When I bring up the
subject of Zi Wei Dou Shu to people, they often laugh and say “Gesundheit!”
Then they want to know:
So
What is Zi Wei Dou Shu?
It may sound like
a big sneeze, but Zi Wei Dou Shu is actually a form of Chinese astrology.
There are different approaches to this astrology – some people use
18 stars, some use many more.
“Zi Wei Dou
Shu” roughly translates to “Purple Emperor Calculation”.
The Zi Wei star is the Emperor star, the first star of the series, and
its position in your chart determines where all the other stars fall in
the chart.
Zi Wei Dou Shu uses
the Chinese lunisolar calendar, a lunar calendar that is adjusted for
the seasons.
The
12 Palaces
Similar to Western
astrology, Zi Wei Dou Shu has 12 palaces, one for every important aspect
in one’s life. They are:
| Ming |
Your
Self or Destiny palace. It has to do with “pre-heaven”,
your destiny and what has already been decided for you. The Ming
is similar to the Sun Sign or 1st House in western astrology.
|
| Parents |
Your
parents’ natures and characteristics. This palace can also indicate
your boss or teacher. And since we come from our parents, stars here
can indicate your appearance to a certain extent.
|
| Karma |
Your
emotional state, spirituality, motivation.
|
| Property |
Property
you own or live in (house, land) and your ability to inherit property.
It can even indicate whether or not you like to live in the city or
in quiet places. |
| Career |
Indicates
what kind of work you do or would be good at, and whether or not you
work better alone than with groups. |
| Friends |
Originally
called the Servants palace. Your friends’ characteristics. Are
they fun loving? Supportive? |
| Travel |
How
do you do on the road? Is this the year to travel or stay home? |
| Health |
Sometimes
called the Illness palace. Indicates the state of your health and
likelihood of certain illnesses or even the possibility of needing
surgery. |
| Money |
Your
ability to make and keep money. |
| Children |
Are
you able to have children? Will they be kind and loving, naughty and
out of control? |
| Marriage |
Are
you well aspected for marriage? Should you wait until later in your
life to get married? |
| Siblings |
Your
siblings’ personalities. Are your siblings close to you? |
There are
good stars and bad stars, and some stars’ impact depends on their
placement or whatever other stars they may be interacting with.
The
14 Major Stars
There are 14 Major
Stars, each of whom has a specific identity and set of characteristics.
1.
Zi Wei - The King
Like an emperor, Zi
Wei is imperious and likes to give orders. Zi Wei demands respect and
can be prone to flattery. If you have Zi Wei in your Ming (Self Palace),
you want to be treated like an emperor/empress. If Zi Wei is in your Spouse
Palace, your spouse wants to be treated like the king or queen!
2.
Tian Ji – Always Moving
Tian Ji is very smart
and active, but can be unstable because it doesn’t like to sit still
for very long. This can indicate someone who learns quickly and is adept
and negotiation. However, if located in your Spouse palace, could cause
instability in your marriage.
3.
Tai Yang – The Sun
Like the Sun, Tai
Yang is big and masculine, but it can also enjoy showing off and can be
too blunt, even to the point of hurting others.
4.
Wu Qu – The Army General
Wu Qu is the hardworking
army general. While this star can bring wealth and a successful career,
people with Wu Qu in their Ming may be loners and workaholics. They can
give orders but don’t want to take them.
5.
Tian Tong – The Relaxed Lover of Life
Tian Tong loves the
good things in life – art, music, and good food. This star can bring
things rather easily, and thus make you a little lazy. This star is often
associated with weight issues – Tian Tong loves food and doesn’t
want to work out! This star is kind-hearted, likes to get along well with
others, and is the romantic dreamer.
6.
Lian Zhen – The Politician
Lian Zhen is the politician star and also one of the “peach blossom”
stars – those stars associated with romance, flirting and affairs.
This star can help you run for public office, but like some politicians,
is a little slick and can be influenced by the wrong people. Lian Zhen
can also make one very popular – it is a friendly and ambitious
star – but when poorly aspected can indicate a problem with drinking,
gambling or fidelity.
7.
Tian Fu – Emperor’s Treasury
Tian Fu has to do
with money and property, and can bring great wealth and power. You can
associate this star with that of company presidents and CEOs. With good
stars Tian Fu is a trustworthy financial manager. With inauspicious stars
Tian Fu can cause a person to be dishonest, such as a company embezzler.
8.
Tai Yin – The Moon
Tai Yin is the moon
and symbolizes femininity. As you can imagine, having this star in your
Ming could indicate you are physically very attractive. This star can
make you gentle and refined. Tai Yin loves music and spirituality but
it is not as strong as the Sun, so can be more easily influenced.
9.
Tan Lang - Impatient and Hungry
Tan Lang is good at
so many things! People with Tan Lang in their Ming love the good life,
learning, romance, metaphysics, gambling, etc. However, this star is much
more impatient than Tian Tong. Tan Lang is the greedy wolf – these
people can become easily frustrated because they wanted everything yesterday!
This can be a very good star to motivate you to get things done, but it
can also get out of control without guidance.
10.
Ju Men – The Huge Door or “Big Mouth”
Ju Men has to do with
the mouth – your speech and communication skills. However, since
the “door” is big, people with Ju Men in their Ming can easily
get into trouble by saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. To help
avoid this problem, these people would be best served to have occupations
that require the mouth (teaching, sales, politics, entertainers, attorneys,
public relations, etc.) that fulfill the use of the mouth in a more positive
way.
11.
Tian Xiang – The Emperor’s Minister
Tian Xiang is the
behind-the-scenes worker, prefers to stay out of the spotlight and just
get things done. Because it is a rather passive or unambitious star, it
could indicate a person who will do better at administrative jobs rather
than the company president.
12.
Tian Liang - Longevity
Some people do not
like Tian Liang, which can turn bad into good. This star loves to help
people, and can indicate someone who is a religious leader or in public
service (but in the limelight). This star is a go-getter, but the problem
with this star is that it requires you to go through bad first before
you can receive the good.
13.
Qi Sha – The Risk Taker
Qi Sha is aggressive
and loves to take risks! Qi Sha is very stubborn and sees only black or
white – no grey in between. People with Qi Sha in their Ming can
be somewhat isolated from others because of their strong personalities
– they want to do what they want and when they want. Qi Sha can
bring unhappiness, so it must be guided carefully.
14.
Po Jun – The Resistance Breaker
Po Jun is another
strong character. It shatters and breaks things– all must be torn
down. Guided properly, the person can learn to create a new, better structure.
Po Jun is not easy to get along with because its nature is to be aggressive
and take no prisoners.
Transforming
Stars
There are
four Transforming Stars that always attach themselves to another star
and change it, for good or bad.
| • |
Hua
Lu “Transforms Salary” helps bring money, good
luck and helpful people – this is the best of the 4 transforming
stars.
|
| • |
Hua
Qua “Transforms Authority” brings power and authority.
|
| • |
Hua
Ke “Transforms Name” brings fame and name.
|
| • |
Hua
Ji “Transforms to Trouble” is a very inauspicious
star that brings trouble to the star it is attached to. For example,
Ju Men with Hua Ji can cause you to speak meanly and hurtfully - Ju
Men is the mouth and Hua Ji brings trouble to the mouth, thus problems
with speech.
|
Again, some
practitioners use only the 14 stars with the transforming stars, while
others use more. The 14 Major Stars with the Transforming Stars have the
highest influence, but there are also other stars that I look at when
analyzing a chart.
What
Can You See in a Chart?
There are many cycles
in a Zi Wei Dou Shu chart – the natal or lifetime, 10-year cycles,
annual, lunar, etc. We look to see which stars are influencing you natally
and at certain times. Each star is an entity with its own personality,
and we determine what stars are playing well together or causing trouble
in your chart.
For example, your
natal Ming or Self palace could have the Wu Qu star, while this year your
Spouse palace may also have the Wu Qu star. If you look at the description
of Wu Qu, you can imagine that this could indicate a year of conflict
– both of you are strong like an army general and neither wants
to back down. Further, if Wu Qu has Hua Ji attached to it, it can cause
the army general to be even more stubborn and isolated.
Additionally, if your
Spouse palace is poorly aspected and you live in a house whose feng shui
indicates arguments, you can see that marriage or relationship could be
a very tough struggle.
If I see a chart that
indicates the person has trouble keeping money, I will advise the person
(or his/her parents) to be sure to get good, sound training in money management
and avoid any risky investments.
Feng Shui, which harmonizes
your home and office to optimize auspicious qi, works very well in tandem
with Zi Wei Dou Shu. For example, if your chart indicates trouble keeping
money and you also live in a house with poor form (environment), you will
have an even more difficult time keeping your money, while a house with
a good environment will be more beneficial for finances. Sometimes the
form is fine, but the house itself needs some feng shui medicine. I might
recommend using a different door (as doors in certain locations can make
you overspend), or adding a remedy in a certain location to help bring
you more opportunities.
If you are single
and this looks like a good year for romance for you, I can recommend a
“Peach Blossom” remedy to help attract more people to you.
Timing
is critical in life! This might be the year to finally quit
your job and start that new business, or it might be better to wait for
a more auspicious time in order to achieve success. We are blessed to
have Chinese astrology to help us determine when to pursue our goals and
when to be patient and work quietly, how to work better to overcome difficulties,
and when to lower our expectations in order to be happier with our lives.
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