FEATURES >> Fate and Luck, Ming and Yun

Fate and Luck, Ming and Yun
by Lorraine Wilcox, L.Ac

The Chinese concept of fate and luck is different from the Western view. The other day, I had dinner with a friend whose father is Chinese and mother is American. During our conversation, he said to me, "You are using the word luck, just like my father used to. I never thought he used it properly." My reply was, "But the Chinese look at fate and luck in a different light than we in the West do." This essay comes from that conversation.

My English dictionary defines fate as the power which is supposed to determine the outcome of events, destiny. It defines destiny as 'the seemingly inevitable succession of events'.

In modern Western culture we don't like to feel fettered to fate, an outside power controlling our lives. We want to be a 'master of our own destiny.' Therefore, we don't often try to discern our fate. Astrology and other divination arts are not seriously used by the general modern population.

When a child is born, many parents do not pay attention to the time, much less have any kind of astrology done for their newborn. It is a commonly held belief in the West that nothing is sealed at birth. It is believed that the child will become what we make of them, or what the child will make of him or herself. It is believed that the factors in development are heredity, education, environment, diligence, etc, but not fate or astrology. It is believed that even the poorest child can become president of the United States.

'Yes,' the Chinese would answer, 'but let me see the birth chart to know if this particular child has a chance at it.'

To the Chinese, fate is real and knowable. Knowing your fate will save you from trying to move down a road that is blocked for you.

We are born at a certain time. The energies present at that time, pictured as stars and/or the stems and branches, have a profound impact on us. Perhaps we are imprinted with this energy, or perhaps we are born at a particular time due to its resonance with our fate.

The Chinese word most commonly used for fate is Ming. Ming means:

1. Life
2. Fate, Destiny
3. The ordinances of Heaven
4. Order, Command
5. Assign (a name, title, etc.)

Let us examine how these meanings are related. One must have life to have a destiny. Destiny is perhaps the ordinance of Heaven. From this, we can expand the meaning to any order or command.

We can also expand the meaning to assigning a name or title, just as we are named at birth or given a title by someone of a higher rank. In China, children are often given names with meanings that concur with what the parentŐs hope the child's fate will be. Some names are even given to counteract a problem seen in their astrological chart, in hope of influencing fate. Adults also will take a new name at an important milestone of their life.

In the Chinese language, astrology is often called Ming Shu (ming4 shu4) or fate calculation, as fate is seen to be set at birth, but knowable and predictable.

This brings us to another aspect of Ming or fate: Ming belongs to pre-heaven. It is fixed at birth and impossible or difficult to modify. It is what you start with. It is the car that you drive (but not the road that you take it down). If you want to keep your car in good condition and get to your destination, you need to know a little about the model of car that you have. A person's birth chart is like the owner's manual for a new car. It gives the specs and the operating instructions.

Next Page