(122) Death
Death may not be the most proper subject to start the New Year, when words of blessing and hope are more traditional. Death, whether it is the loss of a loved one or not, is one of the most devastating aspects we must deal with in our lives. We may pray for the repose of one’s soul at a funeral, but the depth of sadness is totally different when it comes to the death of one of our own family members.
Death approaches all: with warning for some, but for many it simply befalls without notice. Even for those who are diagnosed with a certain time frame for life, it is not easy to prepare for death.
In the past several months I have had to visit the hospital emergency room. I read the faces of patients who were struggling to fight death. Some were able to extend their lives and escape by medical treatment. But some had to leave this world behind them. The shades of death were there, not only in the faces of the patients but in the faces of their families. The energies expressed by their looks could not hide the atmosphere of gloom.
Most people want to live a long life. Some desire it because they feel there is certain goal they must still achieve during their lifetime, while others just want to enjoy this world a little longer.
Consequently, there is no such thing as a prepared death, and it is the saddest thing regardless of age differences. Regret and death is something most people want to avoid at whatever cost.
However, death is seen as a connection between this world and the next world, according to saju. Following the ancient beliefs of reincarnation, saju also teaches the theory of life after death.
The course of the elements ― the phases of wood, fire, metal and water (earth balances the other four elements) ― progress through twelve stages of alternating prevalence and feebleness. Each element experiences both the highest strengths and lowest weaknesses of death and rebirth through the cyclical process. This is how we evaluate the strength of the stems when they meet the 12 branches, respectively.
Saju classifies them as the 12 stages; a saju master is able to evaluate these 12 stages to interpret one’s life path. This is to explain the energy flow and its strength in the relationship of stem and branches, but they also imply the eternal cycle of birth, death and rebirth. The logic behind this tells us that nothing is determined, so if one is experiencing difficulties in life, it is certainly not the conclusion. In this regards, death is not the end of one’s life, but a preparation for a reset.
The 12 stages of life, in terms of saju theory are as below:
1. Birth
2. Bathing ― infants
3. Getting dressed ― students, learning
4. Graduation ― youth, going into the world
5. Golden years ― prosperous ages
6. Decline ― past glory
7. Disease
8. Death
9. Burial
10. Disappearance
11. Embryo
12. Rebirth
We will be able to review further details of this – the 12 stages of life, in future columns.
Meanwhile, when we have to foresee death as a specific event in one’s life, we need to evaluate the condition of the money star, the element that the day master has to control and overcome.
If your day master is wood, for example, you need to watch the condition of the earth energy, in order to anticipate any incidents related with death. If your day master is another element, you need to adjust accordingly to the cycle in order to identify which needs to be controlled. As explained in previous columns, the elements in one’s saju are not permanent, but react to external factors and internal relationships. A representative external impact is caused by the energies brought by the New Year’s pillar.
While greeting the New Year with fortune, I hope it hasn’t sounded too pessimistic to talk about death.
Info: Are you interested in learning more about the ancient Chinese teachings of the “Four Pillars of Destiny?” Saju, or the Four Pillars of Destiny, and face reading workshops will be held this month in Itaewon, central Seoul. For more information, contact Janet at 010-5414-7461or 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.” Visit www.fourpillarskorea.com.