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By Janet Shin
People are interested in saju (four pillars), a study to understand and predict our life by looking at one's year, month, day and time of birth, for different reasons. Some people consider saju just a bit of fun, while others take it seriously. Others look at saju as superstition and trust it blindly, while others distrust it.
Saju is still considered an occult theory and when people consult a saju analyst, some of their questions are quite absurd. This is partly because of saju's portrayal in the media and partly due to the so-called fortune tellers themselves.
There have been many instances where fortune tellers have deceived those who came for consultation by selling expensive charms or exorcisms. There are also other instances where they boast of their power to change one's fate.
For those who desire certain unrealistic changes in their lives saju could be a tempting lure. If people believe they can change their fortunes from bad to good, they could do whatever it takes or pay whatever it costs.
The truth is there is no way we can change our fate. In terms of the saju perspective, it is as true as the fact we cannot change our birth records.
There are many who refute this assertion. The most frequent question is what about the saju of people born at the same time on the same day. People also question the saju of twins.
In order to warn those who blindly trust saju, a TV show showed that the saju of a former Korean president was the same as that of a homeless person. Another common example of similar saju is of Joseon Dynasty's King Yeong-jo and that of Non-gae who jumped into a river clutching a Japanese general during an invasion in 1953.
The difference between similar saju is also gender specific. In other words, saju and fate are different for males and females. Aside from the four pillars of birth year, month, day and time, there is an additional pillar that represents people's fate during their 10 year cycles. For males, it circulates in the yang direction, and for females, yin. Even for people born with the same saju, males and females may live their lives differently within the five elemental circulations.
The place where people live, whether it is near the sea or in the mountains, also play a role in determining their fate other than saju.
In the case of twins, we need to verify who was born first, or who was born closer to midnight, before we can determine their fates.
People's personal efforts in life are also a factor but this can be explained as people make different decisions when facing challenges.
Based on given saju, we are able to get five gods (five stars); friend, expression, money, career and knowledge stars. If we look at the details of each star, we would see there are several different fate factors for each star.
For example, the money star tells not only the wealth but the wife's fortune, and sometimes, even the person's health. The career star tells not only about a person's career but the husband's fortune. The experienced analyst can tell which path should be taken by the person, but this can is just one aspect that leads one's fate in different direction.
So, if someone visiting a saju analyst asks: Where is my husband? or Do you know if she loves me?, these questions are absurd. Almost every time, people ask whether they will live a long life or when they will die. These are also unrealistic questions.
If you really want to get the best advice from a saju analyst, first let him or her know what situation you are in now. Then the saju analyst will start to read your fate from the reference points given by you.
The saju is like a road lamp that sheds light on you while you're driving or walking along a dark road. When you are at a crossroads and you have to make decision on which way to choose, it can be one of the street signs that could be help. When you want to know the truth on your life and the truth of people around you, it can be one guide in telling you the underlying truth.
The argument whether saju is right or not apart, or whether saju is neccessary or not, we should discuss saju with our eyes wide open and convey its theory in reasonable terms.
Although we have to say that the saju is not a superstition, there is still the fact that it is not a science. We insist that there is logic in the saju theory, but there are still some corners that we cannot explain in logical language.
In the future, we will continue to study the corners of saju. Stay tuned and open your eyes and ears to understand what is hidden in the corners.
The writer is the president of the Heavenly Garden, a saju research center in Korea. She is the author of Learning Four Pillars. She offers saju courses to all who are interested. For more information, visit her Web site (http://blog.naver.com/janet_shin) or email janetshin@hotmail.com.
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