By Janet Shin

In every study, the most important thing is the basis. Especially when it comes to saju, as it is a study of life and destiny, there comes a moment when you realize it truly requires your heart and soul not your brain to grasp the core essence.

For all students who are to learn saju, I always make sure to plot their saju first and read what they see. It shouldn’t necessarily be a perfect reading. Depending on their knowledge, it can start from acknowledging their day masters and month branches. The day master describes one’s character and the month branch influences the whole life like a living environment. Then they begin to comprehend what other elements constitute their saju. As they study furthermore they get to recognize other people’s energy, such as their spouses, children, parents and friends, manifested in their saju. At the same time, they can discern signs of wealth, success, failure, power, reputation and intelligence, which include mental and physical conditions. Sometimes, they have to face misled and unrevealed truths of their life, which is quite painful.

This whole process is a journey to explore a “true oneself” or “inner oneself.” They are able to get answers about their past, present and future. Some may get to know why a certain incident happened at a certain point of time. This will clear some clouds around them and help them to open their eyes widely.

While I let them read their saju following their own progress of study, I try to tell them one thing that catches my attention upfront. This will be a main theme of their study. It is usually a trauma or something they are pursuing in their lives. This is a moment of surprise and yet from this moment, they may find enlightenment. They wonder how saju reveals them, and ask if there is any mysterious power in saju. My answer is always clear. Saju shouldn’t be paved as a supernatural power. There is nothing arcane. Ordinary people can also learn and practice.

In studying saju, we must bear a fact in mind. One has to open one’s heart and soul. In order to explain this, I try to cite “Qi” or the life energy as instance. It applies not only to saju, but to other oriental teachings such as feng shui and Zen. I may enumerate tons of words to elucidate them. But Qi may be a fundament that precedes all theoretical and philosophical descriptions.

What about the yin and yang, and the five elements. They are representative concepts of oriental philosophy, which also attract western people’s attention. Technology and medical developments have provided greater convenience and quantitative improvement in our living conditions, but people are still tormented, feeling anxious, hopeless, dilapidated and sometimes apathetic and alienated. So they are looking for other teachings that they consider “unscientific”.

Notwithstanding its general awareness, they are not something exotic or bizarre.

Let’s take 7 days in a week, for an example.

Sunday signifies the sun, which is yang energy in terms of oriental concept.

Monday, or the moon, is yin energy.

Tuesday or Mars, is fire, among the five elements in the universe.

Wednesday or Mercury, is water.

Thursday or Jupiter, is wood.

Friday or Venus, is metal.

Saturday or Saturn, is earth.

We, regardless of the Eastern and Western hemisphere, are actually living in the days and world of yin and yang, and the five elements. It is like we inhale and exhale.

In teaching oriental studies, I emphasize a precious gift we have. It is our intrinsic ability to sense the energy of our space and our time, not only through the five wits but through our spiritual power or unconsciousness. If you train yourself to tune into saju and feng shui, you may be able to vibrate with the energy of space and time in your destiny. Feng shui is to read how the energy flows around your space. Saju is to read how the energy flows in your life path with the course of time.

I encourage people to take a light bath once a day as possible. It can be both at work and at their home. Their houses also require brightness coming in during the daytime so that it balances the yin energy of night time. It is recommended to open the doors and windows even for five minutes while the yang energy is peak during a day. By doing this, the energy can flow and circulate in your living space. On the other hand, it is also in need of moisture depends on circumstances. Likewise, one’s saju calls for the balance of yin and yang, and the five elements should circulate among themselves.

It will take time, of course, but everyone has ability to feel this life energy, if they are sincere and want it from their heart. Try to feel the energy in saju to read where the major flow is, what leads your life and what is painful or delightful. Then they are shown to your eyes and hearts.

Are you interested in learning more about the ancient Chinese teachings about the “Four Pillars of Destiny”? For further information, visit Janet’s website at www.fourpillarskorea.com or call 010-5414-7461 or email janetshin@hotmail.com.

The writer is the president of the Heavenly Garden, a saju research center in Korea, and the author of “Learning Four Pillars.”