Reading Appearance in Dou Shu: The Chart of a Beauty
AI translated from the original Chinese.
In 2020 I began giving readings publicly, and thanks to good friends' promotion, bookings grew a lot. Back then I received one set of birth data that left a deep impression, because when I drew the chart... well, she was a beauty. Although I'm already past forty, seeing such a rare beauty's chart, I still had some anticipation: anticipation of whether what I saw in the chart was true, nothing more. Don't get me wrong.
Soon the day of the appointment arrived. I sat waiting at Dante Coffee, and the woman who arrived was indeed quite attractive. If I had to compare her to a beauty from Dream of the Red Chamber, she was probably the 薛寶釵 (Xue Baochai) type: poised and gracious, with the air of a young lady from a fine family.
So what does a beauty's chart look like? The original chart:
Zi Wei Dou Shu tradition holds that the 父母宮 (Parents Palace) is also called the "Appearance Palace," so a beautiful Parents Palace means a fine appearance. How is the Parents Palace in this chart?
The Parents Palace in 亥 (with its three sides and four directions: 未, 卯, 巳)
- 太陰 (Tai Yin): for appearance, born around the 15th of the lunar month means a round face; near the start or end of the month, a slim face and long chin. The subject was born on the 29th of the lunar month, near the end, so she should have a slim face and a fairly long chin.
- 文昌 (Wen Chang), 文曲 (Wen Qu): in appearance, refined and gentle.
- 左輔 (Zuo Fu), 右弼 (You Bi): in bearing, shrewd and capable
- 紅鸞 (Hong Luan): meeting from the 未 Palace, it adds to her looks, but it doesn't sit with 太陰 in 亥, so the addition is limited.
- Other stars: 太陽 (Tai Yang), 天梁 (Tian Liang), 天機 (Tian Ji), 陀羅 (Tuo Luo), 天鉞 (Tian Yue) have little effect on appearance.
Overall judgment: refined and gentle in appearance, shrewd and capable, with regular features and a fairly long chin, but probably not what one would call "beautiful."
So, as usual, let's transform the chart:
Let's break with the traditional idea that the Parents Palace is the "Appearance Palace." Appearance can be judged from the 太歲 (Tai Sui) palace.
The subject was born in a 庚申 year, so we focus on the 申 Palace.
The 申 Palace (with its three sides and four directions: 辰, 子, 寅)
- 廉貞 (Lian Zhen): a great romance star; meeting lesser romance stars, it can represent good looks. Regular features.
- 天姚 (Tian Yao): sitting with 廉貞, it adds to her looks, a face touched with romance.
- 紅鸞 and 咸池 (Xian Chi) flanking the 申 Palace: they also add color to 廉貞.
- 祿存 (Lu Cun): a round face; meeting romance stars, a face like the full moon.
- 太陽 and 太陰 + 天喜 (Tian Xi) in 丑: 陰陽 govern bearing, and with the lesser romance star 天喜, her bearing is very fine. Stem 己: 武曲 (Wu Qu) becomes 化祿 and 貪狼 (Tan Lang) becomes 化權, both auspiciously transforming 申 and adding to its bearing.
Overall judgment: the 太歲 廉貞 meeting romance stars with multiple auspicious transformations: a very fine appearance, bright and lively eyes, a long, slender nose, rosy lips and a jade-like face, fair with a rosy glow.
Meeting the subject in person confirmed my first impression of the chart. But I imagine readers can't help wondering:
Is everyone born at this time a beauty?
By common sense, of course it can't be read that way.
When romance stars concentrate and express themselves in appearance, the result is beauty; when they express themselves inwardly, the result is wit and humor. One or the other is bound to appear, and it's possible to have both.
Good looks generally help in life. I once saw a news report saying looks often affect salary. But this subject isn't a salaried employee; she runs her own business, and quite successfully.
She is married with children. But she once said there are many temptations around her, and asked me what to do. Pointing to 廉貞 in the 申 Palace, I said: "廉貞 governs rank and conduct. In plain words, it means having both ambition and principles. As long as your own heart doesn't waver, why fear the influence of outside temptations?"