By Janet Shin
Four pillars, or saju in Korean, is a study to understand and predict our life by analyzing a person's birth year, month, day and time.
However owing to the fact that the four pillars originated from ancient times and has a philosophical background, most books and materials about it are too academic and difficult.
They tend to be confusing and not easy to apply. Although there are treasured truths about life, they are not useful when they are too pedantic.
I, who speaks English and can use Chinese characters as a second language, wanted to understand saju and its philosophy in a more rational and logical way, so that the truths could be applicable to our daily lives.
The purpose of this article is to study saju in an economic way and I will try to clarify the facts easily, effectively and usefully.
I have tested the saju skill ― I describe it as ``a skill'' so you can easily approach this study ― for thousands of people and they continue consulting me for important decisions they have to make.
I have come to realize how many people are concerned about their future and how hesitant they are about decision-making.
This essay is not going to be an academic thesis as I am not a born scholar. I will mention yin and yang and the five elements first as they are the basis of saju skills.
Modern society sees rapid change and once we lose a single loop of the chain it becomes hard to catch up. In this era, in order to grasp the flow, predict the future and understand the way to go forward, we may need various tools that will make us strong and ready to confront the world.
Take this momentum to know yourself. Slow down your speed to find out what you most value in your life.
Saju is the study of life through looking at one's month, day and time of birth. Saju equates them to celestial stems and terrestrial branches according to natural reasoning.
By understanding saju, we can know our personality, what situation we are in and find the best utilization of every factor.
Second, we can know the right time to do something ― whether to progress or wait or whether to plan long-term or short-term.
Third, by knowing who is a suitable spouse or business partner, we will be able to maximize the synergy effect and minimize conflict.
Lastly, we can understand health aspects in accordance with the harmonious elements placed in our saju and utilize materials, colors and energies around us to make our lives luckier than before.
First, we need to know what saju consists of; what the basic essentials are; and where to apply them.
Second, we need to know what is needed to support weak elements in saju and what the unnecessary elements are. Finally, we will know what is good or bad luck and what makes a person's life noble or poor.
First, although I try not to use difficult terminology, you should understand basic astrology, the fact that the earth moves around the sun, and the rotation of the earth on its axis. Then you will learn how it affects the seasons and the weather changes on the earth.
Second, it requires logical thinking rather than simple reading. In the first stage, it may be simple memory work to acquire knowledge and new words.
But once you understand the progress of its logic, you must understand the connections and reasoning of each factor. After reading, move your thoughts to how the natural principles are applied to saju.
With this effort, you will understand all the situations written in this article.
Third, I encourage you to discuss with others the basis and logic of saju. I hope you develop saju theory further in your own field. Saju needs to be comprehended as a science not as an occult theory.
I hope this column will be of help to those who feel it difficult to study yin and yang or the five elements. And I also hope the content is not just printed type but is of some practical support for your life.
The writer is the president of the Heavenly Garden, a saju research center in Korea. She is the author of the book titled ``Learning Four Pillars." She is an acupuncture and moxibustion therapist. For more information, visit her Web site (https://blog.naver.com/janet_shin) or email to janetshin@hotmail.com.