Chinese style fortune telling is a complex business. I always knew it was very complex and required a lot of knowledge, skill and dedication, but I never really knew how so until today when I was talking with my parents about it.
The basis of it requires 8 characters for each individual. They are broken down into two characters for year of birth, month of birth, date of birth and time of birth. All of these characters have their own individual meanings and prospects, thus formulating a massive combination of effects possible. Of course, it is fortune telling, so it isn't 100% accurate, if any accuracy can be claimed at all depending upon the skeptics out there. But from the base line of just year alone, the level of depth can be seen.
To determine your year, there are two lines, heaven and earth. The heaven line indicates ten characters that cover five elements, but each element has a + and - (Yang and Ying respectively). The five elements are Water (north), Wood (East), Fire (South), Earth (Center) and Metal (West, but metal is written as 'gold'). These are then split into two. I don't know what all of the characters are so I'm not even going to bother attempting them lol.
The earth line is the 12 animals of the chinese horoscope. The starting animal is Mouse. So, what happens is that it takes a 60 year cycle for the Mouse and the first element to re-align. To explain, the first year of a cycle, your two characters is mouse-water(+), the next year is mouse-water(-), then the 3rd year is 'next animal'-wood(+), 'next animal'-wood(-). And so on, so forth. Since there are 2 more animals than elements, the animals cycle through the elements, which is why it is a 60 year cycle before mouse re-aligns to water (+).
So that is the basis of how you get your characters for the year. Now, interestingly, it already gives an indication of your fortune from just two characters due to the elemental components. Each animal has a elemental affinity of it's own. In this case, Mouse is a water element. For me, being a Rooster, the roosters element is actually metal. So the 12 animals are all given one of the 5 elements (but not a + or - component). The best baseline fortune then comes from the cycle of the elements.
If you draw a circle and place the elements as previously described in compass points, you can follow the 'flow'. Water flows to wood and strengthens wood by feeding it. Wood flows to fire by fueling it, fire burns to ash turning into earth, and earth turns into metal. The last one, metal to water is a bit dodge, but metal can become a fluid, thus water. That is the positive cycle of the elements. The negative cycle of the elements is kind of like opposites. Water puts out fire, Metal cuts down wood, Fire melts metal, Wood breaks earth, and Earth absorbs Water.
Now, with this in mind, you find the year of your birth and the two characters and check out their elemental affinities. For me, I'm a metal (-) and metal animal. According to this, it means I will have decent good fortune, as a matter of fact, it is pretty good by comparison to other possible combinations as my elements are matching. An example of a great fortune would be a water year and a wood element, because the year of your birth (water) feeds your element (wood), thus strengthening your fortune. An example of a bad fortune would be a water year and a fire element because the year of the birth 'kills' your element. Of course, this is only a baseline since the combination of your month, day and time of birth can turn it around, or vice versa.
In addition to this, there then comes the octagonal wheel of direction, where each person has a positive and negative fong shui affinity according to compass directions. Addition further complexity to the mix.
A common practice in asian cultures though is having a dual fortune telling done, for couples to determine compatibility and if their elements are suitable. What this means is, your base elements must be suitable. For me, being a metal element, it means if I am with someone who is a water element, I will be good for them, supporting them etc etc, but they will not harm me at least. If I was with someone who was a wood element, then I would harm them being a metal element. If I was with someone who was a earth element, then it would mean that they would be good for me, but I would not be harming them.
Isn't that really cool? LOL
In any case, those who wish to become practitioners of chinese fortune telling must begin at an early age, typically 3-4 apparently, and learn all of the information by rote. My father showed me a copy of the book they use, and it's pretty hardcore. If you learn it by rote, you never forget it because it is like a set of rhymes but it also means you can calculate and determine much much faster what someone's fate will be, than if you tried to pour over the pages looking for the information instead.
Interesting isn't it?
The basis of it requires 8 characters for each individual. They are broken down into two characters for year of birth, month of birth, date of birth and time of birth. All of these characters have their own individual meanings and prospects, thus formulating a massive combination of effects possible. Of course, it is fortune telling, so it isn't 100% accurate, if any accuracy can be claimed at all depending upon the skeptics out there. But from the base line of just year alone, the level of depth can be seen.
To determine your year, there are two lines, heaven and earth. The heaven line indicates ten characters that cover five elements, but each element has a + and - (Yang and Ying respectively). The five elements are Water (north), Wood (East), Fire (South), Earth (Center) and Metal (West, but metal is written as 'gold'). These are then split into two. I don't know what all of the characters are so I'm not even going to bother attempting them lol.
The earth line is the 12 animals of the chinese horoscope. The starting animal is Mouse. So, what happens is that it takes a 60 year cycle for the Mouse and the first element to re-align. To explain, the first year of a cycle, your two characters is mouse-water(+), the next year is mouse-water(-), then the 3rd year is 'next animal'-wood(+), 'next animal'-wood(-). And so on, so forth. Since there are 2 more animals than elements, the animals cycle through the elements, which is why it is a 60 year cycle before mouse re-aligns to water (+).
So that is the basis of how you get your characters for the year. Now, interestingly, it already gives an indication of your fortune from just two characters due to the elemental components. Each animal has a elemental affinity of it's own. In this case, Mouse is a water element. For me, being a Rooster, the roosters element is actually metal. So the 12 animals are all given one of the 5 elements (but not a + or - component). The best baseline fortune then comes from the cycle of the elements.
If you draw a circle and place the elements as previously described in compass points, you can follow the 'flow'. Water flows to wood and strengthens wood by feeding it. Wood flows to fire by fueling it, fire burns to ash turning into earth, and earth turns into metal. The last one, metal to water is a bit dodge, but metal can become a fluid, thus water. That is the positive cycle of the elements. The negative cycle of the elements is kind of like opposites. Water puts out fire, Metal cuts down wood, Fire melts metal, Wood breaks earth, and Earth absorbs Water.
Now, with this in mind, you find the year of your birth and the two characters and check out their elemental affinities. For me, I'm a metal (-) and metal animal. According to this, it means I will have decent good fortune, as a matter of fact, it is pretty good by comparison to other possible combinations as my elements are matching. An example of a great fortune would be a water year and a wood element, because the year of your birth (water) feeds your element (wood), thus strengthening your fortune. An example of a bad fortune would be a water year and a fire element because the year of the birth 'kills' your element. Of course, this is only a baseline since the combination of your month, day and time of birth can turn it around, or vice versa.
In addition to this, there then comes the octagonal wheel of direction, where each person has a positive and negative fong shui affinity according to compass directions. Addition further complexity to the mix.
A common practice in asian cultures though is having a dual fortune telling done, for couples to determine compatibility and if their elements are suitable. What this means is, your base elements must be suitable. For me, being a metal element, it means if I am with someone who is a water element, I will be good for them, supporting them etc etc, but they will not harm me at least. If I was with someone who was a wood element, then I would harm them being a metal element. If I was with someone who was a earth element, then it would mean that they would be good for me, but I would not be harming them.
Isn't that really cool? LOL
In any case, those who wish to become practitioners of chinese fortune telling must begin at an early age, typically 3-4 apparently, and learn all of the information by rote. My father showed me a copy of the book they use, and it's pretty hardcore. If you learn it by rote, you never forget it because it is like a set of rhymes but it also means you can calculate and determine much much faster what someone's fate will be, than if you tried to pour over the pages looking for the information instead.
Interesting isn't it?
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