Many seek consults because we have issues to solve and to be crystal clear in life. Even though you might know a little about BaZi, you could still need another perspective. You might have gone through a difficult time in your life. It could feel like you were blaming the BaZi chart for everything. A joke goes around: if your life is a mess, blame your BaZi chart. It is funny, but also true. Many of us unconsciously do this—we expect the chart to decide for us.
Think back to your first consult. What kind of questions did you ask? Were they serious, or maybe a bit silly? Most people asked questions like, “When would I be rich? Will I get a sudden windfall? Can I find my partner?” These are typical questions we ask out of worry. The truth is, that most people come to these readings because they don’t want to make decisions themselves. They want someone else to tell them what to do. But it’s important to realize that only you can make those decisions.
Typical Issues When Learning BaZi
Most of the time, learning was through practice. However, explaining how to apply the knowledge in real life is much harder. You may already know some terms or have a background, but you face these common problems:
- You know the technical details but don’t understand what they mean. Many people know the technical stuff but don’t know how to use it.
- You know something is clashing or interacting, but you don’t know what to do about it. There’s no strategy or technique to translate that into real life.
- You don’t know how to apply this knowledge to everyday life. This is very common. You don’t want technical talk, but how it applies to real life. Most consultations don’t provide that, and people leave confused.
- Lastly, you don’t know how to use the information. You may read everything but still feel like you’ve learned nothing.
It is a huge problem and misconception. People don’t see results because the tool is only as good as the user. Theories are easy, and you can find them everywhere online. However, many people lack a deep understanding of the basics. For example, BaZi is very logical because it’s based on Yin and Yang, which is about balance. If you understand that, the rest makes sense. Trust your instincts. With time and practice, it becomes crystal clear to you.
Concept of BaZi With Mindset Shift
If you approach BaZi with the wrong mindset, no technique can help. It is why some succeed after a consultation while others don’t—it’s often a mindset issue. Therefore, if you start with the wrong mindset, you will interpret everything negatively. So, the first step is always You. You are the one in control. The BaZi chart is just a tool, but you decide how to act. As a result, you have the power to make decisions that impact the outcome. If you don’t realize you are in control, nothing will change.
BaZi is a tool for gaining wisdom. It’s not just about predicting what will happen. It’s about knowing when to act and when to hold back. This wisdom is the ultimate goal. Thus, it’s about developing a long-term understanding that brings wisdom.
Now, let’s talk about clarity. Many people think clarity means always having the right answers, but it’s not true. Even experienced practitioners don’t always have the right answers. Clarity is about seeing things crystal clear, not about having perfect answers. Experience and skill come with time. Even with clarity, there will still be some doubt. Doubt is natural and healthy. Therefore, clarity helps you understand your thoughts, feelings, and motivations more.
Below are the three simple steps:
- Own your BaZi chart. Take accountability for your decisions. Your mindset is key.
- Activate the BaZi chart’s energy flow. Without activation, nothing moves.
- Break your limits. However, if you try to break limits without first activating the energy, it won’t work.
Step 1: Be the Owner of Your BaZi Chart
Step one is about taking responsibility for your BaZi chart. You should accept it fully. Your BaZi chart represents the “Heaven” realm—it’s decided for you, and you can’t change it. Whether it shows good or bad qualities, you must own it. Don’t wish for something different or want to be someone else. Accept your BaZi chart as it is—it’s yours. Once you do, you will appreciate it more over time.
After accepting your BaZi chart, shift your mindset. See the limitations and problems in your chart as your responsibility to overcome. Be crystal clear. It is your task in life, and it’s not about taking someone else’s path.
Here’s how to approach it:
Have the Courage to Change: Courage is essential for any transformation or breakthrough in life. Change doesn’t happen without it. You could pursue, let go, and repeat this process as part of your growth.
See Your Chart as a Lifelong Lesson: Every BaZi chart (e.g. your Natal chart) has lessons you need to learn. These lessons are ongoing. For example, if you have a clash in wealth, that’s a lesson you’ll face over your life. Each time, you’ll learn and improve.
Accept that You Are Unique: Define your successes and failures. Highlight the key interactions and qualities in your BaZi chart, and determine what traits have led to success or problems in the past. Take responsibility for these because your chart reflects you, and only you can act on it.
Step 2: Activate the Main Energy Flow of Your BaZi Chart
Step two is about activating the main energies in your BaZi Chart. It refers to your core principles and values. Activating them means putting them into real-life action. However, activation requires conscious effort. If you don’t actively use what’s in your chart, you may feel disconnected from it.
We are referring to three key components of your BaZi chart:
- Day Master (日主): It represents your main character, your core self. It defines who you are, with your strengths and weaknesses. Everyone values different things. Advanced users could refer to the BaZi 60 pillars (六十甲子).
- 10 Gods (十神格): This is how you express yourself. Even if two people have the same core values, they may express them differently. Knowing your 10 Gods helps you understand how you exhibit your principles. It is derived from your Month Pillar.
- Luck Pillar (大运): This reflects the current energy in your life. Your past experiences and current luck influence your decisions and approach to life. Aligning with this energy gives you clarity.
Therefore, the goal is to align with your BaZi chart. You may feel confused, stressed, or lack motivation when you’re not aligned. Many people who feel out of alignment experience these symptoms because they’re not fully activating the potential in their chart.
However, once you align with your BaZi chart, everything changes. You become crystal clear, and motivated, with a stronger sense of purpose. Even though we may not always stay perfectly aligned, knowing your core helps you get back on track when life challenges arise.
The Day Master: Be Crystal Clear of Your Core Values
Your Day Master is the key part of your BaZi chart. It’s like the core of who you are. Even if you know your Day Pillar, it can still be affected by interactions with other pillars. However, awareness is already half the battle won. But with mindfulness and the support of your Luck Pillars, it can become easier to manage. Therefore, it’s crucial to align with your Day Master. If you’re not acting like your Day Master, the other parts of your BaZi chart won’t be properly activated. For example, your 10 Gods rely on your Day Master. The 10 Gods won’t work as expected if you aren’t aligned with it.
For each Day Master type, here are the key positive traits to focus on:
– Jia Wood (甲): Leadership, growth, and upright.
– Yi Wood (乙): Adaptability, versatility, and calm.
– Bing Fire (丙): Self-less, optimistic, and transparent.
– Ding Fire (丁): Strong intuition, emotional intelligence, and knowledge.
– Wu Earth (戊): Stability, security, and building foundations.
– Ji Earth (己): Nurturing, flexible, and caring about feelings.
– Geng Metal (庚): Courage, fairness, and discipline.
– Xin Metal (辛): Elegance, class, and diplomat.
– Ren Water (壬): Adventurous, open to change, and visionary.
– Gui Water (癸): Deep, reflective, and profound.
However, if your Day Master is weak, you might act like other elements in your chart. But the key is to return to your Day Master. By focusing on being your true Day Master, you’ll gain clarity and things will fall into place more easily. Meanwhile, you can check out our earlier guide to the complete Ten Day Masters.
The 10 Gods: Be Crystal Clear on Your Function
The next step is to look at the structure of the BaZi chart. Firstly, we want to determine the strongest energy or “10 Gods” in the chart. We aim to activate that. Activating it can be easy, especially if it’s strong in your BaZi chart. However, you may not always like using it. It often happens. You may be good at something, but it doesn’t mean you like doing it.
Sometimes, the strongest energy might interact with other elements in the BaZi chart, which can cause issues. The energy might feel unstable. Therefore, activating certain structures is more challenging. There may be delays or difficulties. You should still activate it even if there’s a clash or a negative interaction. You could learn how to deal with those challenges. So, it’s crucial to know how to manage these interactions.
The Month Pillar is always important. It determines the overall season of the BaZi chart and serves as the main structure. Whenever you analyze a chart, start by looking at the month. Refer to our earlier post regarding the 10 Gods.
Below are examples of how to use them effectively:
1. Resource Structure – 印星格局 (Direct Resource / Indirect Resource)
You are resourceful and intuitive if your BaZi chart has a main Resource Structure. Here’s what it means:
For Direct Resources (正印格), you’ll get direct help, from a teacher, mentor, or immediate knowledge. If this is your structure, focus on learning. It’s important to activate it by gaining knowledge.
The Indirect Resources (偏印格) work differently. It might involve unconventional methods, like spiritual practices or alternative solutions. Let me give you an example. If someone with an Indirect Resource structure is confused or facing problems, they might find answers spiritually or unusually. Therefore, they could seek spiritual guidance or try something unconventional to solve their problems. Because the Indirect Resource is strong in their chart, using it can be very helpful.
If you want more detail, look at the “Heavenly Stem.” For instance, if the Indirect Resource appears with the “Friend star,” it could mean that a friend, maybe even a spiritual friend, will give helpful advice. Thus, it might even point to a sibling who can introduce someone who can help. This is a specific way to use the indirect resource in the chart. Sometimes, it’s important to assess the quality of the friend. If the friend’s quality isn’t great, the advice might come off as harsh or judgmental. However, the advice could still be valuable.
2. Companion Structure – 比劫格局 (Friend / Rob Wealth)
If your structure is Companion, which can be Friend or Rob Wealth, the key focus is people. Whether it’s the Friend or Rob Wealth—it’s about the people around you. However, you should make sure they are good quality because they are the ones who can help you.
Friend and Rob Wealth are slightly different, here is what they mean:
The Friend (比肩格) represents people who help you without expecting much in return. It also involves self-reflection or introspection, where you think about yourself and your actions.
Rob Wealth (劫財格) is more about mutual benefits. Both sides expect something in return; a “give-and-take” situation. Rob Wealth is also more competitive. Activities that create competition or an adrenaline rush, like sports, are great for people with Rob Wealth. Engaging in sports helps clear your mind, solve problems, and bring more clarity. Therefore, competitive sports are beneficial if Rob Wealth is your structure.
3. Wealth Structure – 财星格局 (Direct Wealth / Indirect Wealth)
Direct Wealth and Indirect Wealth both focus on outcomes and rewards. It’s all about what you get at the end.
If your structure is Direct Wealth (正財格), the best way to make decisions is to create a pros and cons list. This helps your intentions because it’s about seeing which option brings the best results. Direct Wealth is about efficiency and value. You become crystal clear about your goals. Additionally, you don’t want to waste time. Therefore, decision-making becomes simple once you see what you will get in the short or long term. Doing a SWOT analysis or drawing up a table can help you make decisions easily.
Indirect Wealth (偏財格) also focuses on rewards, but it’s more about the big picture, vision, and long-term goals. If you are the Indirect Wealth, think about creating something valuable over time, like building a company to sell later. When making decisions, they need to think about their long-term vision. For example, you should reflect on why you started something in the first place and what your big goal is. It helps you decide whether to continue or move on.
At the end of the day, whether it’s Direct or Indirect Wealth, it’s about understanding the outcome you want. Indirect Wealth focuses on long-term vision, while Direct Wealth is about immediate, clear results.
4. Output Structure – 食伤格局 (Eating God / Hurting Officer)
The output structure is all about expression, whether it’s through Eating God or Hurting Officer. Both are expressive but in different ways.
For Eating God (食神格) clarity often comes through writing. Writing or drawing can help release your thoughts if you’re an Eating God person. If you don’t express yourself, it all gets bottled up inside. Eating God also enjoys good food and hobbies. For some, clarity can come from spending time with their children.
For Hurting Officer (傷官格) it’s better to talk things out. Just be careful not to turn discussions into arguments. When you express yourself adequately, it helps release stress. Therefore, if you’re a Hurting Officer, use your voice to express yourself, but do it carefully to avoid conflict.
As a result, find which form of expression or communication works best for you with the Eating God and Hurting Officer structures. Some prefer to write, while others are better at talking.
5. Influence Structure – 官杀格局 (Direct Officer / Seven Killings)
The Influence structure is about discipline, personal power, and decision-making. It covers both Direct Officer and Seven Killings, though they work differently.
For Direct Officer (正官格), it’s all about order and structure. To gain clarity, you need to organize your thoughts. You like everything to be neat and structured. When things are messy, it can frustrate you. For example, you can buy containers to keep things tidy. Once you organize your thoughts or tasks, everything becomes clear. It helps put everything in place. Therefore, this method works for anyone with a “Direct Officer” star. The focus is on the process and system, not the outcome.
On the other hand, Seven Killings (七殺格) is more aggressive and risky. It involves taking bold actions and stepping into the unknown. As a Seven Killing, you thrive on challenges and adrenaline. You take risks, and this helps you gain clarity. For example, you could activate it by taking up martial arts during a Seven Killings luck pillar. It is a conscious step to embrace risk and challenge. This activation brings a new sense of discipline and energy into your life.
In summary, “Direct Officer” focuses on structure and process, while “Seven Killings” is about taking risks and facing challenges head-on. Both are ways to become crystal clear, but they approach it differently.
Step 3: The Luck Pillar – Be Crystal Clear On Your Current Energy Flow
Now, let’s look at the luck pillar. The luck pillar reflects the current energy. It’s crucial to align yourself with this energy, especially if it’s a new luck pillar, like in 2024. You can consciously go with the energy flow of your BaZi chart, also considering that Period 9 later heaven energies run from 2024 to 2043. Activating the energy means letting it flow. The real challenge comes when we start taking action in real life.
For example, imagine you are going through a career change and unsure what to do. To help you gain clarity, you might ask, “What’s my long-term vision? What do I want in the future?” The easiest option would be to tap into your 10 God in your Heavenly Stem (天干) luck pillar. Even if you don’t have the full answer, the new luck pillar will push you. One example of Indirect Wealth is thinking about the bigger picture. It’s all about your long-term values and vision.
You could alternatively tap into the Main Qi of the Hidden Stems (藏干). However, it might take more time for you to master the skill if the 10 God percentage is below 60%. For example, if your Indirect Resource is in the Main Qi, it relates to spiritual work, unconventional learning, or unique ways of gaining insight. You will likely be crystal clear when you think along these lines.
Step three is about breaking through the problems that arise. So, the whole process is going with the flow of the chart and aligning with the energy.
Navigating Clashes with Crystal Clear Energy Flow
Let’s discuss obstacles and limitations—they come in two forms. Clashes like conflicts or punishments, are more uncomfortable. The second form is combinations, a softer way of saying “no.” But don’t be fooled—combinations can also cause issues like divorce, illness, or family problems. So, both clashes and combinations can create challenges.
Clashes happen because the hidden elements inside the animal signs conflict, not because the animals are fighting. When these elements clash, they disrupt the energy flow (chi), leading to confusion, frustration, and emotional stress. Looking at the hidden stems can also give clues to the issue.
Every animal sign clash is different. For example, a clash between the Dog and Dragon zodiac can reveal hidden illnesses. Next year’s Snake and Pig clash could cause small things to become big dramas, leading to rumors and gossip.
The solution? We balance the energy. Once we know what’s causing the clash, we introduce a new element through “actions” via the 10 Gods to bring balance. When the energy (chi) flows smoothly, everything falls into place. That’s how we dissolve clashes and become crystal clear.
– | Clashes (冲) | Cure (疗) | Hidden Stems* | Attributes (特性) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Rat (子) | Horse (午) | Ox (丑) | Ji Earth (己) + Gui Water (癸) + Xin Metal (辛) | Unease & Unpredictable |
Ox (丑) | Goat (未) | Horse (午) | Ding Fire (丁) + Ji Earth (己) | Stubborn & Argumentative |
Tiger (寅) | Monkey (申) | Snake (巳) | Bing Fire (丙) + Wu Earth (戊) + Geng Metal (庚) | Emotional & Disagreements |
Rabbit (卯) | Rooster (酉) | Dragon (辰) | Wu Earth (戊) + Yi Wood (乙) + Gui Water (癸) | Betrayal & Judgemental |
Dragon (辰) | Dog (戌) | Rabbit (卯) | Yi Wood (乙) | Overambitious & Quick-tempered |
Snake (巳) | Pig (亥) | Tiger (寅) | Jia Wood (甲) + Bing Fire (丙) + Wu Earth (戊) | Misunderstandings & Conflicts |
Navigating Harms with Crystal Clear Energy Flow
Do you know what “harm” really means? For example, in 2024, there’s a Dog and Dragon zodiac clash. Why start with a clash? Because harm usually happens when it tries to interfere with a clash. So, when the Dog and Dragon zodiac clash, an extra branch (like the Rabbit) comes in to “fix” things. The Rabbit combines with the Dog zodiac, leaving the Dragon in a difficult position.
Harm occurs because a third party steps in to break the original clash, making things worse. In real life, this usually means harm involves relationship problems, like interference from others. It is why harm often feels more emotional than a clash. While clashes are quick and done, harm is more about long-lasting emotional struggles tied to relationships. If you understand this, you can see why harm always involves people. You might have great relationships, but your emotional stress likely comes from people in your life.
People with harm often feel stuck emotionally because of others. It can show up as people-pleasing or feeling hurt when someone leaves. It’s always about relationships and the emotions around them.
– | Harm (害) | Attributes (特性) |
---|---|---|
Rat (子) | Goat (未) | Clouded & Scared |
Ox (丑) | Horse (午) | Impatient & Unwilling |
Tiger (寅) | Snake (巳) | Distrust & Ungratefulness |
Rabbit (卯) | Dragon (辰) | Anxiety & Self-Doubt |
Monkey (申) | Pig (亥) | Unfocused & Uncommitted |
Dog (戌) | Rooster (酉) | Worried & Dramatic |
Navigating Combinations with Crystal Clear Energy Flow
Combinations can bring either new opportunities or challenges, depending on how you manage them. For instance, something might seem like a great opportunity, but if you are not ready or strong enough, it could turn into stress or problems.
When combinations are too strong or unfavorable for a chart, it can create confusion and chaos. Another challenge is when a crucial element is combined away—such as a useful or “special” element. For example, if the metal element is essential in your chart but then combines with something else to form water, it could be a problem if the metal is vital for you.
Combinations can occur within your Natal Chart, between your Natal Chart and Luck Pillar, between your Natal Chart and the current Year Pillar, or between your Luck Pillar and the current Year Pillar.
– | Six Harmony (六合) | Element (五行) | Attributes (特性) |
---|---|---|---|
Rat (子) | Ox (丑) | Earth (土) | Stability & Confidence |
Tiger (寅) | Pig (亥) | Wood (木) | Growth & Improvements |
Rabbit (卯) | Dog (戌) | Fire (火) | Respect & Elegance |
Dragon (辰) | Rooster (酉) | Metal (金) | Power & Authority |
Snake (巳) | Monkey (申) | Water (水) | Wisdom & Intelligence |
Horse (午) | Goat (未) | Fire (火) | Communication & Foresight |
Conclusion
Managing Qi flow is essential in metaphysics—it’s all about aligning energy by introducing the right elements through real-life actions. At its core, problem-solving in metaphysics is about balancing Qi. Once you understand the basics of yin and yang, you see that solving problems involves managing energy flows.
The first step is to overcome limiting mindsets by becoming crystal clear about your issues. The second is activation—taking action.
The simplest way to start is to use your day master. If you are more advanced, feel free to work with the day pillar, and then move to the 5 structure and luck pillars. This approach helps you “ride the wave” of time and flow with the chart.
Lastly, if you feel confused, it may be due to an internal clash. In that case, begin by ignoring limitations and focus on activation. Once challenges appear, then address them. There are multiple techniques you can use during activation. Therefore, once you understand your struggles and the root cause of limitations, you can break them down using various methods—introducing new elements, removing others, combining, or redirecting.
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