FEATURES >> Fate and Luck, Ming and Yun

In four pillars and zi wei dou shu (two types of Chinese astrology), the yun are related to the stems and branches (which belong to a cycle of sixty):

1. The ten-year periods of time are called da yun, the big luck.
2. Annual cycles are called xiao yun, the small luck.

In this context, big and small refer to the quantity of time, not the quantity of luck. Luck refers to the characteristic of the time. It does not imply good or bad, which varies with the cycle. By the way, Chinese who have not studied astrology or feng shui do not generally know this meaning of yun because it is a technical term in the Chinese calculation methods. Neither is it generally in Chinese dictionaries.

So these periods of time (yun) transport the energy of the time, which moves and revolves. Our relationship to this energy defines our fortune or luck for that period of time. If we know what it is we can use it to our advantage.

Yun or luck is post-heaven. It is the road we drive our car on. A road map (in the form of a birth chart) helps us get to our destination smoothly. We can decide where we want to go (within limits) and choose the best road to get there.

Let's go back to the restaurant analogy. Luck is like this: sometimes you order off the breakfast menu. Sometimes it is a lunch menu. Later it is a dinner menu. You may also get the menu for Sunday brunch. It all depends on the time. The menu is modified with the time of day. But for the restaurant (the life you were born into), the style of food remains the same, even though the menu changes with time. If you have a steak house, breakfast will be steak and eggs. Lunch will be a steak sandwich. Dinner will be steak and potatoes. So luck is limited by fate, but varies with time. Choices can be made on any menu, but within limitations.

The Chinese believe that success is based on these five areas of influence, in order of importance:

1. Ming Ð (ming4) , fate, destiny, decided at birth and cannot be changed, but can be known.
2. Yun Ð (yun4), luck, which fluctuates with time, and can be predicted.
3. Feng Shui Ð (feng1 shui3), environment. We can manipulate this to reach the higher levels of what our fate and our luck allow.
4. Dao De Ð (dao4 de2), virtue and character. This brings us good karma and good will from others.
5. Du Shu Ð (du2 shu1), education and effort. Even with the best luck, if we sit at home and wait, we will miss out. We must do the footwork.

Knowing our fate is the owner's manual for the car. Knowing our luck is the road map and a weather report for the trip. Feng shui is giving the car the best maintenance and tune up. It increases the performance. But a Cadillac is still a Cadillac, and a Jeep is still a Jeep. Virtue and character is courteous driving. This way, no road rage will be directed at you. Education and effort allows you to drive safely, without having an accident or damaging the car.

If all these factors are satisfactory then we can go far. But if we don't have the owner's manual or the weather report, we can get stranded and not arrive where we want to go.

Back Page

Lorraine Wilcox, © 1999, All Rights Reserved

[Editors Note: Lorraine Wilcox is a Licensed Acupuncturist and an instructor of Xuan Kong Feng Shui and Zi Wei Dou Shu Astrology. For further information, Lorraine welcomes contact at [email protected] or at l[email protected] in affiliation with The American Feng Shui Institute as Assistant to Master Larry Sang.]

[Acknowledgements: English definitions provided courtesy of Webster's New World Dictionary; Warner Books; NY;1990. Chinese definitions provided courtesy of Far East Chinese-English Dictionary; The Far East Book Co., LTD.; Taipei; 1992.]