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(16) Terrestrial Branches (IV)

By Janet Shin This week, we will study In (yang wood), Myo (yin wood) and Jin (yang earth) as branches. These three branches will make the trine of wood out of the five elements. As we learned from previous columns, the five elements circulate: wood generates fire, fire generates earth, earth generates metal and metal generates water, etc. Earth takes part in balancing the other four elements and Jin (yang earth) and balances the energy between wood (In and Myo) and fire (Sa). Sa comes after Jin. The three branches together make a trine of big energy. For example: 1. In , Myo, Jin makes a wood trine 2. Sa, O, Mi makes a fire trine 3. Sin, Yu, Sul makes a metal trine 4. Hae, Ja, Chuk makes a water trine. Let's see how these trines constitute the saju and how they react and influence one's personality and fate. 1. In Wood (the live place of fire) Inclusions ― mu earth (7 days), byeong fire (7 days), gap wood (16 days) Birth year ― tiger (1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998) Birth time ― 3 ~ 5 am Month ― February (January in lunar calendar) Propert

Oct 16, 2008

Surgery Not Always Panacea for Prostate Cancer

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter The prostate gland is an organ in the body of male mammals, which is situated at the neck of the bladder and produces a liquid, which forms part of semen. Having problems with prostate is the last thing most men would want ― its ill-functioning can be the source of great physical discomfort and affects men's sexual life. Dr. Kim Sae-chul of Chung-Ang University Medical Center says many men fear coming to the hospital because they are afraid some disorder could ``ruin'' their sex life. ``Some worry too much and keep changing

Oct 12, 2008

(15) 12 Terrestrial Branches (III)

By Janet Shin From this week, we will review the properties of individual branches and how the yin and yang and five elements are characterized in each of the branches. The season is mentioned as one category, but it is not the complete definition, because it refers only to the countries where there are four seasons. If you have your own four pillars ― please refer to my Web site, you would be able to know what stem and branch combinations that your saju has. Without getting your four pillars, you can easily know the year, month and time branches from your born records. Remember, there is no good or bad saju until we clearly verify the strength of each element and the position of each star (friend, expression, money, career and knowledge stars that we will learn about later on). However you may get an image of yourself using the stems and understanding your characteristics using the branches of your saju. Please refer to previous columns to explain individual stems (based on lunar calendar). We learned about the inclusions in each terrestrial branch last week that the ene

Oct 9, 2008

Tuberculosis Still Lingering in Korea

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter Many associate tuberculosis with days long gone by when many were poor and disease was rife. Buying Christmas stamps in aid of charity was the only time people thought about the disease. However, according to the Korean Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), the number of those with tuberculosis stands at 8.8 million worldwide, with more than 1.5 million dying every year. Most of them are from ``high burden countries'' such as in developing countries in Africa and Asia. Some say African and Asian ethnicities are more vulnerable to the disease than Caucasians and that individual countries' willingness to combat the disease could be a critical factor, too. Korea is not a safe zone either. It is true that the number has fallen dramatically on the government's aggressive prevention and treatment policy, but the patient number is still stuck at a certain point. The KDCD assumes about half the population to be exposed to the disease while about 3,000 die every year. Dr. Kwon O-jung of Samsung Medical Center is one of the most pass

Oct 5, 2008

(14) 12 Terrestrial Branches (II)

By Janet Shin When reading saju, the crucial factor in determining success or failure comes from the 12 terrestrial branches. For this reason, knowing the terrestrial branches is very important. Humans are rather influenced by the condition of the earth than by the heavenly time. The time sequence of nature has an impact on one's fates. The interaction among the 12 terrestrial branches is infinite so it is not easy to learn. The celestial stems are active, light, and pure while the terrestrial branches are immobile and unclear with mixed energy. Saju (four pillars - 4 stems and 4 branches) is a combination of stems and branches. It is a connection between celestial and terrestrial times. If we want to know whether the saju is strong or weak, we start from the condition of celestial stems. Then the stems get the actual power by taking root at terrestrial branches. So we can say the terrestrial branches are the more decisive factor. For example, Gap (wood) stem may root at In and Myo branches, because In and Myo are wood elements. Like this, Byeong (fire) stem may roo

Oct 2, 2008

How to Keep Healthy Back

By Dr. Lee June-ho Contributing Writer A lot of patients come for consultations requesting ``what is a good posture for a healthy back?'' Natural daily activities require a lot of back motion, leading to a restless lumbar joint condition. Due to these continuous activities, many people naturally suffer from 'discogenic back pain' by degenerative degradation of their intervertebral disc joints along with the aging process. What has already turned 'black' by aging or degeneration cannot be restored to its original 'white' or normal with present medical technology. However, there are measures for the prevention of further damage to discs. Here are some tips for maintaining 'a good healthy back' as suggested by the North America Spine Society. Follow these simple guidelines to keep your back in good shape: 1. Standing: keeping one foot forward of the other, with knees slightly bent, takes the pressure off your low back. 2. Sitting: sitting with your knees slightly higher than your hips provides good low back support. 3. Reaching: stand on a stool to reach th

Sep 28, 2008

Thyroid Disorder: Common but Curable

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter Not many people are aware of a little butterfly-shaped organ below the neck area called the thyroid, but it is an important and fragile part of the body, requiring special care. According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of thyroid cancer patients in 2007 was 24,295, a 32.3 percent hike from the year before. The increase rate is the largest among all kinds of cancer here. However, it's not only cancer that worries people. Prof. Cho Bo-youn of Seoul National University Hospital says hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, referring respectively to the over-active and under-active thyroid conditions, are very common, both of which affect the body by producing inappropriate amounts of hormones. The thyroid is endocrine gland that controls how the body burns up energy, makes proteins and regulates how sensitive the body should be to other hormones. It is also involved in brain and bone development

Sep 28, 2008

(13) 12 Terrestrial Branches: Forces of Heaven to Mix

By Janet Shin In the last few months, we have studied yin yang, five elements and ten celestial stems. From now on, we will learn the 12 terrestrial branches that constitute four pillars along with the 10 celestial stems. When people start learning saju, they worry a lot because they think they must know many Chinese characters and difficult terminology to memorize. However, you will realize that the most often used Chinese characters are 10 stems and 12 branches only. We need to understand the logic in the four pillars to be able to read one's destiny. The intangible energy of the 10 celestial stems comes down after a certain period of time. The outcome of its energy has an impact on the 12 terrestrial branches, so the forces of heaven are mixed. Celestial stems are pure energy. It is easy to describe, but the terrestrial branches are mixed energy so we cannot describe them in one or two definitions. They combine and conflict with each other, and we must understand this to be able to read a person's saju. Before studying the 12 terrestrial branches and how to understand

Sep 25, 2008

To Curb Diabetes, Change Lifestyle!

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter Many people might not find having sugar in their urine strange or dangerous. In fact, few people die of ``diabetes'' itself. However, when combined with other diseases, complications can easily affect all parts of the body ― from the eyes to the legs and brain. Dr. Son Ho-young of the Catholic University St. Mary's Hospital warns that the disease will soon affect nearly half of the country's population since it is growing at dramatic speed. ``Just forty years ago, the number of those suffering from the disease were less than half a million. But in just four decades the figure has jumped to four million,'' he says. He went on to warn ``The disease will become the most diagnosed one. Also, it could become the No.1 cause of death by then since it could worsen cancer and many other fatal diseases.'' Diabetes is a syndrome of disordered metabolism resulting in abnormally high blood sugar levels. The two most common forms of diabetes are type 1 which involves a diminished production of insulin or type 2, which is a diminished response by the bo

Sep 21, 2008

(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 origina

Sep 18, 2008
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