(386) Saju: the integrated structure of time and space in one's life
By Janet Shin
We usually view saju as a combination of the heavenly stem and earthly branch letters to compose the four pillars of destiny. Then each letter is characterized by yin and yang and five elements to tell the specifics of one's success and failure.
In translating the barcoded system of the four pillars, it is critical to take into consideration the combined structure of time and space. Below is the schematization of the full structure.
First, the day master is the main character of the saju and the month branch represents the setting which actually means its natural environment. If fire is the element of its month branch, for instance, it implies warmth or hot circumstances. On the other hand, water colored in black represents coldness and moisture in its circumstance. After clarifying these two elements, one can specify the heavenly stems as one's symbolic outcome, social affairs and conceptual matters, and the earth letters as substantiality and its process to yield a certain outcome. It signifies matters related with family and practical activities.
In the meantime, each pillar implies a time period, from one's far past to future and from childhood to later life. Family relations are also specified in each pillar associated with the flow of life. The year and month pillars are linked together to tell social and public matters and the day and time pillars tell private and family matters. This supposition is made according to the Earth's revolution and rotation. In other words, the year and month pillars are created by the Earth's revolution to make 12 months and four seasons of the year and the day and time pillars by the Earth's rotation to make day and night.
On top of reading the day master's personality and its success or failure of money fortune, reputation, love and authority and so on, it is important to understand this structure of time and space.
Here is the saju of a 46-year-old woman. She is married and has three children, which is fire (red). Her husband represented by the metal element (white) located inside the year branch does not have a good relationship with her. He actually lives overseas and they don't have close contact. Her mother is also located in the year pillar. This woman has not been able to feel her mother's warm love since childhood.
The intimacy is told by the locations of each element that represents the specific family relations. Meanwhile, the money star, the earth element located in the month stem and the expression star, the fire element representing investment, imply her occupation. She is a fund manager in charge of customer relations.
Information : Are you interested in learning more about the ancient Chinese teachings, the “Four Pillars of Destiny” and oriental ways of fortune telling or fortune tellers? Janet teaches Saju for the public at Seoul National University of Education. For further information, visit Janet's website at
or her blog,
https://blog.naver.com/janet_shin
.You can also contact her at 010-5414-7461 or email janetshin.kor@gmail.com
The writer is the author of “Life's Secrets”.