Shang Dynasty

Every human being would be very happy to know what will happen in future.   The need to predict to predict what is awaiting us has made very society in around to invent her own special techniques of to foretell the events than will not only happen tomorrow but many years. Bearing this in mind we can not be left out but also seek divination to see what fortunes and misfortunes tomorrow brings.  The Shan g society needs to understand in depth what they should expect and not expect.  This is not magic but lies in the power of oracle bones (De Bary, 4).

Shang divination makes use of animal bones and fire as media to predict future outcomes. It will not bring trouble but help if use plastron, shoulder blade bone or scapula and curve or bore a series of pits or holes on them. Through uttering oral questions and applying a hot piece of bronze through the holes will crack and their patterns will serve as the basis of my prediction because a specific pattern demonstrates a particular reaction from the spirits. It will be very important during your reign because through this divination, you will come up with your forecast as whether inauspicious or auspicious.

According to De Bary (6), divination has been our culture through the times of all our nine kings; this could not be the case if the act was harmful. It has so many benefits that it will present to the all the people of Shang and also to you personally as you prepare for your future career as a ruler. First of all this is the only way that we can use to communicate to our gods to bring us favors. By the spirit of ancestor veneration, divination will ensure spiritual alliance with dead ancestors. By the powers of Di, we can appease our most Hi God to bring to rain to people. This will enable our society to be food secure for a healthy community. Through divination we will talk to our ancestors to prevent calamities such as thunder that can shrink our harvest.

Our people need divination to determine their daily activities. The farmers need this to know their planting patterns and seasons hence it will help them get ready for their undertakings. Similarly, the hunters have to be aware of the time when they expect to get more animals and when not. All this can only happen with divination because the power to predict the future lies in the oracle bones. I will predict for the better of all these people to ensure that they do the right thing at the right time. Our ancestors are honest and very trustworthy, they can not mislead our people hence it will be very wasteful if farmers plant when there are no signs of rains in future and hunters to go hunting where they will fail to get hold of any animal (De Bary, 12).

The prediction is of great importance because it will help us make necessary arrangements in case of attacks from enemies. This is very crucial for all us because it will help our people find ways of protection and will also make your army make necessary arrangements to face them and drive them away. If we do not practice divination, the enemy might get us unaware and kill our people but with foretelling their attack, we will marshal all the available resources to counter them and all the glory will be yours. Praises will be yours for protecting your people and having the strongest army of all time.

When you ascend to Kingship, it will be to your advantage because to appease the ancestors, as called for by the ancestor cult that any living king must nourish his ancestors with grain offerings, millet wine libations, human and animal sacrifices, the power of the oracle bones through the inscriptions they will have will greatly help to show us the quantity needed, that is the number of animals and humans to be offered (De Bary, 20).

All this will serve to you to your best interests because it will honor and appease them on your behalf and in turn strengthen their ability to mediate for with the help of celestial power, bequeathing influence and insight to the Shang world. By doing this, we will not only be displaying strict ritualistic adherence to the process by emphasizing the importance of proper conduct, the right ancestor on appropriate day to obtain successful results of you as the king but also it will reinforce the thought that our world is manageable and discoverable when we approach it in terms that are quantifiable, negotiable and contractual with our ancestors.