Feng Shui Humor

There was a person who trusted feng shui so much that before doing anything he first asked a feng shui master for consultation. One day, as he was sitting, a wall collapsed above him and he was pressed by it. He anxiously started to shout "Help! Help!" . When his relatives saw him, they said: "Don't worry, be patient, we will now go to the feng shui master to ask whether today is an auspicious day for ground braking."

24 solar term pillars constructed in Beijing

Recently, 24 solar terms pillars 二十四节气柱 appeared on the south moat's bank in Beijing (located near the south gate of Temple of Heaven). The 24 pillars are divided into four groups x 6 pillars - representing the 4 seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.

The 24 solar terms are spaced 15° apart along the ecliptic and are used by the Chinese calendar, representing the Sun's motion on the celestial sphere as seen from Earth. For a first time, the 24 solar terms are mentioned in the classic of Huainanzi 《淮南子·天文训》, written in 2nd century BC, during Han dynasty in China.




The solar term pillar "Beginning of Spring" Li chun

Emperor Yongzhen and Astrology

Emperor Yongzhen 雍正 (13.12.1678 – 8.10.1735) from Qing Dynasty in China had a great passion in Four Pillars Chinese Astrology and I Ching divination.



He often checked the Four Pillars astrology chart of his officials and generals, analyzed what is the of situation of their individual 10-year cycles, what was the strength of their day master/personality. When his high officials were sick, the emperor did some calculations to see how will their diseases develop, etc. He did all calculations and horoscopes by himself.

When this emperor had to decide the appointment of new officials and generals to go for important work at the boundaries of the country or do some other special mission, he first checked not their merits, experience or level of knowledge, but their Ba Zi 八字 (the Four Pillars): whether their four pillars chart is suitable for this kind of job, is there a clash or combination of the branches between their chart and the geographical direction of the mission; are there signs in their charts of turning against the emperor; is there a combination and good harmony aspects between the his own horoscope chart and that of the officials.

Emperor Yong Zhen in a Taoist attire


Annie Pecheva
Hanlin Academy

Yin Yang crop circle

Whoever has made this Yin Yang crop circle on 07.07.2007 in Stantonbury Hill, N. Somerset, UK, probably knows Chinese:

the 12 ornaments around the Yin-Yang monad resemble the Chinese character 丰 feng, which means "abundance".

Is this a wish for abundant harvest?

To know the order of Nature...

"To know the order of Nature and regard the universe as orderly is the highest function of the mind".

-- Baruch Spinoza, Dutch philosopher

The importance of Symbolic Stars (Shen Sha) in Chinese Astrology

In the history of Chinese astrology, and even nowadays, there are many people who argue about the meaning and significance of the symbolic stars 神煞 (Shen Sha). Some deny them, while others say that these stars have their own contribution to Chinese astrology. Those who deny them completely, just don't have a good knowledge of the symbolic stars and lack a flexible look on astrology.

In fact, the symbolic stars have a very important meaning. In the Four Pillars method of Chinese Astrology there are several important aspects: Yin and Yang, the relations among the 5 elements, the heavenly stems and earthly branches, the ten gods (shi shen 十神), the 12 energy states (changshen shiеr shen 长生十二神) and the symbolic stars.



The calculation of the symbolic stars is logically connected to the theory of Yin and Yang, 5 elements, 10 gods theory, Na Yin theory, 12 energy states, the 8th trigrams and I Ching, etc. It is a further interpretation of all these theories and its use and development through the centuries has proven what an exact information they can give. The symbolic stars are like the “leaves” of the stems and branches in the big tree of Chinese astrology.

The problem is that the symbolic stars should not be regarded separately from the whole picture of the horoscope. If one only searches the symbolic stars and forgets about the other information present in the chart (interrelations among the elements, 10 gods, etc.), then one will have a very partial and sometimes even incorrect understanding of the horoscope.

The symbolic stars have many nuances and conditions that should be taken into consideration. For example:

- whether the element of the stem/branch of the particular star is a vulnerable/ needed element (yong shen) or it is unneeded element (ji shen);
- whether the day master is strong or weak;
- what is the situation in the cycles;
- what kind of 10 gods present in the chart;
- what are the energy states in the pillars;
- what other symbolic stars are in the same pillar;
- what other symbolic stars are in the other pillars;
- what other symbolic stars are in the cycles;
- what are the interrelations between the different symbolic stars (they may neutralize each other, etc.)
- what is the energy state of the pillar/cycle, in which lie the symbolic stars;
- etc.

At a first look the system of the symbolic stars may give a sense of an oversimplified and unreliable method, but actually it might be very complicated and at the same time – very precise. The issue is how good and experienced is the astrologer.

We know the importance of holistic, flexible and vivid reading and use of astrology. If one has a dogmatic, wooden, numb approach, if one simply interprets the horoscope just by directly citing the books without a flexible understanding and open-minded thinking, then one will be prone to mistakes and he will not be able to see the whole picture. That's why the astrology is very deep and exact science and at the same time is metaphysical (xuan xue 玄学).

The use of symbolic stars is like drawing the eyes of a dragon. The symbolic stars increase the transparency of the horoscope, so that many things appear more obvious and clear. The symbolic stars can reveal to us very important and precise information about the direction of one's interests, his character, the situation of his family, the functions and use of things, the personal characteristics and peculiarities.


Annie Pecheva

A smile from Heaven

A smile from Heaven... One in a million shot