Today, let's delve straight into the fundamental structure of Qiong Tong Bao Jian and outline this overarching framework. We'll start by discussing the understanding of the 'Jia Wood.' Initially, we'll designate 'Jia Wood' as the day master and then correlate it with the twelve monthly branches. This method identifies a person's destiny in various ways. For instance, it can be determined by the 'Nayin 納音' (characterization based on the year of birth). This method involves assigning Nayin elements to the stems and branches, which is different from the Ziping Method 子平法. The Elements from Nayin aren't synonymous with the Five Elements in the Ziping Method. 'Qiong Tong Bao Jian' adopts the Ziping Method perspective, determining one's destiny from the day master, utilizing the orthodox Five Elements theory. In this theory, the Five Elements encompass Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, with their respective directions as West, East, South, North, and Center. Jia 甲 and Yi 乙 belong to the Wood element, Bing 丙 and Ding 丁 belong to Fire, Wu 戊 and Ji 己 belong to Earth... It's determined by the stems and branches, not the Nayin method, which assesses each pillar separately. If you're a 'Jia Wood' person, it means you have a 'Jia Wood' destiny. If you're a 'Bing Fire' person, it means you have a 'Bing Fire' destiny... From now on, when I refer to your destiny, it implies your day master (or the dominant Heavenly Stems of your Bazi).
Let's begin by understanding the essence of Jia Wood. The Five Elements associated with Jia and Yi Woods both belong to the Wood element. Jia Wood embodies a yang 陽 and upward-moving energy, signifying a wood in active growth, absorbing essence from the heavens and the earth. It represents a vibrant, ascending growth, steadily expanding and reaching upwards. On the contrary, Yi Wood embodies a different energy, categorized as a passive or yielding wood. It carries a more serene energy, having already attained its full wood essence, hence it grows horizontally rather than vertically (vertically as in Jia Wood). This distinction in the quality of energy was utilized in ancient practices like the Ziping Method and traditional Chinese medicine. Jia Wood governs the liver and gallbladder, particularly emphasizing the gallbladder, a region filled with yang energy. The gallbladder cannot be disregarded; when affected by cold, it diminishes one's courage, induces nightmares, and leads to a weakened state upon slight exposure to cold. Jia Wood embodies the energy of vitality and growth, and violating this vital yang energy negates some of its characteristic features. This concept applies in both traditional Chinese medicine and destiny analysis.
What traits define Jia Wood? How do these traits manifest in destiny? Let's consider the character '日' (rì) (when the Chinese character of Jia 甲 is removed from its centre straight stroke, or we called it '豎' - shù, it becomes '日' (rì)), which depicts the sun rising or a field sprouting. Though the ancient script differs, it's akin to something splitting from a crevice. When the character '甲' (jiǎ) was coined, it symbolized something emerging from a crevice. Whether it's a sprouting bean or a tree bud, both absorb yang energy from crevices to initiate growth. This imagery vividly captures the concept of birth, as yang energy sparks life from a crevice. It symbolizes the birth of life, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, commencing growth after winter or when a bean starts sprouting with appropriate warmth. Thus, it signifies the birth of life. Such individuals may consider themselves foremost, naturally inclined to be the first in anything, fond of experimenting with new and pioneering endeavors. In other words, they tend to lead paths unexplored by others or ventures others hesitate to embark on. Being at the initial stage of life, they naturally aim for the first position, venturing into pioneering tasks. Just by examining this pictorial representation, we glean insights into the inner psyche of Jia Wood individuals, revealing their innate drive and tendencies that subconsciously manifest.
Expanding further, considering this depiction of Jia Wood as something splitting straight from a crevice, emerging as a sharp vertical, akin to a blade splitting open, suggests a bold, straightforward nature. Individuals of this nature naturally possess a directness and an inherent defiance in their approach to tasks. It's understandable; if a budding leaf or flower bud loses its vigor, it won't sprout or bloom. Hence, they are inherently averse to oppression or constraint. This quality ingrained in Jia Wood individuals' genetics perpetually urges them to achieve this sense of freedom. This exemplifies what we refer to as the inclinations among the Ten Heavenly Stems 十天干— they exhibit a tendency for self-selection. The Ten Heavenly Stems are not uniform; each possesses distinct tendencies. It's crucial for the readers to differentiate between the study of destiny analysis and the social sciences inherited from Western modernity. In social sciences, for instance, Western ideology upholds the belief in equality at birth, regardless of gender or background, a principle reflected in legal frameworks. This applies to the understanding of individuals in contemporary society. However, destiny analysis studies individuals not as societal entities but as unique individuals experiencing life once in a lifetime. The law and social sciences examine humanity as a whole, but destiny analysis focuses on the singular individual experience. It's important to return to reality; comparing Jia and Yi Woods reveals their differences. This highlights the individual inclinations among the Ten Heavenly Stems, and leveraging these inclinations effectively helps individuals fulfill their inherent traits. When these traits aren't utilized optimally, individuals may feel a sense of rebellion, disinterest, or an inability to harness their full potential. For instance, Jia Wood represents unyielding determination; assigning it tasks involving excessive twists and turns might not yield optimal results, as it cannot leverage its innate strengths. Our exploration of the Ten Heavenly Stems, particularly focusing on Jia Wood, aims to elucidate its inherent tendencies.
Earlier, I explained Jia Wood's characteristics through pictorial representation, highlighting its essence of birth, growth, resistance to oppression, inherent defiance, straightforwardness, and integrity. Common idioms also capture the essence of Jia Wood. For instance, we often describe such individuals as possessing leadership qualities—like a sturdy pillar supporting an entire structure, providing reliability and a sense of security. Jia Wood individuals are often seen as pillars, giving a sense of security as if they can withstand anything, like holding up the sky.
Understanding the basics of these terms in 'Qiong Tong Bao Jian' provides a general insight into these traits. This book often uses figurative language, assigning Jia Wood as the supporting beam of a towering tree, frequently employing analogies to discuss Jia Wood's characteristics. What is a supporting beam? It's a pillar! It's the pillar that holds up an entire building or a horizontal beam. This book employs the imagery of Jia Wood as reaching for the sky, exhibiting characteristics of responsibility and leadership—this is a distinctive trait of 'Qiong Tong Bao Jian.'
Now, taking a different approach, if I were to criticize Jia Wood, I'd say they can be stubborn and difficult to persuade. This isn't a blanket statement for all Jia Wood individuals, but rather, in comparison to other Heavenly stems, they can be challenging to convince. Their stubbornness isn't about being entirely unyielding; it's about their inclination to act according to their own will, even if they appear to heed your words. They might comply, but they'll still follow their own inclinations—a true essence of defiance.
Yi Wood tends to compromise, while Jia Wood, although also unwilling to submit, demonstrates a stark difference. In situations where both Jia and Yi Woods agree, Jia Wood might comply outwardly but would emphasize its uniqueness—'I want to do it differently!' On the other hand, Yi Wood tends to compromise: 'If you pressure me, I'll comply, but otherwise, I'll revert to my original state.' Both represent Wood, but in a less flattering portrayal, Jia Wood is seen as having a challenging temperament—too inflexible and defiant. It emphasizes that with positive traits comes negative aspects. Jia Wood, symbolizing reaching for the sky, represents positivity, but its downside is being overly self-centered—focused solely on growth, overshadowing the smaller details below. Therefore, while you can rely on Jia Wood's strength, you can't depend on its empathy. Jia Wood lacks empathy but can still benefit you, offering stability and security like an unyielding pillar. It may not like you, yet it can still do good for you, providing a sense of security like a reliable anchor. However, expecting sympathy or understanding from Jia Wood is futile—it doesn't consider nuances. Its towering nature doesn't accommodate such considerations; if it did, its growth would be hindered, and things would come to a standstill, disrupting subsequent Heavenly stems like Yi Wood, Bing and Ding Fire, Wu and Ji Earth, and so on. Hence, Jia Wood must grow. For instance, its desire to be first, ostensibly a neutral trait, can also be perceived negatively—it lacks subtlety in showcasing its desires and lays them bare. On a positive note, it strives for excellence; negatively, it struggles to conceal its intentions and methods, displaying a clear sense of purpose. If a Jia Wood individual's destiny chart is unfavourable, they can easily be exploited because of their explicit goals—everyone knows what they aim for. Their innate desires and the drawback of striving for superiority, the reluctance to be insulted... these are all characteristics and vulnerabilities of Jia Wood. It's relatively easy to bring down Jia Wood—spread rumours behind their back, sow discord between them and their leaders, and they will quickly become disheartened, facing significant setbacks. However, supporting Jia Wood is also straightforward—offer it suitable space, and provide constructive criticism indirectly rather than directly, because if you oppose it, it won't listen, but if you praise it, it will. Wood likes to thrive; comply with it, and it will be content. If you wish to offer suggestions, don't deny its nature. Even if you mean well, if you contradict its nature, it won't listen. These aspects collectively depict the strengths and vulnerabilities of Jia Wood.
I often encounter situations where people offer me advice without much understanding themselves. They might believe that my demeanour suggests I won't take offence, but what they say might be unclear or even impolite, leading me to mistakenly perceive it as intentional sarcasm. Deep down, I know they're trying to offer advice. In the world of Jia Wood individuals, they often feel that those offering advice are inferior to them. It's peculiar, but if you ask a Jia Wood person, because they're the tallest tree, everyone else seems shorter. When a person's destiny leans heavily toward Jia Wood characteristics, especially when their day master (of the Jia Wood) is particularly dominant, they tend to be impervious to advice. Especially when conflicting clashing between their Earthly branches, they tend to deliberately act contrary to what others suggest, making them relatively easy to handle. If someone displays Jia Wood traits amidst their destiny chart (with many peers or rob wealth), deliberately providing well-intended advice in a negative manner would further deter them from listening, which could be detrimental. So, when discussing Jia Wood individuals, it's essential for those who fall into this category to recognize both their strengths and weaknesses. The strengths are also the weaknesses, and vice versa. Avoid being too single-minded and always be aware that others exist around you; don't overly believe that you're the only one. Moving forward, when discussing Jia Wood born in specific months, one favourable destiny is 'Wood Thriving in the Forest,' where wood is abundant in spring, creating a harmonious environment where everyone contributes positively—a characteristic of a successful destiny. Another positive destiny involves having multiple counterparts (like peers or rob wealth) without conflicting elements, leading to unity and an openness to suggestions. Through combinations in one's destiny chart, weaknesses can be turned into strengths, setting the groundwork for success.
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