Why Pick on the Zhou?

[midaughter]

I speak of the eclipse at or around the Battle of Mu, not the 5 planet conjunction(s). Are you telling me Wen, his diviners, his astrologers did not for see his death? Is it possible to get a straight answer?

 

[Sparhawk]

Are you telling me Wen, his diviners, his astrologers did not for see his death? Is it possible to get a straight answer?

Well, they didn't have "Cat-Yi"...

 

[midaughter]

Let me repeat for the record: it has naught to do with planetary conjunctions but I do want to discuss this later.

If we are diviners we should know one thing if this eclipse is a sign it is a sign of disaster, doom, and death. King Wen is going to die and he knows it. He is attempting to name a successor (Cheng) and avoid the bloody civil war among his sons. I have received this line in my career and I now see, I think, clearly what it means: it a death omen or at least in modern terms, an eclipse in terms of influence over a situation or it could augur death. My experience with this line is that the death is some way off, not an immediate thing. The phrase that it is 'so dark the pole star can be seen at noon' sounds like death symbolism. For this is what the death of their leader, in the midst of a mighty military campaign of conquest signifies.
It would be natural for King Wen to try to make his sons see that theirs is the Shang lands and their own dynasty as the end result but King Wen will not be there in the decisive battle. He will not be there to consolidate his power, pacify the conquered lands, and establish a dynasty. It will be a bloody internecine war with at least 6 Zhou armies involved under the various factions.
Does he see that his son Dan (Duke of Zhou) will betray him and his royal authority and using his (the Duke's) power of being regent over the chosen successor king to claim the crown?) Is this the 'house' of King Wen being empty? Is Dan (the Duke of Zhou) the regent who tries to ursurp the throne from his ward the broken right arm? __________________The people of many cultures from all parts of the globe have developed various myths and legends about eclipses. Many believe that an eclipse is an omen of some natural disaster or the death or downfall of a ruler.http://www.earthview.com/ages/myths.htm

 

[lienshan]

I speak of the eclipse at or around the Battle of Mu, not the 5 planet conjunction(s). Are you telling me Wen, his diviners, his astrologers did not for see his death? Is it possible to get a straight answer?

There are according to NASA the following total solar eclipse possibilities:

1070BC Jun 30 time 21:35:38 place 17.8S / 33.1W lasting 06m37s
1061BC Jul 21 time 04:56:56 place 11.6S / 155.1W lasting 06m28s
1055BC Mar 18 time 14:21:47 place 5.5N / 70.5E lasting 06m17s
1052BC Jul 11 time 05:10:06 place 23.6S / 150.4W lasting 06m09s
1043BC Jul 31 time 12:43:14 place 9.0S / 86.1E lasting 06m11s
1037BC Mar 29 time 22:05:45 place 12.9N / 49.1W lasting 06m25s

The only one fitting with the lattitude of Anyang / Feng area is from the time of Fu Hao ...

1301BC Jun 05 time 10:47:32 place 38.1N / 138.3E lasting 06m25s

Anyang is latitude: 36.3 N / longitude: 114.24 E
Xian (Feng) is lattitude 34.1 N / longitude 108.11 E

http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEcatmax/SE-1999--1000MaxT.html

 

[lienshan]

When looking at the pages 12 and 13 here I found only two possibilties:

June 20 -1069 and July 31 -1062

http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/5MCSE/5MCSE-Maps-03.pdf

 

[midaughter]

and this means??? Facts, no conclusions. Would the JUne 20th date be possibly close to the battle itself, meaning wen died just prior to the battle?

Keep in mind, the augury of death in this hexagram, if indeed it is, is not imminent. Astrologers could pinpoint the time of his death more closely.

 

[lienshan]

and this means??? Facts, no conclusions.

Five years ago 200 scholars worked for 4½ years and did not agree, so the facts you are asking for doesn't exist. That's why I try to examine the case seen from an Yi point of view. Maybe some of the lines tell something? Hexagram 55 is about a solar eclipse, but which one? Hexagram 7 is about the campaign against the Shangs, but when? The last line of the Wen order part one (hexagram 30.6) says:

The king uses him to march forth and chastise.
Then it is best to kill the leaders
And take captive the followers. No blame.

Is this connected with the campaign or the rebellion? Is "The King" either king Wen, King Wu or King Cheng? There are many questions in this puzzle. The Zhou campaign was a surprize attack. Their first campaign to Ford of Meng was to get rid of all Shang spyes, so the Shang King was only alarmed when the Zhou army did cross the river in the second campaign. He had less than four days to put up a defence. Maybe some of the Zhou army attacked Anyang from another side and killed the Di Xin in the palace? The Zhou caught all the Shang nobles and ministers. Noone had the time to flee. It must have been a surprize attack and the conquest campaign was organized topsecret.