(329) Saju readings for politicians

By Janet Shin

Korean society and its government have been whirled around by the 2016 April quadrennial general election for the past few months not only by the campaign period but also by the consequences. Politics and political elections, closely related with citizens, justice, law and equality are significant sectors in our lives especially for their leverage with the freedom of contemporary people. Politics has long been considered a major asset of the nation focusing on the rulers’ moral virtues and their governance philosophies in accord with the order of nature and the reasoning of things in the East. One of its primary concerns is to equally secure people’s rights and freedoms and then protect and regulate justice in the distribution and accessibility of economic and social goods.

To be a great politician was obviously the ‘longing for’ pursuit of life since the olden days. The Goryeo (918-1392) and Joseon (1392-1910) dynasties administered the gwageo, the state examination to select officials. It was generally divided into liberal arts and military tests in the Joseon era and the regular functions of the government were carried out in the years of the rat, rabbit, horse and rooster (every three years). Everybody except for the lower classes and those convicted of crimes was basically qualified to apply to take the gwageo.

Accordingly it was considered the most legitimate ladder to success and became the lifetime desire of all scholars, or seonbi, in the nation. There are many folk tales regarding them trying to take the gwageo, their efforts to pass the examination and how they went through the ordeal until they got the best score on the test. It was said that Yulgok, whose penname was Yi I (1536-1584), a prominent Korean Confucian scholar, achieved the top score nine times whereas it was a lifetime opportunity for most students. It tells how academic he was and that he achieved such an outstanding scholastic performance.

When it comes to saju, the test for the liberal arts was regarded more highly with the energy of knowledge stars. They are the energy that raise the day master and represent learning, degree, license and mother. Those who have a good knowledge star positioned well in the right place of their saju are intelligent and make good students.

On the other hand, during turbulent periods, career stars are more emphasized in order to become politicians. They are the energy that regulate the day master and imply an inclination toward authority and power. Regardless of the current of the times, the career star commonly refers to one’s political fortunes. If a candidate for the National Assembly asks whether he or she would be elected, a saju master conventionally reads the condition and activity of the career stars.

But this practice has been changing nowadays. The role of the expression star, the energy generated by the day master, is becoming increasingly important. It represents one’s talent and popularity and is often connected with passion. It also denotes how well one communicates with others.

It is not abnormal news when a popular entertainer gained lots of public votes and became a lawmaker while he didn’t have any political experience and accomplishments. Even the husband of a famous actress or a comedian has earned the voters’ support mostly for their public interest. If we focus on the election process and plebiscite, a major factor of determination would be how the candidate interacts and corresponds with the voters. Accordingly, their public approval rating can be the leading determinant these days whereas their political influence, competency, intellect and how they dominated the organization played an important role in the past.

Are you interested in learning more about the ancient Chinese teaching about the “Four Pillars of Destiny” and oriental ways of fortune telling or fortune tellers? For further information, visit Janet’s website at www.sajufortuneteller.modoo. at, contact her at 010-5414-7461 or email janetshin@hotmail.com. The writer is the author

of “Life’s Secrets.”