Tag: #chinese metaphysics

2023 CHINESE ZODIAC: PIG

The key words for the Pig in 2023 are staying low key, private, and humble. A far cry from the glamour of 2022, to be sure. But this could be the year you learn to use your triggers as motivation and drive. Ignore the noise… focus on your execution!

ABOUT THE 2023 CHINESE ZODIAC SERIES

In creating this new series, I’ve endeavoured to shift your perspectives of the positive and negative stars. They are neither promises nor guarantees. Instead, these are tools given to you for 2023, and it’s up to you to choose which one works better for you. The results become more obvious when we match our actions to the effects.

And when we learn to use these stars, that is when life happens for you, instead of happening to you.

Therefore, this post will include descriptions of the effects of the stars, followed by some ideas (or suggestions, if you will), on how the stars can be used. Please note that critical thinking is required on your part. Because without looking at the full information from your unique Bazi Chart, the ideas cannot be customized and must be kept as broad as possible.

THE PIG IN 2023

BACK POKING

The Pig literally had all the money stars in 2022. But along with those positive stars, came a very clear warning against arrogance. They were a caution that pride comes before a fall.

Because in 2023, unfortunately, the Pig literally went from Hero to (almost) Zero. But hold on! Don’t panic yet. There’s a way to circumvent these. Let me first explain their effects.

If you had taken advantage of the positive stars in 2022, the success you enjoyed may have generated jealousy and envy. This is what the Back Poking is telling you. As its name suggests, there may be incidences of slander, defamation, gossip… those unpleasant stuff.

Now, most of the time, we can ignore them. However, certain allegations may need to be addressed.

WHITE TIGER AND SKY WARRIOR

Like the Back Poking, the White Tiger is also an indicator of the presence of petty people. But the White Tiger can be more serious, especially when paired with the Sky Warrior. Together, both indicate that the campaign of misinformation, may be bad enough to cause damage to your reputation. With these two coming together, you need to make sure that all your actions are above-board, leave no room for errors, make sure you cross your ‘t’s and dot your ‘I’s.

People with the Pig energy in our Bazi Charts, in certain aspects of your lives, can be quite easy going, trusting and maybe a little naïve. This is because the energy in this particular branch is a smooth production cycle, so the Pig branch can be a bit laid back. Stay alert to the White Tiger and Sky Warrior. Don’t allow yourself to be backed into a vulnerable position, think through your words and actions, and make sure to always keep your ass covered.

Ironically, the White Tiger can also amp up your execution skills. It lends a degree of aggression to the normally laid back pig. Therefore, please be more alert when you are on the road, because the White Tiger can also indicate the possibility of accidents or injury.

GOAT BLADE AND EARTH SHA

Dealing with petty people can be annoying. Even the most laidback Pig have been known to fight back when cornered. This is where the Goat Blade comes in which carries warnings of irritability and rash behaviour. Anger, offensive retorts, rude replies.

And because of our adverse reaction to all these provocations, now comes the Earth Sha which puts obstacles in our way, especially on the work front. These can be hard-to-define problems – lack of cooperation, passive-aggressive resistance, power plays.

When these four come together, in today’s hyper-connected social media world, this spells cancel culture, virtue signalling, trolls, keyboard warriors.

HEAVENLY CHEF

The one saving grace is your solitary positive star, the Heavenly Chef which presence indicates the ready availability of good food and drinks. With the Heavenly Chef in the picture, you still have the opportunity to continue building strong relationships by sharing meals together!

PIG 2023: SUGGESTED CAREER CHECKLIST

For career professionals, I know that ‘theoretically’ our personal social media profiles ‘should’ be our own. But freedom of speech doesn’t mean freedom of consequences. And you and I both know… Cancel Culture, can cost jobs and livelihoods. So please think before you post. In our hyper-connected world, many people have forgotten how to agree to disagree. Especially when mob mentality takes over.

Next, choose your hill to die on. Pick your battles. Decide what is worth fighting for? What is not?

Finally, with the single positive stars, focus your attention on building great relationships. Or else… go the safe route… and for 2023, all you post are food photos.

PIG 2023: SUGGESTED BUSINESS CHECKLIST

For the Business Owners, on the other hand, things can get a bit more interesting. With Cancel Cultlure, people have become more sensitive to the words and actions of businesses and their executives. With the presence of the Back Poking, you need to walk your talk and deliver on what you promise. Be careful of over-using or over-playing virtue signalling in your content marketing.

But with the presence of the White Tiger, also comes a hidden opportunity to create Purpose-driven branding. This type of marketing acknowledges that there is no way to make everyone happy. Therefore, your Brand must stand up for what you believe in.

At the same time, you need to ensure that your management team must be ready to address the concerns raised from the Back Poking. A bland press release written by your Corporate Comms is not enough in this case. With the White Tiger, the written word is not enough. You need to show up.

The boss must be ready to step up, admit fault if necessary, offer redress, apologize when wrong, or doing the opposite and taking a firm stance on specific hot-button issues.

And finally, with the Heavenly Chef, forge quality partnerships. You had the Grand Duke Combination in 2022. Continue to nurture those relationships and align your brand with others that have similar values.

PIG 2023: SUMMARY

This will be a year where you focus on your relationships. On removing detractors? Turning your antis into your fans. Smoothing your relationships with the people around you.

Because, come 2024, the positive stars come back, and we must be free to move and unencumbered by haters.

But… that’s next year’s story. For 2023, let’s see where is your Pig?

WHERE IS YOUR PIG?

YEAR PILLAR

If you have the Pig in your Year which governs your industry, market, social networks, social media followers… basically, other people! From your perspective, they may be hyper-sensitive in 2023.

The career advise holds for this one – think before you post! Especially if you are a public figure such as, an influencer or celebrity. Celebrities like comedians or actors and singers, will be more vulnerable to these because they rely on the goodwill of the public.

While there’s nothing we can do about what people comment in our social media profiles, there is one thing we could do – DON’T POKE THE PIG! Do you really need to comment on a current issue that has nothing to do with you? Is there a need to virtue-signal, for example?

MONTH PILLAR

How about the Pig in your Month pillar which is literally the business or career pillar? At work, be it business or career, 2023 is a year to focus on building strong relationships.

I must admit, the stars in the Pig are a little hard to flip. Because they involve other people’s mouths! Which we can’t control. What we can control is our own reaction to the provocations. How we deal with these provocations.

DAY PILLAR

These stars in the Day Pillar, which governs your personal relationships and your romantic relationship in particular, points to a classic problem of other people meddling or interfering with your relationship. You listen to your friends’ opinions about how your relationship should be, or how your life should be, and then the bickering starts.

Again, this calls for awareness. The realization that, you and your Significant Other, are the only ones in your relationship. And your relationship is unique to both of you! The presence of the White Tiger need not signify fights. It can, actually, indicate a willingness to be more vulnerable and sensitive with each other’s needs. About not pushing buttons unnecessarily. And most importantly, show up for each other in your relationship.

HOUR PILLAR

The Hour pillar governs our children, staff, legacy, investments, ideas, ideals. It can also represent our thoughts, our thinking patterns. If the Pig is in your Hour, do watch out for any signs of a suspicious and ‘victim mindset’.

Here in the Hour pillar, for 2023, the negative stars can inculcate a ‘me-against-the-world’ type of mentality.  If you happen to have more positive stars or more action-driven stars in your external pillar, example maybe the Rat, or the Rabbit, or maybe even the Horse… this mindset could stop you from taking action.

ABOUT ME

It’s been a long article, hasn’t it? If you’ve gotten this far, thank you!

A little about me. My name is Paulynne Cheng and I am a Bazi and Feng Shui practitioner with a bias for career and business development. Mind you, I’m not a business guru or some such. My role, is to interpret the energies of your Bazi Chart and the corresponding 2023 energies for you. To help you identify potential opportunities and possible threats, depending on your goal for 2023.

Should we meet for an onward conversation, my goal is to help you align your actions, not just to the effects of the stars, but also to the flow of energies in your unique Bazi Chart.

When we do that, you really go with the flow and things become easier because you are no longer fighting the energies, but using the energies.

GET YOUR FULL 2023 ANALYSIS

Now, remember! The Annual Auxiliary Stars make up only about 20% of your Year. To understand and create strategies for a successful year ahead, hit me up for a personal consult. Let’s co-create your strategy together and make 2023 your best year yet!

CONNECT WITH ME

DM me on my Facebook Page

Check out my YouTube Channel

Email me: [email protected]

Book an Appointment

About me

2023 CHINESE ZODIAC: DOG

In 2023, the challenge to the Dog is to find the opportunities hidden within a crisis. In other words, it’s time to train yourself to spot the silver lining in every cloud.

ABOUT THE 2023 CHINESE ZODIAC SERIES

In creating this new series, I’ve endeavoured to shift your perspectives of the positive and negative stars. They are neither promises nor guarantees. Instead, these are tools given to you for 2023, and it’s up to you to choose which one works better for you. The results become more obvious when we match our actions to the effects.

And when we learn to use these stars, that is when life happens for you, instead of happening to you.

Therefore, this post will include descriptions of the effects of the stars, followed by some ideas (or suggestions, if you will), on how the stars can be used. Please note that critical thinking is required on your part. Because without looking at the full information from your unique Bazi Chart, the ideas cannot be customized and must be kept as broad as possible.

THE DOG IN 2023

Dog 2023

EMPEROR STAR AND DRAGON VIRTUE

The Dog was not exactly spoiled for choice in 2022. The one good thing the Dog had was the Elegant Seal which made 2022 a great year to upskill.

Now that you have levelled up, what next?

The presence of the Emperor Star and Dragon Virtue together brings you access to Resources. The Dragon Virtue is a nobleman star. Specifically, the Dragon Virtue is a problem-solving star. The Emperor Star, on the other hand, is a leadership star.

There are many characteristics associated with the concept of leadership among which are communications skills, transparency, and vision. However, if you were to really stop and think about it, the most important leadership role is to solve problems. In order to solve problems, a leader must first be resourceful.

This is what 2023 is trying to tell you. You have been given access to Resources. It’s your job to define what type of resources you need and take the steps necessary to bring them to you. Let’s not just think about resources in monetary terms. Resource can be time, money, other people’s skill, other people’s knowledge, other people’s time, and many more.

Which leads to the natural next question: what’s the easiest way to access other people’s resources?

GRAND DUKE COMBINATION

The literal translation of the Grand Duke Combination says this: Wealth through partnership. Therefore, in 2023, the Dog has the opportunity to create partnerships or alliances in order to share resources and more importantly, access other people’s resource.  Which brings us back to the Emperor Star and Dragon Virtue – there is a need to put ourselves in a position to leverage on other people’s resources.

BRUTAL DEFEAT

So why, in the name of woof, are we squirrelling kibbles like a squirrel hoarding nuts for winter?

The Brutal Defeat is like the stock market. It describes a volatile situation. Big up; big down!

We don’t need the stars to tell us that the current situation, particularly the political and economic landscape, is quite challenging right now. With the Brutal Defeat, those with the Dog may be more ‘vulnerable’ to such fluctuations. Hence, the need to be resourceful.

DISASTER SHA, SKY SHA, AND DARK SKY

This group is where the crisis management skills come in.

The Disaster Sha hints at the presence of a potential crisis that will require hands-on leadership. You need to get involved. Basically, this could be a problem that only you can solve.

On the other hand, the Sky Sha hints at potential relationship problems or illnesses caused by issues in our environment. In other words, Feng Shui problems. Example: if some gung-ho neighbour decides to renovate near the East or South East sector of our home, inadvertently triggering either Star 2 (the illness star) or Star 3 (the arguments star).

Finally, the Dark Sky is also a disaster warning. It can also mean virus attack. So of course, please try to stay away from places like hospitals. You could also think about stepping up on your cyber security.

When we put these three together (Disaster Sha, Sky Sha, and Dark Sky), it seems like the Dog really has to face a lot of ‘disasters’ this year.

While they may be considered as negative stars, let’s not forget that people with strong crisis management skills are the ones who command the top dollars!

DOG 2023: SUGGESTED CAREER CHECKLIST

Let’s start with the Disaster Sha. Any employee who can solve crisis is invaluable and irreplaceable. This is your opportunity to position yourself in that light.

Using the Disaster Sha in a positive way is a lot like being the Year Breaker or even the Grand Duke. Hands on leadership is required. I cannot promise you that it will be easy. Neither can I promise you that it will be pleasant.

To side-track a little, did you know that some of us are literally born with this Sha in our natal charts? It doesn’t mean we enjoy dealing with crisis, but somehow, it makes us a dab hand at those situations.

What I’m trying to do here, is to shift your mindset. Instead of dreading the arrival of the ‘impending Disaster Sha’… stay alert for your chances to turn a crisis into an opportunity.

Again, I won’t belabour the part about being resourceful. But really, do note that that is the key to using your positive stars in 2023.

DOG 2023: SUGGESTED BUSINESS CHECKLIST

Business owners may probably find it easier to use the Dog’s positive stars. Because you already have leverage. Therefore, this would be a good year to consider partnerships or cross-selling.

If you are not in the business of crisis management, then with the presence of the Disaster Sha, Sky Sha and Dark Sky, I would urge you to make sure that your insurance coverage is up to date?

And finally, at the risk of sounding like a broken gramophone… with the Brutal Defeat hanging about, no risky ventures, please!

WHERE IS YOUR DOG?

 YEAR PILLAR

Dog 2023

If you have the Dog in your Year Pillar which governs your industry, market, social networks, social media (the world at large, basically), there are partnership opportunities available out there. From within that network, there would be someone who may be interested to share their resources with you. Hence, partnership opportunities available.

To make the best of this opportunity, regardless if you are thinking career or business, you need to learn to be a better negotiator! Why? To create the best deal you possibly can for yourself

MONTH PILLAR

Dog 2023

How about the Dog in your Month Pillar which is literally the business or career pillar? Business owners can consider creating partnerships or alliances to target lucrative government-related contracts

While career professionals, can seek to leverage career growth by showcasing your crisis management skills.

DAY PILLAR

Dog 2023

What about Dog in the Day Pillar which governs you and your personal relationships? In your personal capacity, you now have access to resourceful people.

For those who are single, a Grand Duke Combination could potentially bring a new relationship into your Life. But, you need to be open to doing the activities that attracts a new relationship to you. You need to be doing your part! If you do nothing but watch Netflix at home every night, Grand Duke Combination or not, nothing’s going to happen. Remember, these are not promises. They are just opportunities or possibilities.

But more importantly, with the Sky Sha and Dark Sky, have fun de-cluttering. Remove all those old and broken stuff that you have lying around thinking that ‘one day’ I will repair it or need it or use it. Especially things that are connected to negative memories. This may be a good year to say good bye to them.

HOUR PILLAR

Dog 2023

As for the Dog in the hour which represents your staff, your children, investment, ideas, legacy, hopes and dreams.

Let’s start with the more prosaic first… your staff. Some of the people working for you may have access to resources that can be invaluable to you. This is crucial particularly if your natural leadership style leans towards the bureaucratic and hierarchical style. Someone on your team has got the resources and skills of an effective crisis manager. Look for that person.

For investments? Grand Duke Combination can mean joint investments! But with the Brutal Defeat… as always… nothing speculative please!

ABOUT ME

It’s been a long article, hasn’t it? If you’ve gotten this far, thank you!

A little about me. My name is Paulynne Cheng and I am a Bazi and Feng Shui practitioner with a bias for career and business development. Mind you, I’m not a business guru or some such. My role, is to interpret the energies of your Bazi Chart and the corresponding 2023 energies for you. To help you identify potential opportunities and possible threats, depending on your goal for 2023.

Should we meet for an onward conversation, my goal is to help you align your actions, not just to the effects of the stars, but also to the flow of energies in your unique Bazi Chart.

When we do that, you really go with the flow and things become easier because you are no longer fighting the energies, but using the energies.

GET YOUR FULL 2023 ANALYSIS

Now, remember! The Annual Auxiliary Stars make up only about 20% of your Year. To understand and create strategies for a successful year ahead, hit me up for a personal consult. Let’s co-create your strategy together and make 2023 your best year yet!

CONNECT WITH ME

DM me on my Facebook Page

Check out my YouTube Channel

Email me: [email protected]

Book an Appointment

About me

#43 BING WU (丙午)/FIRE HORSE: THE GIFT OF INTENSITY

Put on your sunglasses, folks. Things are about to get hot, hot hot! Legends have it that the Greek God Helios, the god of the Sun, drives a horse-drawn carriage through the sky. It is the perfection depiction for the Bing Wu (丙午) or to give it a more common name, the Fire Horse. Radiant in your intensity, fiercely independent, and brilliantly creative, stand by for a lot of superlatives in this post.

BING WU (丙午) / FIRE HORSE: OVERVIEW

Yours is a Day Master that literally sits on its own Goat Blade. As scary as that may sound, the Goat Blade brings a lot of gifts to the Bing Wu, key of which are your strong will, blazing intelligence and boundless energy.

Additionally, the Bing Wu is also one of the Six Elegant Day Masters, which makes this pillar highly attractive to others. In short, people are literally enthralled and captured by your brilliance.  

BING WU (丙午): STRENGTHS

To summarize the Bing Wu into a single sentence, it would be easy to say that this is a pillar that is driven by the compulsion to achieve greatness. Like the self-sustaining sun, this pillar has real drive and power to back up that desire.

When the Bing Wu is at a healthy level, the Bing Wu Day Master is someone with a great zest for life. You are funny, charming, adventurous and compassionate.

This appetite for all that life has to offer comes from the Ding Fire (丁) Rob Wealth star, the source of your ambitions and competitive nature. Like the sun, you simply can’t help but shine brightly for all to see. It’s virtually impossible to ignore a Bing Wu Day Master.

The Ji Earth (己) Hurting Officer stars adds to the originality of the Bing Wu. This is the seat of your creativity. Now at the most basic level of Chinese Metaphysics, the Fire element is always weakened by the Earth element. But in this case, a Ji Earth Hurting Officer star literally adds to the passion of the Bing Wu.

BING WU (丙午): WEAKNESSES TO BE AWARE OF

Because of the sheer brilliance of the Bing Wu pillar, you may exhibit a tendency for aggressive perfectionism. Driven by all that passion, time and time again, you may willingly or perhaps even unknowingly, shoulder all the responsibilities. You have high ideals that you intend to live up to. Consequently, you become very hard on yourself.

When in a negative frame of mind, your optimism becomes pessimism; your perfectionism turns over-critical and compassion may sour into suspicion.

BING WU (丙午): HOW YOU PRESENT

A Bing Wu Day Master can easily come across as a domineering personality. In part, this could be due to an unrecognized desire to stamp your personality on others. This pillar can be relentless. Add the magnanimous nature of the Bing Fire into the mix, and you get someone who is intent on ‘helping’, whether or not that help is needed nor appreciated.

This domineering tendency may manifest through bullying tactics and perhaps even attempts at emotional blackmail.

I realize that this segment can be easily misconstrued. Please understand that my intent is not to belittle. But I feel it is important to know how others would perceive you. This recognition and awareness alone can help smooth your relationship with the world at large.

BING WU (丙午), BUT BETTER

Let’s be honest here. The classical texts are not kind to the Bing Wu Day Master. Why? Because this is an original free spirit that bucks at rules and restrictions. However, these same traits can create an inspirational leader if all that positive energy and enthusiasm is harnessed towards your ambitions. Towards that end, I have a couple of suggestions as follows:

Suggestion 1: Tamper some of those domineering traits through learned diplomacy and tact. I’m mindful, though, that you may not be open to this suggestion. But at least, think about it!

Suggestion 2: The Bing Wu is governed by powerful emotions. So powerful, in fact, that they may cause inertia just when you need some drive to propel you ahead. Learning to detach from those emotions and to view them objectively could save you a lot of unnecessary stress.

As always, a final caveat. Without the ability to see the full chart, I must stress that the suggestions in this article are broad recommendations based on a single pillar.

Want to find out if you have the Bing Wu pillar somewhere in your chart? Plot your Bazi Chart with this free resource (registration required) https://bazibz.masteryacademy.com/.

CONNECT WITH ME

DM me on my Facebook Page

Check out my YouTube Channel

Email me: [email protected]

Book an Appointment

About me

Photo by Tschernjawski Sergej on Unsplash

Permission Statement:

All Bazi terminologies and the Bazi Chart referred here are copyrighted materials belonging to, and are used with permission from Dato Joey Yap and/or Joey Yap Research Group Sdn Bhd.

For more information on services and courses offered by Dato Joey Yap and/or Joey Yap Research Group Sdn Bhd, please visit www.joeyyap.com.

RISING WITH THE TIDE: MINDSET SHIFT IN 2021

This post is in honour of World Mental Health day today. For my regular readers, don’t worry, I will get back to the 60 pillars. But for now, let’s talk about how we can rise with the tide with the mindset shift required to make the most of 2021.

If 2020 has left you feeling, well, a little ‘mental’, take comfort in the knowledge that everyone else is going through the same thing in varying degrees.

From a metaphysical point of view, there is an explanation for what we are all experiencing. In a way, we are living through ‘end times’. No, not the end-of-the-world type of ‘end times’. It’s a change from one Feng Shui period (Period 8) to another (Period 9). Of course, not every change brings such dramatic effects. For those old enough to remember, the last change was circa 2003/2004. What is particularly significant, though, is that the energies of these few years are fairly extreme.

That’s right! You’re not going crazy, the cosmos is! 😊

We can all agree that 2020 has pretty much been a complete washout. Ironically, everyone is looking forward to 2021. As though there is somehow a magical button in the heavens somewhere that would magically erase all the bad of 2020 and restore things to ‘normal’. Unfortunately, it doesn’t really work that way.

Here’s the 2021 Bazi Chart:

Water energies continue to be strong in 2021. On the surface, the chart is predominantly comprised of Water and Metal. When these two meet, they signify confusion and emotional overload. Metal is actually pretty weak, suggesting that the confusion is caused by disinformation (fake news, anybody?) driven by ideology and idealism. I will not delve any deeper into dissecting the 2021 chart. I’ll leave that to my betters!

What I would like to do, instead, is to share suggestions on how to shift your mindset to make the most of the Water energies of 2021. In other words, how to rise with the tide.

You see, the year’s Bazi Chart represents the energies that infuses us all. When the energies are this extreme, particularly in the case of Water, it signifies a tilt in our Bazi Structures. When that happens, what used to work does not seem to function well anymore. Even the most balanced structures could be bent out of shape.

So what to do? Should you panic? No! What this calls for, very simply, is a shift in mindset, focus and awareness. There are three possible scenarios. What you need to know is that we are comparing the difference between the Natal structure (yellow) and the Annual structure (purple).

The Stretched Bazi Structure/Extreme Structures

When a structure is stretched, basically it means more is added to what you already have a lot of (Water, obviously). The structure becomes more extreme. When that happens, you will tend to exhibit more of the negative aspects of your structure. Here are the five possible extreme structures and what you need to be aware of:

  1. Extreme Companion Structure. The Problem: When a Companion Structure hits its maximum, certain manipulative tendencies of the structure start to manifest. What could some of these tendencies be? Selfishness is one. When a Companion Structure falls unconsciously into an extreme frame of mind, you are only thinking about what’s in it for you, and you leave your friends and colleagues perplexed, wondering where has that nice team player gone to? The Solution: Focus on personal growth and development instead of belittling others to make yourself feel good. Create something new and diversify! Alternatively, consciously set personal boundaries and learn to recognize behaviour that could alienate others.
  2. Extreme Resource Structure. The Problem: When a Resource Structure shows its extreme qualities, procrastination caused by over-thinking or circular thinking is the biggest danger. The Solution: Talk to people to put your ideas and theories into perspective. Or hire a coach to help you cut through all that buzzing in your head! But do realize that there must be a deadline when the thinking stops and the action begins.
  3. Extreme Influence Structure. The Problem: You take conflict avoidance to the limit and beyond, so fearful of offending others that you can’t get anything done. The Solution: Accept that a certain amount of conflict is always unavoidable. It is unrealistic to think that you can achieving anything without stepping on a couple of toes every now and then. If you judge that this is a temporary condition (maybe only 2021?), then this may be a good year for you to further your education and go for that MBA that you have always been thinking about.
  4. Extreme Wealth Structure. The Problem: Micro-managing. A tendency to take on too much because you think you are the only one who can do the job. The Solution: Either you learn a new threshold of control or you create clear structures to encourage efficiency and heighten productivity with precisely defined task-based objectives and performance expectations.
  5. Extreme Output Structure. The Problem: Unruly, wanton risk-taking. When the Output Structure hits the ceiling, the know-it-all persona emerges, one with an extreme contradictory approach to problems. The Solution: If you cannot resist the siren call of breaking the rules, then at least make sure you know what you are doing. Complement that unconventional big-picture thinking by breaking the vision down to task-based objectives and examine each step to test for flaws.
The Flipped Chart – It’s Time To Pivot

If you find your chart is flipped by the influx of Water energies, it’s time to learn new skills and figure out a new modus operandi to navigate a changing world. Let’s not kid ourselves here, this process will feel uncomfortable because you are essentially learning to become a new person. But eyes on the prize, anything you gained from 2020 and 2021 is yours forever!

For the Water DayMasters, the Companion element will increase while the Wealth element drops. The success of 2021 will depend on how well you learn to work with others. This is the year to focus on your customers’ needs, reputation and fanbase.

Wood DayMasters will find their Resource element enhanced while Output drops. This represents wasted resources due to a lack of innovation. Find new uses for your existing product or skill and expand your market reach in 2021.

Fire DayMasters, 2021 calls for attention to your value-delivery structure. It doesn’t matter if you are a business owner or ‘just’ an employee. All of us have ‘customers’ to deliver to. The key message here is to make sure you are able to deliver what you promise.

Earth DayMasters, this is the year to put theory into practice as the Resource Element drops while the Wealth Element increases. Time to start that new business venture or side gig! Stop thinking and start doing.

Finally, Metal DayMasters, when your structured world (Influence) dissolves into chaos (Output), it’s time to start something new. This is the time for big-picture, out-of-the-box thinking. It’s about finding new solutions to old problems.

The Balanced Chart Stretched Out Of Shape – What To Focus On

For the rare individual with the relatively balanced natal structure, you could also think of 2021 as the year to learn new skills. But in your case, the change may be less uncomfortable, requiring a shift of focus as opposed to adopting a completely new approach.

Water DayMasters, focus on improving your communication skills. This is about how you put yourself forward. This skill will help enhance your networking ability which is prime in 2021. At the same time, do make sure that your productivity level does not fall below par while you are busy expanding your market.

Wood DayMasters, this is the time to upscale your analytical thinking skill. As the world economy move becomes more information-based, the ability to turn complex data into usable information is priceless.

Fire DayMasters, I have a question for you – what problems can you solve? This is the year to identify the answer to that question. The bigger the problem that you can tackle, the higher your net worth will be! Do be mindful though, that you must first thoroughly understand what your market wants as opposed to what you think they want.

For the Earth DayMasters, productivity is the buzzword for 2021. Ask yourself, how else can I deliver value? At the same time, be sure to have the human or financial or information resource you need to upscale your productivity.

Last but not least, Metal DayMasters, innovative new ideas are only as good as their execution. Learn to evaluate the value of your ideas and work on only the ones that matter.

As always, a final caveat. Without the ability to see the full chart, I must stress that the suggestions in this article are broad recommendations based on only the structure. These suggestions do not take into account the many layers of interactions that could possibly happen in a single chart. To pinpoint specific issues or to co-create solutions tailor-made for you, please feel free to drop me a line.

You can plot your Bazi Chart with this free resource (registration required) https://bazibz.masteryacademy.com/. However, do note that the plotter is still reflecting the 2020 energies.

SPEED MARKERS: WHAT MAKES FOR A GREAT RACER

What makes a motorcycle or car racer special? What are the speed markers? What signifies talent in this particular sport? Do conventional rules of Bazi hold for this arena? These and other derivative questions form the basis into this research.

But first, let me add some perspective as to how this curiosity came about. I am a professional storyteller in the motorsports industry. Everyday for the past 20+ years, I write about these people. Even for those of us in the industry, we hold these riders and drivers in awe. Sometimes, I swear we think that they of them as a completely different species – this amazing ability to function at awesome speeds that would turn us mere mortals into quivering masses of jello.

When I started learning Bazi, the conventional teachings is that the Bazi Chart of someone who wants to be a successful sports person must have strong Wood energy and a strong Warrior Star (the 7 Killings – or shortened to 7K). Similarly in the study of Qi Men Dun Jia, the energetic and aggressive White Tiger tends to be considered as essential for an athlete.

So I wondered. Do these general rules apply to motorsports? If yes, why and vice versa. Motorsports is a particularly dangerous sport. When they go out on track, these riders and drivers frequently put their lives on the line. In that case, does the 7K profile of the White Tiger star become an asset or liability?

To answer these questions and more, I delved into 52 Bazi Charts of former and present motorsports greats. At this point, I need to add a disclaimer. I do not know their time of birth. So we can only examine their external pillars – the ones they display to the world. The readings will change if their hour pillars come into play. But for the sake of consistency, we will stick to a 3-pillar reading instead of four.

This research will focus solely on the capacity and potential of the Chart. I will not be forecasting anything for any of them.

ELEMENTARY, MY DEAR WATSON – THE ROLE OF EACH ELEMENT IN A RACER’S CHART

All Chinese metaphysics studies boil down to an examination of the Five Elements – Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, and Metal. What is prosperous in the Chart? What is weak in the Chart? Specifically for the drivers and riders, how do the various interactions between the elements influence them? Before I even delve into other markers like Day Masters or structure or profile, I must first determine the predominant elements in their charts, and correspondingly, what they represent.

Conventional Bazi wisdom is right, though. To my surprise, I found that 31% of the charts featured Wood as the dominant energy. Why surprised? Because our sport is metal.

But upon reflection, the answer to that lies with us – corporate motorsports, so to speak. Think of our languaging when we talk about new riders. We call it talent DEVELOPMENT. We say that this rider is someone we can ‘grow’ or ‘train’. This is exactly what the Wood energy governs – self-development and growth.

So because we are constantly talking about ‘growth’, little wonder when we select riders for the talent programmes, we are inevitably drawn to those with strong Wood energy.

The list of drivers and riders for whom the Wood Qi is predominant in their charts are the Steady Eddies of the motorsports world. As the sport changes into the new era, I believe we will see more drivers and riders with prosperous Wood Qi emerging among the top phalanx of the sport, simply because they have the aptitude that are naturally appealing to the corporate sponsors.

They include Alain Prost, Alex Marquez, Andrea Dovisioso, Aryton Senna, David Couldhard, Eddie Lawson, Fabio Quartararo, Hafizh Syahrin, Jorge Lorenzo, Loris Capirros, Mark Marquez, Mike Hailwood, Niki Lauda, Sebastian Loeb, Takaaki Nakagami and Valentino Rossi.

At the other end of the spectrum, prosperous Metal makes up 23% of the charts. These guys are naturally attuned to motorsports. So picking up the skills come easy for them. Don’t bother to ask this bunch how they do it – they won’t be able to tell you. As opposed to the Wood bunch that needs to be ‘grown’, this group needs to be MOLDED.

Among them are Thomas Luthi, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Mika Hakkinen, Khairul Idham Pawi, Brad Binder, Norifumi Abe, Damon Hill, Alex Lowes, and Max Verstappen. Notice how most of the ‘bad boys’ of the sport are here. James Hunt, Barry Sheene, and our very own Azlan Shah.

So if Fire and Water are the speed markers, does this mean that those born with prosperous Water Qi or Fire Qi in their charts will have a natural talent for speed? Yes. But Water is preferred to Fire because Water also represents the ability to assess risk.

Here are the drivers and riders with prosperous Water Qi in their charts – Angel Nieto, Karamjit Singh, Lewis Hamilton, Jonathan Rea, Kenny Roberts, Randy Mamola, Maverick Vinales, Alex Rins, Michael Schumacher, Freddie Spencer, and Alvaro Bautista.

In that case, since Water is the preferred marker for speed, why then are there so few dominant Water charts in this study? There is a 50-50 split here between current and former racers. The only one who is actively racing at the top are Lewis Hamilton and Jonathan Rea. The rest are either retired or upcoming names. I suspect that the answer for this lies in a lack of opportunity as opposed to a lack of talent. Water by its nature, is fearless and relentless. Drivers and riders with prosperous Water in their charts may simply be sidelined due to the fact that they can be difficult to manage. Look at the list. Do you think it is easy for a team manager to rein in the likes of Schumacher?

Conversely, prosperous Fire seems to be less favourable in the quest to become a motorsports great. Simply because, Fire that is too strong creates Earth which leads to stagnation.

These are the guys who are driven by passion – Mick Doohan, Daijiro Kato, Sebastian Vettel, Anthony West, Giacomo Agostini, Lorenzo Dalla Porta, Max Biaggi, Alex Yoong and Tetsuya Harada.

For these guys to succeed, Water must be present somewhere to bring about some much-needed balance. Of the 10, Sebastian Vettel, Giacomo Agostini and Max Biaggi and Mick Doohan has both Fire and Water in their charts. Which is why they lead this passionate bunch in terms of accomplishments.

The motorsports arena is no country for the Earth Qi, the heaviest and least mobile of the five elements. These guys make it to the top by sheer force of will alone. It would take a tremendous amount of willpower for them to make it to the top. Here’s the list of drivers and riders with dominant Earth energies in their chart – Casey Stoner, Kimi Raikkonen, Wayne Gardner and Wayne Rainey. Remember what Casey Stoner said when he retired? He said he was exhausted!

To summarize a very long segment on the elements, prosperous Water is a better indication of motorsports talent. However, only a select few reach the top because the corporate world has a marked preference for the more pliable nature of those with Wood in their charts.

THE CLASH CODE – TO 7K OR NOT TO 7K

Many many years ago when I first embarked on my career, I knew a rider who retired at the top of his game. The reason? A fortune teller had informed him that if he continued racing past a certain age, he would meet a premature death.

When I finally immersed myself in the study of Bazi, I understood why. The technical explanation – in the year when the 7 Killings star protrude to the Heavens while at the same time, a clash between pillars happen in the chart, there is a higher chance of an accident occurring. This applies to all of us, but is magnified in racers due to the dangerous nature of the sport.

Yet, conventional wisdom says that an athlete should ideally possess a 7 Killings star. I wondered if that was true for motorsports.

Let’s start off by what the statistical data tells us. Of the 52 charts, 44% has ZERO 7 Killings. This includes Rossi and Marquez.

I would say it is better for a motorsports athlete to have ZERO 7 Killings. Why? Because according to the ancient text, when Officer and Influence converge, disaster can happen.

Basically what this means is, the Day Master loses control of the Warrior Star, leading to a possible loss of focus, wrong risk assessment and wrong decision making.

This can also happen to people like you and me, right? A split second of distraction, and maybe we accidentally ding our cars against the gate. But because Motorsports is a dangerous sport in itself, that is why I say, that for motorsports, the 7 Killing can be a disadvantage. Because their risks can be magnified. I would rather not see it in their chart.

Since we’re on this topic, let’s spend a paragraph on the Qimen White Tiger star which by its aggressive nature, is also considered as something necessary for a motorsports athlete. Not true. None of the 52 charts showed the White Tiger star in their destiny palace.

THE X-FACTOR: TO BE A SUPERSTAR

In this research, two key profiles stood out as the necessary ingredient for a successful racer. You need the overwhelming confidence of the Friend profile and the creative, out-of-the-box thinking of the Eating God profile.

But to be a superstar…

This, is Valentino Rossi:

What makes this guy special?

  1. He is a Wood Day Master – born in the day and month of Wood (Tiger). This is strong, thriving Wood that is very competitive by nature.
  2. For a Wood Day Master, the influence element is Metal, representing iron-clad determination.
  3. This chart has ZERO 7 Killings.
  4. His Guardian of Destiny is Harmony – endowing him with the ability to work with all kinds of people.
  5. This chart is not without its weakness. It has zero Water (a speed marker). However, he went through 30 years of Water luck from the age of 14.
  6. The Friend profile is his dominant profile. As mentioned earlier, this represents a towering self confidence along with an instinct to size up his competitor and use that information for his own benefit.
  7. A strong and usable Eating God star, a talent marker is found right next to him in the Month.
  8. The X-Factor lies here – the Rob Wealth leadership star. This is the star that brought his legions of fans to him and props him up a head and shoulder above the rest. Ironically, 40% of the drivers and riders surveyed had little or no Rob Wealth stars.

I’m not saying that Rossi’s chart is the only way to success in motorsports. However, of the 52 charts I studied, his stood out as having all the necessary ingredients. What differentiated him from the others, was that he instinctively knew how to use what he had to achieve his goals.

In the modern practice of Bazi, there is no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ charts. There is only the best use of the chart.

So what can we do with this information?

We can of course, identify potential, we can know how to motivate a talent, possibly forecast longevity in the business, we could also figure out how best to market this person and teach them to be mindful of the blind spots in their thinking.

I conducted a Facebook Live presentation of these findings about a month ago. Follow this link if you would like to watch the video.

QMDJ CASE STUDY #1: CAREER FORECAST

I’ve spent a lot of time writing about Bazi, very little about Qi Men Dun Jia. To tell you the truth, I use Qimen frequently, but I have not started to write a lot about it. That is set to change this month.

But first, what is Qi Men Dun Jia? It’s warcraft. In the olden times, the ancients use it to create war strategies. Today, we use it to guide business or career tactics, to win in the war of life.

As a Bazi Consultant, I tend to use Qimen as a shortcut to gain a quick understanding of my client’s situation. This is especially useful when the person is unclear of what they want or are unable to accurately describe their current situation.

A case study is the best way to illustrate how we use Qi Men Dun Jia. The chart below is a recent consult I did for someone who was weighing the pros and cons of a new career opportunity. I have listed the questions and answers from the chart in numerical order below. Here’s the chart.

Copyrighted material by the Joey Yap Mastery Academy. Sharing only for learning purposes.
  1. Question: What is the outcome if I were to accept this offer? Answer: Hour and Day in the same palace – It seems you have already decided to accept the offer. Hour and Day in the SW palace – It looks like you have decided to join them in either July or August. (Note: Turns out that she really had accepted the offer, but was using the consult as a reference to find out if she had made the ‘right’ decision).
  2. Question: Will I have the support I need? Answer: Chief in the SW palace along with the Asker and Outcome together with the Life Door – yes, this is a good sign that you will have his support and he will help you grow.
  3. Question: Will I be happy? Answer: Looking at the positive formations in the SW palace, I dare say that you will find this new adventure to be rewarding.
  4. Question: How can I maximize this opportunity for myself? Answer: Earth (SW) produces Metal (W). Now that you know you have your boss’s backing, you could consider looking into unexplored markets and new business opportunities for your new company and yourself.
  5. Question: What can I do to quickly get the ball rolling once I join them? Answer: Either focus on cleaning up their financial protocols or maybe some form of legal entanglements (Heavenly Heart) or help them gain a share of voice in the digital landscape via Digital Marketing

The sample chart above is copyrighted material of the Joey Yap Mastery Academy and is not available to the general public. The Hidden Sun is in the process of getting formal permission to share the copyrighted material for learning purposes. A free and simplified version can be found here: https://qmatools.masteryacademy.com/Account/Login.aspx.

BAZI DAY MASTERS #10: FREEDOM LOVING GUI (癸) WATER

Elusive, impossible to pin down, infinitely changeable, the Gui Water Day Master can best be characterized as someone who is intellectually fluid. The Yin counterpart of Ren Water, this element is usually presented as the mists that shroud the mountains, the clouds that change their shape with every puff of wind, the sudden drizzles that creates rainbows.

Amorphous is probably the best word to describe the creative and ever-imaginative Gui Water individual. They are always intellectually inclined, their agile minds thinking of a million and one things all at the same time. The problem is, these thoughts are usually free-flowing. The Gui Water who learns to channel and focus those thoughts and ideas will be truly successful.

The Gui Water Day Masters are not without their weaknesses, though. Like the formless water they represent, Gui Water people are often extremely fickle and lack sustaining power when it comes to pushing a major project through. It is common to find Gui Water individuals going through several different careers in the span of their working years.

Gui Water individuals are all about freedom.

Unhappy is the Gui Water who is tied down to a strict schedule or routine work. In business or in their careers, Gui Water individuals must choose a field where they enjoy a lot of flexibility, preferably without the need to worry about the nitty-gritty.

Gui Water Day Masters will also enjoy roles where they can use their subtle influence to draw out the best in others. Imagine life-giving rain sprinkling down on the arid ground to create new plants. The Gui Water’s idealistic nature shines at its brightest when it can be used to cultivate others. In this, the Gui Water’s approach to business is always driven by passion. The moment a Gui Water person discovers that one passion that is aligned with his or her inner values, that is the moment when things start happening.

To have the best chance of success, the Gui Water urgently needs to create a strong support system where they can leverage on the strength of others. No doubt, the Gui Water individual can be extremely productive working on their own passion projects but they will always need a team behind them to cross the finish line. This way, the Gui Water can focus on what they do best, creating value out of their ideas.

The Gui Water is particularly susceptible to boredom, their lives can be littered with a string of unfinished projects abandoned after the heat of initial passion is over. To overcome this, it is best that the Gui Water breaks down their goals into as many mini projects as possible. This tactic may help overcome the Gui Water’s distaste for routine.

Photo by Zbynek Burival on Unsplash

BAZI DAY MASTERS #9: A FORCE OF NATURE, REN (壬) WATER

Have you ever tried to stop the waves? Impossible, right? That’s exactly what the Ren Water is. Unstoppable, indomitable, intelligent and resourceful. In fact, they are so damned close to perfect that sometimes it is hard not to be envious of their many advantages.

In the study of Bazi, the Ren Water is perceived as the roaring waves of the sea, the deep waters of the oceans and the constant currents of the river. Water will always find a way around obstacles. Think of a river flowing effortlessly past rocks and boulders. Ren Water individuals handle hurdles the same way, always with tact and diplomacy. They find a way around the obstruction instead of smashing their way through.

Some Day Masters are good at big-picture thinking. Others are masters of the minutiae. The Ren Water, can do both at the same time! Like the resourceful ocean, Ren Water individuals are highly intelligent. They can work on small details while keeping a bigger picture in mind.

The Ren Water are born entrepreneurs.

In fact, I’m not sure why I’m writing this post. Perhaps just to keep the series intact (OCD, much?). The Ren Water individual probably already runs his or her own business born out of their unique vision.

Ren Water Day Masters will thrive where precise, organized and structured thinking is required. Perhaps that is why so many successful Ren Water individuals are to be found in the IT business. Their highly compartmentalized brain is a huge asset where they can call up the outstanding amounts of information they hold in their memory. 

Ren Water individuals are progressive thinkers and visionary business leaders who are able to think far ahead into the future. They are also the only Yang Day Masters with a natural ability to make good connections. Knowing the right people also forms a part of their resourcefulness.

The only thing that can stop a Ren Water is their own tendency to over-analyze. They can easily think themselves out of doing something. The Ren Water needs to be mindful of this and set their own cut-off point for when the thinking stops and the action starts.

Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash

BAZI DAY MASTERS #8: ALL THAT GLITTERS IS XIN (辛) METAL

The Xin Metal is the polar opposite of its Yang counterpart, the Geng. Where Geng is tough, Xin is delicate. Where Geng represents raw talent, Xin is beautifully crafted. That is why the Xin Metal is always likened to precious jewellery or antiques – valuable but fragile.

Xin Metal individuals are easily recognized. They are never scruffy, always well-dressed and well-presented. There is an innate elegance in them that loves the best that life has to offer.

Think of a gold ring adorned with a flawless diamond. Think about how your eyes are naturally captivated by its radiance and multi-faceted beauty. Similarly, Xin Metal individuals can command attention and adores being in the spotlight.

Xin Metal is all about leverage.

In the business of life, Xin Metal individuals are exceptionally creative and mentally agile. They are usually the ones with distinctive ideas and the confidence, skill, talent and wit to make the ideas sound convincing.

When it comes to their choice of career, the Xin Metal will always be driven to develop their own special skills. Ideally, the career should involve something precise, bespoke and of course, unique. Once developed, the Xin Metal will never keep their special skill hidden from the world.

A very common weakness for the Xin Metal is the inability to carry out the actions required to turn their outlandish ideas into reality. In other words, you can go to the Xin Metal when you need sharp ideas but they are not very reliable when it comes to getting the job done. Xin Metal individuals are more effective when they can leverage on the strengths of others. For this same reason, Xin Metals venturing into the business world for the first time will feel safer in partnerships.

The Xin Metal Day Master will be at his or her best in the business of selling ideas or influence as opposed to actual products or services. This way, they can bank on their individuality, unique vision and strategic networking abilities.

Therefore, the key to a Xin Metal individual’s success is his or her ability to build good relationships with as large a network as possible. The support and goodwill of others is the main leveraging factor for the Xin Metal.

Photo by Jacek Dylag on Unsplash

BAZI DAY MASTERS #7: THE ORIGINAL NUTCRACKER, GENG (庚) METAL

Geng Metal is aggressive, extremely hard and tough. It is often compared to unforged iron ore, raw metal or more popularly, a sharp and powerful sword. For iron to be useful, it needs to be forged by fire. Similarly, Geng Metal individuals are tough souls who can endure any kind of hardship and will emerge the better for it.

Action-driven, solid and persevering, these people have the innate drive to triumph against all odds. Within them lives a do-or-die attitude that will never admit defeat. Even when others around them have thrown in the towel and gone home, you can expect the Geng Metal to keep soldiering on.

These individuals will frequently appear cool and aloof on the outside. When their emotional equilibrium is balanced, their thought process is systematic and methodical. But watch out when the Geng Metal gets all fired up! In fighting mode, rage takes control and they may find it hard to remain detached. This strong fighting spirit which is such a boon for the Geng Metal becomes a bane when emotions cloud rationality.

Geng Metal always wants to win.

They love a good challenge and always want to be the first across the finish line. This enduring nature becomes a strength in their careers when the Geng Metal chooses a hard nut to crack. Go for something challenging that not everyone can handle. Something that requires endurance and dogged determination, with room for autonomy and minimal office politics. If it’s one thing the Geng Metal will not tolerate, it’s power games within the office.

Being an independent business owner will also appeal to the Geng Metal. If a partnership or joint venture is necessary, the Geng Metal’s partners should ideally be silent partners or clear boundaries of responsibilities have been drawn right from the start. Geng Metal individuals will find it hard to relinquish control.

To operate at their best, it is always advisable for the Geng Metal to map out their battle plan before the fighting starts. Clarity is power for the Geng Metal. To be at their most effective, they must first figure out what their objectives are and how to get there. Without this battle plan, the Geng Metal can be like an aimless sword slicing at thin air.

Photo by Tyler Lastovich on Unsplash