the Goddess while shaking the cylinder. Once a stick falls out, check the divination lot number as it corresponds to one of the hundred written oracles with an answer on it.

Next, one must toss the pair of Jiao Bei blocks and ask the Goddess to confirm the validity of the divination lot. Note that each wooden block is round on one side and flat on the other.

• If there is one flat and one round side, it is referred as a 圣杯.
  This means that this divination lot is final and has the answers to your question.

• If both blocks have a rounded side facing up, it is referred as a 阴杯.
  Guanyin has denied this divination lot and one has the option to repeat the entire process until there is a successful outcome.

• If both blocks have a flat side facing up, it referred as a 笑杯.
  It literally means that Guanyin is laughing and has yet to decide to agree on the divination lot. You have to repeat the clanking of the can again and ask your question with greater clarity.

After a successful outcome, thank the Goddess for your lot. You can also get the meaning and interpretation of the Guanyin lot from free resources available in both English and Chinese at the temple.

Each lot has a particular interpretation and meaning, tied to a particular ancient Chinese text. You need intuition in reading the selected words or poems according to the question you ask. As long as there is an indication of what to do, the lot has done its job.

In many instances, people tend to read everything written on the slip about the lot only to become confused at the end of the day. On the other hand, some people prefer spending a small token of money to get further assistance from one of the fortune-telling stalls usually located right outside the temple.

An Alternative: I-Ching Divination

While going to the famous Kuan Yin Thong Hood Cho Temple at Waterloo Street is a very common practice, there are those with difficulty balancing everything due to the fast-paced lifestyle we live in today. Many go to work, pass by the temple, go out with friends, and still need to be back home to take care of family or do other errands.

Perhaps some never know that it is possible to practice divination in the comfort of their own home, at their own time and pace, and at their own leisure without having to worry about crowds, time, and going to and from the temple. Perhaps you would also like to have a deeper understanding of the answers you are seeking.

An alternative to going to the temple would be I-Ching divination. This involves sixty-four hexagrams, with each one consisting of six lines. The lines could be a broken line, symbolizing yin, or a solid line, symbolizing yang. With six such lines stacked from bottom to top, there are 64 possible combinations, and thus 64 Hexagrams represented. I-Ching Divination is one of the most powerful divination methods to help us make better decisions when we are in doubt.

There are many methods to erect the hexagram for I-Ching Divination. One of the most commonly used methods includes tossing of 3 ancient coins to come up with the pattern associated with a particular hexagram. You again need to focus on your question as you go through the method you have chosen, similar to the mindset you have when you go to the temple to do Kau Cim.

Compared to looking at a Guanyin lot, this can be a more convenient method of divination. You will not have to always go the temple every time you wish to do divination. I-Ching Divination is also a process, which you can learn for yourself. Therefore, you don’t have to always rely on other experts to interpret the signs and symbols in front of you. You will thus have a deeper understanding and appreciation of the interpretation and overall meaning since you have actually studied how to interpret the symbols and understand each and every symbol as well as how they could possibly be related to each other, rather than simply getting the meanings from another person interpreting it for you.

Sign Up for I Ching Divination Class

There are various classes offered on this. The I-Ching Divination module is a foundational course for people interested in Divination. This course will help you understand what divination is, how to perform it using the philosophy behind the I-Ching, and how to interpret readings with confidence and clarity. This will be a big help should you wish to pursue I-Ching divination, especially if you wish to learn more about your wishes and questions.

For more information, please check out our Course page.