(12) 10 Celestial Stems — Im and Gye

By Janet Shin

This week, we will learn about Im and Gye, the last elements ― water ― of the 10 celestial stems. Let's study im and gye using the four pillars of a man, as shown below.

According to the classification of the 10 celestial stems by five elements, Im and Gye are the water energy. As we learned how to determine the person's personality by the birth record, we know that this man was born with yang water energy as the day stem represents the owner of saju. (Chart 1)

He is smart as im water means wisdom itself. He is Korean, but has studied in Canada and China since he was 15 years old. He has high linguistic sense and excelled in learning the languages of countries where he studied. You will learn what characterize im and gye stems in more detail, as shown below.

● The north

● Winter

● The planet Mercury

● The color blue

● Skeletal, excretory system and lungs

● Diplomatic, charming, intuitive, compassionate, sensitive, creative

● Flexible, compliant, good at communication, intellectual

Water is the last element, but it also returns to its original point as it circulates back to the wood element. It is not just the ending but also the point where wood starts again.

Water conserves energy, so it is in charge of wisdom. It also represents the winter season, so we see living things in water are not so active.

Tip

― Water also has an explosive power but it is different from fire's power. Since the water energy is concentrated, it does not explode at any time. It explodes only when the energy is fully collected.

6) Im water

Im people have guts and talents. They have good interpersonal skills, and people cannot help but follow their lead.

The sea or lake represents Im water.

Im is yang water so it expresses the water property outwardly. It does not reveal what is in its mind, so its cleverness cannot be compared with others. When we think about the sea, it is wide and deep and it contains a lot of living creatures. As it contains a lot, it is thoughtful, eloquent and wise when it comes to handling others.

― The leadership of Im water comes from wisdom, while the leadership of Sin metal is decisiveness without hesitation. So Sin metal fits with organizations like the Army, while Im water fits with intellectual society.

7) Gye water

Gye water is amiable but a rather inactive hard worker. They are generous with others. Although they are selfish, they don't show it.

The stream or rain represents the Gye water.

It is yin water so the water property is only expressed internally. It is clean as the stream from the mountain and is quiet as the rain without sound. Like the basic property of the water, it is very cohesive but doesn't outwardly express its energy.

Its clean property purifies nature. All the natural living things maintain their lives with the Gye water energy, so everything relies on Gye water.

― The contribution of Gye water is different from those of byeong and jeong fire. Gye water's service doesn't show up.

So far we have reviewed the properties of the five elements and the basic propensity of the 10 celestial stems. This knowledge about celestial stems can be properly used in saju analysis, as well as analysis of relationships.

Celestial stems are intangible energy. They are formless. In order to understand them better, we compare them to the natural assets as they are close to each other.

Next week, we will review the 12 terrestrial branches ― 12 zodiac signs. This will help you get started with your journey to learn about your life and destiny.

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 offers saju learning courses to people who are interested. For more information, visit her Web site (https://blog.naver.com/janet_shin) or email to janetshin@hotmail.com.