Before casting divination blocks, must I wait for the deity to return before asking?

In my understanding, we need not imagine deities as people who must spend several minutes hurrying back after going out before they can answer. Different temples may have their own explanations, but it is worth considering what understanding of the connection between deity and person lies behind the practice.

Dao Shun shared that, as a child, someone taught him to ask whether the deity was present before casting blocks, and wait if not. He then asked: if the deity is absent, who has answered through the blocks that say ‘not here’? This is also something I invite people to consider. We should not keep following a practice merely because we once heard it, without thinking about its reasoning.

When Sheng Zhen Men discusses divided divine manifestations, we understand deities as able to form connections in different places with distinct responsibilities. We need not imagine one deity travelling back and forth around the whole world. I also compare this with calling a distant friend by mobile phone: if communication can already be so fast, why understand divine perceptions only through human travel and waiting? This is our religious understanding. Other places may explain it differently; learn their reasons and think for yourself.