(197) The other side of our life

By Janet Shin

People are not always as they appear. They may seem outwardly composed, living a sound life, but they have their inside stories, occasionally full of agitation. Many times, they try to conceal the fact that their life went wrong. This is especially the case when their life is perceived as successful to others. They veil their inner anguish and live a disguised life. It seems like they flee from reality, which, however, does not bring them true happiness. Apart from a social capability, true satisfaction with life only comes from the acknowledgement of real life. It hurts them and they deny opening up at the beginning, as the affected part is touched.

When we are in trouble, we seek answers by consulting our close friends or siblings. Or if it gets as serious as causing mental problems, we may see a psychiatrist. However there are cases when we can’t confer with anyone else but ourselves. As it is hard to reach the root of the affliction, saju can be a distinctive and fairly conducive means to lead you to the core of the problem.

One of my regular clients asked me to read the saju of her brother. Some notable problems were found, and I explained the situation he was facing, especially about his married life. However instead of discussing it further, she just emphasized how accomplished he was in his career. He was on a board of directors at a public enterprise and his achievements have been well credited. The initial consultation ended without a definite conclusion.

Several days later, she called me again and this time she disclosed his life in depth. He and his wife separated quite a while ago. She became a close friend with his wife but had a hard time to talk heart-to-heart with her brother. He seldom answered the phone when she called. His wife, on the other hand, often discussed with her the couple’s circumstances and financial difficulties. He neglected his family while they possessed ample real estate. They also had a son who was an elementary student but never studied hard. The mother was about to discontinue raising him for affective and pecuniary reasons. Consequently my client’s true concern was whether she could adopt him and following this question, she wanted to know if her brother’s family situation could be improved in the future.

His saju showed that he was born with yin wood energy, which represents flowers or small trees. A woman’s saju with a yin wood day master, usually portrays a beautiful and exquisite figure. But this suggests a keen and sometimes intolerant personality in a man’s saju. There is a career star, metal element in his day branch. The career star also connotes his children. This metal element clashes with a wood element in the time pillar.

When it comes to the description of each pillar, the year pillar explains one’s ancestor’s life, the month pillar is one’s parents’, the day pillar is one’s marriage and the time pillar is one’s children. As the letters in the day and time pillars clashed, his married life could not be carefree, and this affects his children and siblings.

The point is yin wood people are their own worst enemy because they harass themselves and are self-stressed, when they encounter a certain obstacle. They try to search for the perfect solution while having lots of tormenting thoughts. On one hand, they are thoughtful, but on the other, they seldom find an easy and simple answer. They must break their own glass walls.

I was not able to give her an optimistic outlook on her brother’s married life. But a valid solution could be accompanied by accepting the reality. She approved of most of the saju reading.

A successful career does not always lead to a happy life. Many people sacrifice their personal life for fame. We can’t say which is right as it is the individual’s decision which path to follow and this is written in the person’s saju.

Information: Are you interested in learning more about the ancient Chinese teaching about the “Four Pillars of Destiny?” For further information, visit Janet’s website at www.fourpillarskorea.com, contact her at 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.”