鈴昌陀武, "Drowning When the Period Comes"? The Best Proof That Destiny Is Not Fixed
AI translated from the original Chinese.
At year's end I have a thousand feelings about 2020. In 2019 I had in fact already calculated that I would start giving readings this year, but I always set it aside and never spoke of it. Unexpectedly, the tide of fortune pushed me, and somehow I set out on the path of readings. Sometimes I still sigh about destiny: what is meant to come will come. Someone once asked whether I had looked at whether readings could bring me a generous income. Of course I have, and the answer is: no. First, I have always treated readings as case research and charge far less than a typical professional fortune teller; second, I don't sell any "luck-changing products." Yes, the most lucrative source of income in the fortune-telling business is surely "luck-changing products." But "can luck be changed?" I once asked my teacher this, and he smiled, shook his head, and said nothing. Since luck cannot be changed, I have no intention of selling so-called luck-changing products against my conscience to raise income. So for me readings are just a hobby beyond work, in my spare time. Twenty years into Dou Shu, though I dare not say I know my own future like the back of my hand, at least I know to go with the flow and act with the tide.
Having read the above, some readers may feel it clearly contradicts what I wrote before. Before, I said: destiny is by no means fixed; now I say: go with the flow of destiny. Which is right? That is what I want to discuss today.
Some time ago I met a case like this. The original chart:
There's little to discuss in this chart, so as usual let's transform it:
This chart has several key points:
- 未 Palace: 天機 (Tian Ji), seeing 左輔 (Zuo Fu) and 右弼 (You Bi). 天機 happens to be the subject's main star, so we can tell she values her family and family members very highly.
- 酉 Palace: 太陰 (Tai Yin), seeing 祿存 (Lu Cun) and 火星 (Huo Xing), and meeting 地空 (Di Kong) and 地劫 (Di Jie) from the 巳 Palace, forming the so-called "羊陀夾煞" (flanked by 擎羊 and 陀羅), and the "火陰格," one of the "Ten Evils." A poor pattern, generally spoken of as "rebellious and unprincipled."
- 辰 Palace: 武曲 (Wu Qu), with 文昌 (Wen Chang) and 鈴星 (Ling Xing), meeting 擎羊 (Qing Yang) from 戌 and 陀羅 (Tuo Luo) from 申, forming "鈴昌陀武," traditionally "drowning when the period comes." Today it is seen as an extremely poor pattern, possibly with mental troubles or financial hardship.
Overall judgment: a poor chart, pessimistic by nature, and because of 鈴昌陀武, marriage may be negatively affected, such as staying single for life, or divorce and broken marriage.
When I saw this case I had a thousand feelings and didn't know how to tell the subject about these patterns. After much thought, I still had to tell her tactfully:
After consulting the chart
- Me: Your chart is quite special. You value your family and family relationships very highly. But your chart also has a "火陰格," meaning you often do things in unusual ways, or go against the grain. Most importantly, you have the "鈴昌陀武" pattern, which may bring trouble in love or finances. You're pessimistic by nature. Is any part of this judgment off?
- Subject: It's broadly accurate, especially valuing family relationships. But the "love" and "finances" parts don't really match my situation.
- Me: Really? Can you tell me about your current relationship and finances?
- Subject: My husband and I get along well, our family is fairly harmonious, and his income covers the household expenses.
My jaw nearly dropped. How could it be so far off?
- Me: What year was your husband born?
- Subject: ROC year 68, 1979, the year of the Goat, a 己未 year.
With the husband's data, let's bring him into the chart.
The subject's husband, born 己未; look at the 未 Palace:
- The subject's main star is 天機, and her husband happens to be a Goat, also 未.
- 天機 seeing 左輔 and 右弼, in love between man and woman, usually means thinking of the other person.
- In the 未 Palace, using the husband's stem 辛, 巨門 (Ju Men) becomes 化祿, auspiciously transforming the 未 Palace and strengthening 天機's devotion to family.
Overall judgment: the subject's husband is willing to give for her, and willing to give for the family.
The husband's main star is 太陽 (Tai Yang), located in the 巳 Palace:
- 太陽 in 巳 is in a strong palace; seeing 空劫, it means busyness, but it keeps 太陽's sunny, optimistic, generous nature.
- In the 巳 Palace, stem 己, 武曲 becomes 化祿, turning the subject's 鈴昌陀武 pattern from ill to good.
Overall judgment: the subject's 鈴昌陀武 pattern would have led to a broken marriage, divorce, loneliness and financial problems, but her husband's stem 己 turns the 鈴昌陀武, which should have had a strongly destructive effect, into a positive one.
In over a hundred readings, whenever I saw the 鈴昌陀武 pattern I often didn't know how to break it gently. But this case was the first time I really hit a wall. In a case like this, fortunes are usually judged poor, but she happened to marry a husband born in 己未, who transformed the negative pattern into a positive one and neutralized the negative effect. It's fair to say that without her husband as a match, her life would surely have gotten stuck. In readings I always say: "Destiny is by no means fixed." A person's destiny is built gradually through countless choices, and it also changes depending on whom we meet. The affinity between people often goes beyond what a chart can show. Without such an affinity, how could a negative pattern turn positive? Rather than seeking ways to change your luck when nothing else works, it's better to cultivate good connections widely, and meet the people important enough to transform your life.