Thai lost item reading

“Jap yam sam ta” (the three-eyes reading) is an old Thai way to ask about something lost, or a simple question. The date is turned into the Thai lunar day (waxing or waning moon), which falls into one of three boxes. For a lost item the boxes say whether it is still nearby, has been moved, or is gone; other questions ask who may have it, when someone will arrive, whether you will get what you seek, and whether to travel by land or water.

How the three boxes work

The Thai lunar month has a waxing half (days 1 to 15) and a waning half (days 1 to 14 or 15). Divide the lunar day by three: a remainder of 1, 2 or 0 gives the first, second or third answer. Waxing and waning days use the answers in a different order, which is why the same remainder can give a different reading.

Adapted from three Thai pages: the answer about who took the item no longer names a woman or a man, only the kind of person and where to look. The old manual also has questions about war and about whether a sick person will die; these are not included.