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Zi Wei Dou Shu - Chinese Astrology System

By: Henry Fong

Zi Wei Dou Shu is a system of Chinese Astrology used by many professional Chinese astrologers. Although it is less popular than its counterpart, Ba Zi (also known as Four Pillars of Destiny or Eight Characters), it provides comparable insights into a person's character, potential and luck throughout his or her life.

Ba Zi expresses a person's Chinese solar year, month, day and time of birth into four pillars comprising each of a heavenly stem and an earthly branch. The astrologer then studies the relationship, the combination, clashes etc between the stems and branches in the pillars to make inference of a person's character and potential. Zi Wei Dou Shu on the other uses a person's Chinese lunar age (date and time of birth) and express then into a model comprising of palaces, stars, stems and branches to denote time and the four forces generated by the heavenly stems.

There are 12 palaces to be exact arranged in a 4x4 matrix. There are Self, Sibling, Spouse, Children, Wealth, Health, Travel, Friends, Career, Property, Mental and Parent palaces. Within each of the palaces are the heavenly stem and branch that denotes time frame e.g. decades, years, months, day and even time. Also located within the palaces are stars that can range from as little as 18 to 114 depending on the school that your practice. And finally the four forces (or changes).

There are broadly two schools of Zi Wei Dou Shu namely the Three Harmony School and the Four Changes (refer to forces) School.

The primary difference between the two schools is in the emphasis. The Three Harmony School places much more importance on the stars in each palaces and their combination with other stars in selected palaces. The Four Changes School place much more emphasis on the four forces (that exist in every palaces) and hence are able to make as many inferences with much lesser stars. The Four Changes schools typically use between 18 and 30 plus stars only.

Both the systems have their strengths and weaknesses but in the hands of an experienced astrology, it can reveal a lot of things about the person. For example aside from telling you about the person's character, it can also tell his or her career and wealth potential, relationship with others such as spouse, sibling, children, children and friends, his or her physical and mental health and migration potential.

Besides these it can also reveal a person's luck e.g. career, wealth, relationships and health in every decade and year.

Needless to say learning the system is not easy and it takes years even under proper guidance to be reasonable good at it
 

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Feng Shui Consultant..