We know now that the twelve sectors of a Zi Wei Dou Shu ("ZWDS") chart can tell us something about our personalities. A person whose life sector is in pig is determined and works hard for a living. A person whose life sector is in rooster, one of the four "peach blossom" zodiac animals, tends to be more frivolous and carefree. However, life is not created equally as we can readily see in our daily lives. There are those who are lazy yet manage to acquire fortunes while others toil and struggle but see little gain. It is the pattern of the stars in the chart that ultimately determine our luck in life.
When determining the meaning of the stars in each sector astrologers look at the sector in question as well as three other sectors that influence it. For example if we are looking at the life sector of a person, we also need to look at its opposite sector, travel, as well as career and money. This method is called San Fan Si Zhen (三方四正).
Take look at the chart of Bill Gates. His life sector contains a Tai Ying ("Moon") star. The opposite of his life sector is the travel sector. Four squares to the left and right of his life sector are the wealth and career sectors. Notice that his wealth sector is empty. This would seem impossible since he is one of the richest people in the world. ZWDS practioners in this case would use the stars in the opposite sector (happiness) to determine how much liquid assets he has. In this case it isn't much and it's not surprising since all his wealth is tied up in tangible Microsoft products, which fall under the category of physical property. Physical property luck is governed by the property sector.
Before describing the 14 stas I should mention that these 'stars' are not based on any actual stars in the sky. They are conceptual representations of human traits, like greed, generosity, pride, charity, opportunism or aggression. The brightness of each star has 7 levels according to old texts. However, modern ZWDS practioners simply assign 3 grades to every star--dark, medium and bright. The brighter the star the more it displays the ideal qualities of that star. A dark star displays the negative traits of the star.
The 14 Stars
1. Zi Wei (紫微) - Emperor star: The eponymous star of this branch of astrology Zi Wei is like the emperor of old. Majestic, proud, generous, responsible, strong but not aggressive. He dictates to others and expects to be obeyed. Where this star falls in your chart is where you are likely to be demanding. If it falls in a relationship sector, like marriage, it means that your spouse is likely to be demanding and expects to be obeyed. You are also likely to demand an outstanding, successful partner. A dark Zi Wei is tyrannical, lonely and prejudiced.
2. Wu Qu (武曲) - Military Commander star: The star of power, wealth and military authority. This star is similar to a country's defense minister who formulates military strategies and wages wars. Those with Wu Qu in their life sector tend to be cold and highly efficient. This star represents money in your chart and should it be obstructed it could mean financial failure.
3. Lian Zhen (廉貞) - Passion star: A complicated star that at its best represents honesty and chastity. At its worst it represents a crafty individual who is immoral, gambles, drinks and carries on illicit affairs. It's also regarded as emotional, friendly and sociable. Because of Lian Zhen's extremes it is especially susceptible to the influence of negative stars.
4. Tan Lang (贪狼) - Opportunity star: An opportunistic star that enjoys the finer things in life. Tan Lang desires luxuries—good food, good wine, stylish clothing, love affairs and can show a reckless abandon in the pursuit of these things. Tan Lang is selfish and greedy but can hide these facts very well. A dark Tan Lang in the life sector indicates an extremely selfish individual.
5. Ju Men (巨门) - Orator star: To assess your aptitude for public speaking simply look at the quality of this star. A bright Ju Men with the Wealth catalyst attached to it indicates a talent for speaking as well as a smooth and lucky life. This star is the most rational, logical, as well as suspicious of all the major stars, making it difficult to win an argument with someone who has a good Ju Men star in their life sector.
6. Puo Jun (破军) - Demolisher star: Pou Jun is a rebellious fighter who is at the front lines of a war engaging in life and death struggle with the enemy. It's also like a demolition company that tears down structures before giving any thought of rebuilding, thus wasting resources. A person with this star in their life or happiness sector is aggressive and can be difficult to get along with. If this star is in the wealth sector one can easily lose money.
7. Tian Ji (天机) - Chief Advisor star: A changeable, somewhat unstable star that represents intelligence and wherever it falls it gives you a talent for long-range planning and strategy. This star represents a quick thinker who learns fast, thinks fast and is excellent at multi-tasking. However, Tian Ji is more of a follower than a leader. A dark Tian Ji is duplicitous and manipulative.
8. Tian Tong (天同) - Lucky star: Representing the easy life, Tian Tong enjoys luxury, relaxation and is happy-go-lucky. This star is not competitive, does not like conflict and followed by good luck. If this star is in your money sector it means that you don't work hard for the money but it just comes to you. Depending on other stars in the sector it could mean a little or a lot of money.
9. Tian Fu (天府) - Treasury star: A star representing leadership, conservatism, reliability, helpfulness, Tian Fu is not an innovative leader but an administrative leader. It is not keen on change and prefers tradition over new-fangled things. It is also a star of great wealth depending on where it falls. Billionaire and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has this star in his wealth sector.
10. Tian Xiang (天相) - Minister star: Classic texts liken this star to an imperial official who puts a stamp of approval on documents. Tian Xiang is viewed as being both powerful and powerless at the same time. Nothing happens without its seal of approval and yet it is able to do little beyond that. This star indicates passivity, administration, fairness and loyalty. One book refers to this star as "Mirror", which reflects whatever it sees, including any major stars in its sector.
11. Qi Sha (七杀) - Army General star: This star represents an army general who oversees the battle and lays out strategies on the field. Qi Sha differs from Wu Qu in that while Wu Qu is cool and detached, Qi Sha is aggressive and persevering.
12. Tian Liang (天梁) - Inspector star: A noble, scholarly, serious, and mature leader this star can be likened to an elder statesman of antiquity. This star shows discipline, self-control, and self-management. It is conscientious, academically talented, and idealistic. Tian Liang is above the pettiness of politics and is capable of staying in a position for a long period of time until its goal has been achieved or there is nothing more to be gained.
13. Tai Yang (太阳) - the Sun: A literal translation from Chinese to English, Tai Yang, or the Sun, is the star of fame, leadership and altruism. A bright Tai Yang in the career sector with only positive stars can make a person famous and outstanding at work. Many CEOs and billionaires, like Bill Gates, have a bright Tai Yang with many supportive stars in their career sector.
14. Tai Ying (太阴) - Moon: This star is gentle, beautiful, quiet and reserved. It also represents careful intelligence--taking time to formulate a well-thought out plan rather than devising ideas on the spot, like Tian Ji. It is also a star of wealth that, if found in the life sector with a bright rating, means the individual will invariably acquire a fortune in their life time.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
An Introduction to Purple Emperor Astrology (Zi Wei Dou Shu)
Most of the English-speaking world is familiar with Feng Shui and the Chinese zodiac (do you know the animal that represents your year of birth?) However, the ancient Chinese had developed a far greater body of metaphysical knowledge than just Feng shui and zodiac animals, which are only interrelated parts of a larger Chinese cosmology. Different systems of astrology and divination evolved over the centuries, such as Ba Zi ("Four Pillars"), the I Ching and Zi Wei Dou Shu ("Purple Emperor"). Central to Chinese astrology is the belief that the elements of earth, metal, water, wood and fire make up the foundations of the universe.
With this in mind this blog sets out to de-mystify one of these branches of astrology called Zi Wei Dou Shu (紫微斗数), which loosely translates as "Purple Emperor". This system of astrology is based on the Chinese lunar calendar, which typically starts and ends around the beginning of February every year. Zi Wei Dou Shu was invented about a thousand years ago by a Taoist priest during the Song dynasty. It became used exclusively by the Bureau of Astronomy during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and as a result is not well-known among most Chinese. A typical Zi Wei Dou Shu chart looks like this:
Zi Wei Dou Shu Chart of Scott Peterson, who was convicted of the grisly murder of his wife and unborn son.
Zi Wei Dou Shu (from now on abbreviated as "ZWDS") charts are square and comprise of 12 squares in total. Each square is referred to as a "sector" or "palace" and describes an aspect of a person's life. The twelve sectors are: Life, Parents, Happiness, Property, Career, Friends, Travel, Health, Money, Children, Marriage and Siblings. The stars that fall in these sectors include 14 major stars that determine the overall destiny of one's life, 8 auxiliary stars, 6 harmful stars and 4 transformational stars (catalysts) that each attach to a major star. These transformational stars can bring out the best or worst of a major star. Other stars exist to determine the likelihood of marriage, babies, professional and academic luck. ZWDS has a total of 120 stars, but beyond these 32 their influence is significantly weaker.
The 12 Sectors
1. Life: This is the most important sector and describes your outward personality or how people perceive you initially. It also gives an overall picture of how lucky or unlucky you will be in this life time.
2. Parents: This sector describes your relationship with your parents, bosses and any people that you put above you, such as authority figures.
3. Happiness: A complicated sector this describes your mental state--whether you're happy-go-lucky or brooding and depressed. It also describes your life as an adult. Different stars could indicate a rough or easy road in adulthood.
4. Property: This sector tells you how much real estate you will own. An auspicious pattern of stars here can also indicate entrepreneurial talent. In Donald Trump's chart this sector is filled with brilliant stars and a few negative ones causing the big up's and down's that we see with his real estate investments.
5. Career: The stars that appear in this sector can tell you what type of career you are most suited for. Choosing the wrong career can cause wasted time, misery and a sense of failure. Understanding this sector can assure you of a smooth career path or warn you of a rough road ahead. The career sector also represents the karmic wealth we carry from our previous life and describes the fortunes that we experience in childhood.
6. Friends: Describes how we are perceived by the general public and by people that we don't know well. This sector also tells you how well you get along with co-workers, subordinates and those below you, such as younger family members. Those with the Qi Sha star in this sector can be company owners but generally hand the day-to-day running of the business to others since their employees tend to dislike them with vehmence!
7. Travel: Indicates how you perform when traveling away from home--are you noticeable and likeable or do your encounter nothing but mishaps?
8. Health: Can show you what illnesses you are most likely to develop and your overall health. I have a Tian Ji star here, which indicates a likelihood of developing a stroke or blood clot. There is a history of strokes on both sides of my family, which makes me predisposed to developing a stroke later in life. As a result I take preventive measures now to avoid the possibility of strokes, such as a low sodium diet and regular exercise. Luckily I know my family's health history but not all diseases are inherited.
9. Money: This sector describes the amount of liquid wealth that you have on hand, such as cash, stocks, bonds and any sort of wealth that is easily converted to cash. Generally indicates your salary or simply the amount of money that comes to you.
10. Children: Used traditionally to determine the number of offspring one will have it also tells you how lucky (or unlucky) your children will be. If there is bright Tai Yang ("the Sun") star here attached to a Hua Ke ("Fame") transformational star expect your children to receive some public acclaim!
11. Marriage: This sector describes the state of your marriage and whether your marriage is likely to be stable or unstable. It also describes the personality of your spouse and the type of person that is most attractive to you.
12. Siblings: Indicates how many brothers and sisters you have, as well as your relationship with them. You can also gauge the number of real and close friends you will have with this sector. A negative star here can mean being backstabbed by a close friend.
In addition to stars, each of the 12 sectors is also assigned an animal of the Chinese zodiac along with one of the 5 elements (fire, earth, metal, water or wood). Without knowing the stars you can find out a lot about a person by just by checking the animal and element associated with the Life sector. For example, if someone's life sector is that of the Metal Pig you can expect them to be very hard-working, industrious and determined to succeed in life. Whether they will see success in their career, love and money depends on the placement of the stars.
These are the 12 sectors of the Zi Wei Dou Shu chart. In my next post I'll describe the 14 major stars and 6 auxiliary stars that fall within these sectors and that determine the course of each person's destiny.
With this in mind this blog sets out to de-mystify one of these branches of astrology called Zi Wei Dou Shu (紫微斗数), which loosely translates as "Purple Emperor". This system of astrology is based on the Chinese lunar calendar, which typically starts and ends around the beginning of February every year. Zi Wei Dou Shu was invented about a thousand years ago by a Taoist priest during the Song dynasty. It became used exclusively by the Bureau of Astronomy during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and as a result is not well-known among most Chinese. A typical Zi Wei Dou Shu chart looks like this:
Zi Wei Dou Shu Chart of Scott Peterson, who was convicted of the grisly murder of his wife and unborn son.
Zi Wei Dou Shu (from now on abbreviated as "ZWDS") charts are square and comprise of 12 squares in total. Each square is referred to as a "sector" or "palace" and describes an aspect of a person's life. The twelve sectors are: Life, Parents, Happiness, Property, Career, Friends, Travel, Health, Money, Children, Marriage and Siblings. The stars that fall in these sectors include 14 major stars that determine the overall destiny of one's life, 8 auxiliary stars, 6 harmful stars and 4 transformational stars (catalysts) that each attach to a major star. These transformational stars can bring out the best or worst of a major star. Other stars exist to determine the likelihood of marriage, babies, professional and academic luck. ZWDS has a total of 120 stars, but beyond these 32 their influence is significantly weaker.
The 12 Sectors
1. Life: This is the most important sector and describes your outward personality or how people perceive you initially. It also gives an overall picture of how lucky or unlucky you will be in this life time.
2. Parents: This sector describes your relationship with your parents, bosses and any people that you put above you, such as authority figures.
3. Happiness: A complicated sector this describes your mental state--whether you're happy-go-lucky or brooding and depressed. It also describes your life as an adult. Different stars could indicate a rough or easy road in adulthood.
4. Property: This sector tells you how much real estate you will own. An auspicious pattern of stars here can also indicate entrepreneurial talent. In Donald Trump's chart this sector is filled with brilliant stars and a few negative ones causing the big up's and down's that we see with his real estate investments.
5. Career: The stars that appear in this sector can tell you what type of career you are most suited for. Choosing the wrong career can cause wasted time, misery and a sense of failure. Understanding this sector can assure you of a smooth career path or warn you of a rough road ahead. The career sector also represents the karmic wealth we carry from our previous life and describes the fortunes that we experience in childhood.
6. Friends: Describes how we are perceived by the general public and by people that we don't know well. This sector also tells you how well you get along with co-workers, subordinates and those below you, such as younger family members. Those with the Qi Sha star in this sector can be company owners but generally hand the day-to-day running of the business to others since their employees tend to dislike them with vehmence!
7. Travel: Indicates how you perform when traveling away from home--are you noticeable and likeable or do your encounter nothing but mishaps?
8. Health: Can show you what illnesses you are most likely to develop and your overall health. I have a Tian Ji star here, which indicates a likelihood of developing a stroke or blood clot. There is a history of strokes on both sides of my family, which makes me predisposed to developing a stroke later in life. As a result I take preventive measures now to avoid the possibility of strokes, such as a low sodium diet and regular exercise. Luckily I know my family's health history but not all diseases are inherited.
9. Money: This sector describes the amount of liquid wealth that you have on hand, such as cash, stocks, bonds and any sort of wealth that is easily converted to cash. Generally indicates your salary or simply the amount of money that comes to you.
10. Children: Used traditionally to determine the number of offspring one will have it also tells you how lucky (or unlucky) your children will be. If there is bright Tai Yang ("the Sun") star here attached to a Hua Ke ("Fame") transformational star expect your children to receive some public acclaim!
11. Marriage: This sector describes the state of your marriage and whether your marriage is likely to be stable or unstable. It also describes the personality of your spouse and the type of person that is most attractive to you.
12. Siblings: Indicates how many brothers and sisters you have, as well as your relationship with them. You can also gauge the number of real and close friends you will have with this sector. A negative star here can mean being backstabbed by a close friend.
In addition to stars, each of the 12 sectors is also assigned an animal of the Chinese zodiac along with one of the 5 elements (fire, earth, metal, water or wood). Without knowing the stars you can find out a lot about a person by just by checking the animal and element associated with the Life sector. For example, if someone's life sector is that of the Metal Pig you can expect them to be very hard-working, industrious and determined to succeed in life. Whether they will see success in their career, love and money depends on the placement of the stars.
These are the 12 sectors of the Zi Wei Dou Shu chart. In my next post I'll describe the 14 major stars and 6 auxiliary stars that fall within these sectors and that determine the course of each person's destiny.
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