The Basics of Chinese Metaphysics

Wednesday 18 January 2017

Know your wealth directions - Chinese 12 Zodiac Yearly Forecast 2017

The Clever Rat

Out of all, the 1960, 1972 and 1984 rats will have strongest wealth energy. As the prosperous yearly Xuan Kong Flying Stars will also be at the East and South East direction. Enhancing this direction will bring extra one year of prosperity and good luck to you.

The Diligent Ox

Out of all, the 1985 Ox will have strongest wealth energy. As the prosperous yearly Xuan Kong Flying Stars will also be residing at South East direction. Enhancing this direction will bring extra one year of prosperity and good luck to you.

The Courageous Tiger

Out of all, 1950, 1974, 1998, 2019 Tigers will have strongest wealth energy. As the prosperous yearly Xuan Kong Flying Stars will also be residing at South East & East direction. Enhancing these directions will bring extra one year of prosperity and good luck to you.

The Sociable Rabbit

Out of all, 1951, 1975, 2011 Tigers will have strongest wealth energy. As the prosperous yearly Xuan Kong Flying Stars will also be residing at South East & East direction. Enhancing these directions will bring extra one year of prosperity and good luck to you.

The Charismatic Dragon

Out of all, 1940, 1952, 1964, 2000 Dragons will have strongest wealth energy. As the prosperous yearly Xuan Kong Flying Stars will also be residing in South East & East direction. Enhancing these directions will bring extra one year of prosperity and good luck to you.

The Seductive Snake

Out of all, 1965 Snake will have strongest wealth energy. As the prosperous yearly Xuan Kong Flying Stars will also be residing in South East & East direction. Enhancing these directions will bring extra one year of prosperity and good luck to you.

The Affluent Horse

Out of all, 1954, 1990 Horse will have strongest wealth energy. As the prosperous yearly Xuan Kong Flying Stars will also be residing in South East & East direction. Enhancing these directions will bring extra one year of prosperity and good luck to you.

The Wanderer Goat

Out of all, 1955 Sheep will have strongest wealth energy. As the prosperous yearly Xuan Kong Flying Stars will also be residing in South East & East direction. Enhancing these directions will bring extra one year of prosperity and good luck to you.

The Dynamic Monkey

Out of all, 1980 Monkey will have strongest wealth energy. As the prosperous yearly Xuan Kong Flying Stars will also be residing in South East & East direction. Enhancing these directions will bring extra one year of prosperity and good luck to you.

The Pragmatic Rooster

Out of all, 1945, 1981, 2005 will have strongest wealth energy. As the prosperous yearly Xuan Kong Flying Stars will also be residing in South East & East direction. Enhancing these directions will bring extra one year of prosperity and good luck to you.

The Ardent Dog

Out of all, 1970, 1994 will have strongest wealth energy. As the prosperous yearly Xuan Kong Flying Stars will also be residing in South East & East direction. Enhancing these directions will bring extra one year of prosperity and good luck to you.

The Posh Pig

Out of all, 1971, 1995 will have strongest wealth energy. As the prosperous yearly Xuan Kong Flying Stars will also be residing in South East & East direction. Enhancing these directions will bring extra one year of prosperity and good luck to you.

Tuesday 29 March 2016

Choosing auspicious date for important events with 12 Indicators of Good & Evil Fortune - 建除十二神煞

A cycle of 12 characters which came to be known as the 建除 (Chien Chu) was in fashion and commonly used by the diviners alive then, deciding dates for important events. This dated back in the early han dynasty (circa second century BC).

The source was believed to be listed in Huai Nan Tzu. The utilization of this method can be seen in the 10th century calendars from Tun Huang; Manchu Imperial Calendars of the Qing Dynasty in Mongolian; nineteenth century Mongolian manual of astrology; Turkish text from Turfan (which incidentally was a town situated on the old route from China to the West).

Due to the heterogeneous historical sources, some even speculate that the 建除十二神煞 may not be Chinese in origin, at all.

Nonetheless, this method is still fairly common in the current era. The bread and butter for many practitioners and routinely found in many Chinese metaphysical publications.

The rules for determining the 12 indicators

The indicator for the day is found by combining the branch of the day with the branch of the month. However this does not start with the Rat (the first branch) but the Tiger (the second branch).
In addition, the month in question is not our normal system of 12 earthly branches, but instead based on 24 节气 (Jie Qi).
Our smart readers may understand now why the Tiger month is the starting point. This is because the first Jie Qi is arrival of Spring, 立春.
It follows that the month to which Branch I pertains will be the Great Snow (大雪).

The interpretations of the 12 indicators

From the indicator for the day, it is possible to "forecast" whether the day will generally be lucky or unlucky, auspicious or not for certain activities.

Much of the information can also be found in the Chinese almanac.

建 - Establish

This day, 10,000 things are generated. Cut out garments. Pay bills. Barter and trade. Travel. Set up posts. All these things will be extremely fortunate.

But avoid digging, traveling by boat, or opening stores and treasuries.

除 - Discard

This day, sweep away all evil. This is the day of cleansing. Wash and bathe; take purgatives; such are fortunate activities.

But avoid wedding ceremonies, travel, and opening wells.

满 - Fullness

The Heavenly Emperor fills the treasuries to the brim. Organize wedding receptions; change one's residence; go on journeys; all these will be fortunate. A good day for important life events e.g. weddings, receptions, conferences, important meetings. Not a day for menial tasks or jobs around the house - there are more pressing matters to be attended today.

But shun cutting, planting, or unstopping watercourses.

平 - Even

The day of the official gathering and equal dividing. Wedding ceremonies, change of residences, cultivating the Tao, or distempering walls, all such things are fortunate. Time to sit back and contemplate, or make plans for future events, rather than tackle those jobs which were left outstanding - they will just have to wait a little longer. This is the time for sitting back and take stock.

But avoid cutting, planting, excavating ditches or opening sluices.

定 - Arrange

The Heavenly Emperor has placed everyone in their seats. The five grains are in abundance. Cut, plant, organize weddings, yoke the ox and the horse, dig the ground, open up wells. In current time majority no longer bother themselves with such activities (unless you are a farmer). Today is the day to keep your head down, keep busy and mind your own business. This is the day for all kind of activities and by keeping busy and determined, everyone will get their work done faster.

Avoid making accusations.

执 - Grasp

The Heavenly Emperor administers the 10,000 things and bestows Heaven's blessings. Arrange for the opening of wells, cutting and planting and wedding ceremonies. This is the day for staying in and getting work done. Domestic activity will be fortunate. It is wise to keep an eye on the purse-strings too. Traveling may incurr unexpected expenses. If you have a wedding to attend, good. Do not go shopping after that.

But avoid changing address, travel, or opening of storehouses. Moving houses, moving around is not so bright.

破 - Ruin

The great bear indicates conflicts, face-to-face arguments and quarrels. This is a good day for going fishing and punishing criminals.

However, not a fortunate day for most things by all accounts. Pack up and go fishing seems to be the alamanc best advice - it is going to be that kind of a day. Avoid conflicts at all kinds, not least with the law which it appears to be a good day to catching criminals.

危 - Danger

Ascending the dangerous mountain, the wind blows fiercely; there is great peril. Be joyous and drink wine. All else is little use.

Another day when everything seems to be going wrong; avoid trying to get things to work when they won't! The best course of action is to walk away from it.

In fact, the almanac's advice is to go out and have a drink!

成 - Completion

In heaven's annals are the lives of 10,000 things. Arrange wedding receptions, going on long journeys, digging earth. All these will be fortunate. But avoid casting aspersions.

收 - Acceptance

The Emperor's precious treasures are received today. Open the granaries; carry on trade; enter college; arrange weddings; be active; dig the earth; all these things will be fortunate.

This is a day for trading and even drawing on savings for investments for the future. A good day for studying, thinking about academic matters, educations and so on.

Avoid traveling, arranging funerals (to be left for the day after tomorrow. Note: very specific in old text), acupuncture and moxibustion. Avoid visiting the doctor, hospital, dentist, or clinic.

开 - Open

The messenger of HEaven's Emperor is out of danger. Study crafts, complete business dealings, organize wedding ceremonies, travel. Such things are fortunate.

This indicator points to recovery from illness. Good day for sending messages, SMSes, emails, letters, receiving calls. Business matters and accounts should be updated. Short journeys are favorable. Practising hobbies and skills are encouraged. BUT, take heed that heavy work will not be successful.

Avoid funerals and burials, other things are not wholesome.

闭 - Shut

Heaven and Earth; Yin and Yang; Open and Shut. This is the day of burial and concealment. One might set up placards, but other things are not fortunate. For most events, a day of misfortunate and evil.

This is a day always printed in Black in Chinese almanacs; not a propitious day by all accounts. The only positive indicators are for burials and "establishing placards" meaning setting up memorials. IT can be taken as a good day for saving (hoarding), beginning a diet, or other regime, making resolutions. Or, for more positive actions, it could be a good idea for advertising, erecting signs, writing letters, or dealing with correspondence.

Reference & source: The complete guide to Chinese Astrology. Derek Walters. Watkins Publishing London. 2005

Monday 7 December 2015

What is Xuan Kong Feng Shui? 玄空飞星简说

What is Xuan Kong Feng Shui?

A popular school of Feng Shui being practiced by majority of Feng Shui Masters in SEA.

Xuan Kong are 2 Chinese characters, which had been largely translated into time and space respectively. However to the many Chinese residing in SEA, Xuan Kong are also not common words used in everyday life. So it is quite mysterious to the native people as well.

The underlying principles of Xuan Kong is however easy to understand. Basically there are Feng Shui energies generated by VISIBLE landforms (mountains, water or objects of the external environment), then there is Xuan Kong - the time-based Feng Shui energies which are INVISIBLE, dynamic and not affected by physical environment.

Therefore, you can appreciate why good or bad Feng Shui does not last forever. Simply because even if the landforms does not change dramatically, the time factor will alter the quality of the energies in the same spot over time.

Begging the next question, since we cannot see or feel the energies, how do we measure it?

Fortunately, Xuan Kong had been practiced for a very long time. Particularly, this school of Feng Shui was popularised and documented properly by a notable Grandmaster Shen in the Qing Dynasty.

Since then, the Xuan Kong energies formulas had passed down successfully from one generation to the next. As such for now, we are also aware precisely what Xuan Kong Energies are visiting at a particular year, month, day and even hour. Hopefully this knowledge will endure the passage of time after our generation as well.

Briefly, a cycle of Xuan Kong will last for 180 years. The 180 cycle is chopped up and classified into “Three Ages & Nine Periods”. Each of the 9 periods will last for 20 years, then a cluster of 3 periods will form an Age.

For the ease of dissemination of knowledge, the periods are numerically classified from 1 to 9. However you might want to note that every number represents the position of a Star in the Big Dipper (which has 7 main stars & 2 supporting stars). Every star has a name, carried different energies (different element) and has the power to affect the calculations of Feng Shui Masters for a particular 20 years at one time.

The main 7 stars are:

Tien Shu

Tien Shuen

Tien Ji

Tien Chuen

Yu Heng

Kai Yang

Yau Kwang

Credit to Author

However the stars are not all powerful and benevolent at the same time.

For now in 2015, the star 8, 9 and 1 are considered prosperous, in effect or “dated”. While the rest of the stars are considered as “out-dated”.

There are 2 particularly hated stars causing sickness and misfortune - 2 & 5 respectively.

So all these stars are included into a Feng Shui Calculation and it is our mission to “cure” the bad stars to downplay the misfortune and “energise” the good stars to bring about human prosperity.

Credit to author

One example:

In Xuan Kong terms, we are now in Period of 8 (from 2004-2023). All the houses which are built from 2004 - 2023 will carry the prosperous energy of 8.

It is believed that if key human structures in a Yang House e.g. living room, bed room. main door etc are built in alignment with the Xuan Kong of the Period 8 energies, its occupants will enjoy prosperity in almost all important human aspects of life e.g. good health, good wealth and no difficulty in producing descendants to carry on the family lineage.

Throughout our life, a human being of lifespan 80 will experience roughly 3.5 to 4 cycles of Xuan Kong Feng Shui. Therefore we can also observe humans “high” and “low” in the lifetime.

Thursday 20 August 2015

Does good Feng Shui expire?

According to 三元风水 where Xuan Kong Flying Stars had originated from, energy patterns follow a fixed “schedule” of 3 Ages and 9 Periods - 三元九运.

This golden schedule runs for 180 years and the period will change every 20 years. Currently we are in Period of 8, which will last from 2004 - 2023.

In Period of 8, symbolically it represents youthful energy, the element Earth, mountain (艮卦）and energy of 8 is prosperous in the NorthEast direction.

In real life number 8 is regarded as universally lucky for the chinese, we also see many young (youthful) leaders raising to prominence e.g. Google’s Larry Page and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, successfully building empires which in the past will had taken at least a few decades of hard work.

Fact: Currently today, the network of Mark Zuckerburg is a billion (USD) more than Hong Kong Tycoon Li Ka Shing. Mark is certainly much youthful compared to Mr Li.

Earth also represents properties and high tech industries.

Like medicine, beneficial properties often comes with side effects. Unfortunately also, earth-based calamities will take centre stage in Period of 8.

Therefore from perspective of Xuan Kong Flying Stars, masters will adjust Residential Feng Shui to take advantage of the period 8 energy where ever possible, depending on the configuration of residence.

Although landforms might remain the same but good Feng Shui energies surrounding the spot do not last forever ... at least according to compass school of thought.

So yes, Feng Shui does have an expiry date. Do take note of that.

Energy patterns will change its path when transiting into a new period in 2024. Locations enjoying current good feng shui will shift to another facet then, in another period.

However in many cases, it does not warrant big changes e.g. demolishing the house for rebuilt. In most cases, minor changes only are sufficient to exposure the habitants to good area. E.g. opening a door in prosperous direction.

Xuan Kong Flying Stars is one of the most commonly practiced in the market today.

It is slightly more complicated than much-loved 8 mansions Feng Shui, takes effect faster and seemingly a lot of more accurate as it looks at of 24 mountains, each mountain occupying 15 degrees versus of big directions of East and West Groups only.

From 2024 - 2043, we will progress into the age of 9, where the prosperous energy move to the Fire element, which is celebratory in nature, the 离卦 and in the South direction.

Till then, Period of 8 is the King.

Saturday 20 June 2015

易经 - Different experience each time

Most people, if not living under a rock and have a internet connection ... will know 易经, the book of change exists.

易经 (I Ching) is crowned as the classic amongst the classics. Widely translated into various languages infiltrating multiple cultures and massively applied into many aspects of life e.g. Morse code, business & war strategy, philosophy, divination tool etc.

孔夫子－十翼 Ten Wings

Many people has gotten famous based on speaking on their knowledge of 易经, many famous people has gotten even more famous and successful because they are able to APPLY the 易经, gaining fame and money out of writing books and motivational talks etc.

Importantly, many people had found strong passion in decoding I Ching and understanding much more about life as a result.

So what lies (pun non-intended) in the seduction of I Ching?

Why is this so?? I know too little to comment. However, the seduction of 易经 for me lies in its versatility.

Like it or not 易经 is everywhere, exists in multiple systems, it kept appearing before me, no matter how far i had ventured away from it.

For the sake of staying grounded in the mystical world of metaphysics - I have adopted a philosophy for myself for now - to only focus only on 3 things in metaphysics.

3 is a special number

1) To diagnose - Bazi or Four Pillars of Destiny

2) To cure - Feng Shui and heightening awareness

3) To confirm - I Ching divination / The book of changes - 易经

Today's experience of I Ching is transpired by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. Frankly speaking, I did not know who he is until today when I was researching in Bazi.

Historians branded him as the Aristotle of the 17th century because his knowledge is niche and specialized, yet marco and mass-market.

He is a expert mathematician, recognized philosopher in the German Empire, a lawyer and an aristocrat.

My favorite quote of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, translated loosely being "Our Universe (我们的宇宙) existing in current consciousness (在某种意义上), is certainly the best one created by God (是上帝所创造的最好的一个)."

So what is the deal of I Ching with Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz?

Because he is the Inventor "The Binary Code (二进制)" in 1679 had identified and qualified the similarities of I Ching system with his own creation of the Binary Code.

Gottfried is currently noted (in google at least) for his attempt, in numericalizing the 8 basic trigrams into what humans now understand and accepted as "The Binary Code" (irony being, he was using the longstanding history of I Ching to give weigh and verify his then revolutionary theory of Binary Code, which (surprise surprise!) was rejected as science in his time")

Below, please find Gottfried's amazing explanation of how the Biblical God created the world in 7 days based on the binary code (which he had invented), supported by the I Ching (which had existed way before his time.

Day 1 - 艮 (Mountain) Trigram. 001 - God Created The Heavens

Day 2 - 坎 (Lake) Trigram 010 / 坤 000 - Floods and nothing else.

..... till Day 7: 乾 (Heaven) Trigram 111: Millions of substances created, today God decides to rest.

Note: Unfortunately, I cannot find the missing literature from Day 3 onwards. Will try to find it and update. Also in advance, I apologize to all experts (in the biblical, metaphysical, scientific and worldly world) for lack of clarity and mistakes. This is an attempt to translate from the text as much as possible without losing the essence of it. My personal opinion will not kill the world, as we know it. :)

Now i shall rest and have some Bak Zhang. Happy Bak Zhang Festival yo!

Sunday 8 March 2015

Correlation of 5 elements in Bazi and Traditional Chinese Medicine

Historical records, current living practitioners of both fortune-tellers and TCM physician had all told us one thing.

The 5 elements of Wood, fire, earth, metal and water forms the foundation of everything in the world. The 5 elements are the bricks where systems were built upon.

The ancient theory of everything, are in the little elements. I will even go as far as to say that those elements found on the our periodic table are actually the descendants of the 5 elements.

The fortune-tellers make their predictions based on the positions, intensity, dynamic relations of the 4 elements in people's birth charts based on birthdays. While the TCM physicians treat diseases based on the Magic farmer manual of medicinal herbs aka 神农本草经. This book is one of the earliest documents containing information of 365 different herbs and their properties. Yeah, in the olden days the chinese actually started to observe and record everything down. The wealth of information are consistently collected and verified about the course of 6500 years at least. The authentic accuracy is very high. However then comes the cultural revolution, President Mao's pet project. Most precious information had been destroyed by fire.

The first few chapters of the Magic Farmer Amazing Manual of Medicinal herbs are almost the same as the books of fortune telling. Its all about Yin-Yang, Qi and the 5 elements.

Hence the chart as above, the classification of things according to the theory of 5 elements. Human organs are classified according to the elements. When one of the elements, or two or three went into overdrive, the body is no longer able to maintain harmony. Like the western concept of homeostasis, balance is the key.