How to Choose the Right Time for A Qimen Reading

Qimen dunjia is a versatile and comprehensive method of horary astrology. To forecast events and develop strategies, a qimen reader plots a qimen chart at a trigger time and interprets the results. Choosing the right time is critical to ensure an accurate qimen reading.

When plotting a qimen destiny chart, the reader uses the client’s date and time of birth.

When answering a question he asks himself, the reader uses the exact moment he formulates the question.

When performing a live reading with a client, the reader uses the time when he receives the question from the client.

These are simple and uncontroversial. But what happens if there is a delay between receiving the question and answering it?

Here’s a hypothetical scenario. A client emails a reader at 12pm to request a reading. The reader reads the email at 4pm. But the reader is only able to work on the question at 9pm.

Which time should the reader use?

When we posed this question, we received wildly different answers.

The most common response is to use the time at which the reader is able to work on the question. This is the most intuitive answer. Those familiar with qimen would have experienced a reader generating a chart on the spot during a live reading.

However, qimen dunjia existed in a time before emails and text messages. It was meant to be performed face-to-face. The authors of the classics probably have not conceived of a time where qimen readings could be delivered over email.

The second-most common answer is to use the time at which the reader reads the email. Qimen is meant to be read from the perspective of the reader. The moment which he reads the email is the moment where he has an affinity with the question, or so the thinking goes.

The least common answer was to use the time the client sent the email. We were also advised against backdating the reading. Again, intuitively, this makes sense. A qimen chart is supposed to be plotted on the spot.

But if this were true, then how is it possible to plot a qimen destiny chart? If a reader were not meant to use qimen to plot a chart at a point in the past, then logically speaking, qimen destiny charts should not exist. It would not be possible for a person to tap into his personal guardian of destiny, to identify his life challenges, or to explore different facets of his personality. Since qimen dunjia is capable of forecasting a person’s destiny based on his date and time of birth, we cannot reject the backdating method.

To answer this question for ourselves, we decided to run an experiment.

We asked our friend to simulate the above-mentioned scenario. We would plot the chart at the time we receive the email, the time we read the email, and the time we get to work on it. Then we would see which forecast was the most accurate.

Our friend emailed us at 0926. We noticed the email in our inbox at 0943. This is the chart at that time:

We opened the email and read his question at 1151. Here is the chart:

We were busy through the morning and well into the evening. We were only able to begin work on the reading at 2224. This is the chart at that time:

Working on the first 2 charts took longer than expected. To ensure a fair experiment, we decided to plot the chart one last time, when we were able to do a fresh reading. This is the chart, at 0005 the following day:

Our friend wanted a relationship reading. He was interested in a girl and wanted to know whether he should pursue her. The focii of such a reading is Geng, representing our friend, Yi, representing the female he is interested in, and Six Harmonies, the deity that governs relationships.

What struck us was how fundamentally similar all 4 charts were. The Geng and Yi palaces contain the same stars (Hero and Heart) and Deities (Nine Heaven and Moon). The Six Harmony Palace has Xin as its heavenly stem and Grass as its star.

All four charts are also uniformly negative. Either the male or the female counters the Six Harmony palace, indicating a lack of interest. The presence of the Moon in the Yi palace tells us that the female is hiding something from the male, while the Heart suggests a tendency towards aloofness and emotional independence. It will be difficult to maintain an intimate relationship when secrets stand between both parties.

This experiment tells us that regardless of the time the reader chooses for the question, the macro-level perspective is more or less the same. The devil is in the details, revealed in the combination of the stems and doors, which change every two hours, and the relationship of the relevant palaces with each other.

In a relationship reading, the doors represent a person’s character. The combination of the heavenly and earthly stems shows the interaction between present and past events, leading to future events. These are the critical details that provide context for the reading, the details that would determine the accuracy of the reading.

After discussing all 4 readings with our friend, he came to a conclusion:

The most accurate chart was the chart we plotted at the time he sent the email.

There was a catch, however. The email arrived at 0926. We noticed the email at 0946. Was the trigger time the time when the email arrived, or the time when we noticed the email?

We decided to run a second experiment. This time, we would read the email as soon as it arrived, not when we felt ready to read emails.

For our second experiment, our friend sent the email at 2053.

The reading concerned a joint activity involving us and our friend. This is a straightforward forecast, using the day stem (Wu) and the hour stem (Ren for the first chart, Gui for the second).

Once again, you will notice the similarities between both charts. The Wu palace in both charts contains Pillar, Hook (Polaris), and Fear (Shock) Door. In both cases, the day palace counters the hour palace, which suggests success but at a high cost.

The differences are also much more pronounced. The hour palaces in both charts have different combinations of stems, stars, deities and doors. The second chart is in fu yin, which suggests stagnation.

Both charts offer alternate strategies to the situation. While the second chart has two palaces to draw from (the earth palaces at the southwest and northeast) and the first only has one (the fire palace to the north), the Ji palace is almost exactly the same. That palace has Nine Heaven, Official and Life Door. The only difference in both charts is the earthly stem.

As above, this experiment reveals that the charts, regardless of time, present the big picture in more-or-less the same way. However, the details differ more dramatically. We discussed the details with our friend, and came to a conclusion:

The more accurate chart was the one generated at the time he sent the email.

Different readers may have their own methods to select a time to generate a chart. As for us, our experiments show that we should use the time the email arrives in our inbox. Our clients attest to the accuracy of our qimen readings as well. Going forward, until and unless more data tells us otherwise, this will be the method we use to generate qimen charts for future email readings.

Do you need a qimen forecast of your own? Contact us here and let’s help you find the answers you need.

We noticed and read the email at 2136. This is the chart at that time:

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