Introduction to Yin, Yang and the Five Elements (Part 4)

Throughout this series on yin and yang and the five elements, we’ve discussed the theory behind them and how they relate to each other. Now we move to the fun part: application.

Chinese metaphysics is based in Daoism, and the principal goal of Daoism is to seek harmony with the Dao. When you are in harmony with the universe, the universe itself will support you. Obstacles will disappear, you will achieve your goals effortlessly, you may even attain enlightenment.

The five elements is the conceptual framework we use to achieve this goal of harmony. First we understand the elemental composition of the subject we are studying. Then we apply the appropriate elemental cycle to either strengthen or weaken the configuration of energies to attain harmony.

Let’s look at how we can use the elemental cycles in feng shui, bazi and qimen dunjia.

Feng Shui

The art of feng shui is the proper configuration and use of space within a property for maximum effect. Depending on your preferred school, the five elements have varying degrees of influence in planning. However, the various schools of feng shui all agree on the troubles that come with Five Yellow.

Five Yellow is a fierce star that brings negative energies into the direction it resides in. In the Xuan Kong Flying Star school, Five Yellow flies from one direction of your house to another every year. In 2023, it is located in the northwest sector of your home.

When activated, Five Yellow brings calamity to the house. Lighting a fire, undergoing renovation works, or making loud noises in the area will activate the star. Five Yellow is said to bring serious illness, financial ruin and obstacles into your life. Having personally experienced such events, we cannot understate the importance of leaving Five Yellow alone.

Why do these activities activate Five Yellow? Five Yellow is associated with the element of earth. Fire produces earth, strengthening Five Yellow. Renovation and loud noises disturb the earth, agitating the energy. The only time Five Yellow is not a negative star is when it flies into the centre of the house, which is its natural home. The centre of a property is associated with the number five, the colour yellow and the element of earth—hence the name Five Yellow.

The best feng shui remedy is simply to refrain from using the Five Yellow sector for the year. If you can’t do that, you need to employ a feng shui cure.

The cure for Five Yellow is to place metal objects (usually six metal coins or a windchime with six rods) in the direction Five Yellow resides in for that year. This is because Five Yellow represents earth, and by producing metal, earth is exhausted. The number six is also associated with the element of metal, enhancing this effect.

Why not use a wood cure instead? Because wood conquers earth. ‘Conquer’ here implies a clash of elements, or even a battle. This agitates the energy of the area, and Five Yellow is triggered by energetic agitation. When you consider that the trigram of Thunder is associated with the element of wood, you can see why you should refrain from making loud noises in the Five Yellow sector. Owing to the many negative effects of using wood in Five Yellow, it is best to calm and drain it instead using metal.

In a similar fashion, the use of other feng shui cures is associated with the five elements and yin yang theory. By manipulating the configuration of energies in the property, and using the right place at the right time for the right activity, you obtain optimal results.

Bazi

A person’s bazi chart reveals the configuration of energies at his time of birth. A person with a balanced and favourable chart will enjoy natural advantages in life. He will be born to rich and supportive parents, he will be highly intelligent, he will have many friends, and success comes easily.

When the elements are out of balance, the chart holder’s life will also be out of balance. He may lack self-awareness and creativity, he may suffer from poor health and finances, he may feel trapped or lost. He needs useful elements or useful gods to re-balance his life.

When dealing with an imbalanced chart, a common bazi cure is either to wait until an auspicious time which contains the elemental energies a person needs, or to make friends with people who have the right energetic configuration to balance the chart. Contemporary masters also advocate cultivating the properties represented by the elements deficient in your chart, so that you can transcend your chart.

Consider this example: a person has a Bing (yang fire) day master and is born in the height of summer. His day master would naturally be strong. His day master is surrounded by plenty of wood and fire. This is an extremely strong day master—too strong.

What would such a person look like? On the surface, he is strong-willed, charismatic and intelligent. But these same traits will have a tendency to lead him into a self-destructive spiral. He is so assured of his own strengths and superiority that he can’t acknowledge his mistakes, and would rather double down on his assumptions instead of addressing his flaws. He might even attract the kind of people who would cheer him on and push him further down the path of self-destruction.

Yang fire needs Ren (yang water) to thrive. When the sun meets the ocean, the earth is illuminated. In the absence of yang water, or if it is separated from it, he may lack the discipline, dynamism and willpower to see things through to the end.

This ultra-imbalanced chart needs metal or earth to regain balance. Earth is preferred: fire produces earth, exhausting it; wood conquers earth and is further weakened in the process. Should metal appear, it will be blunted by chopping through the abundance of wood. The fire will then be reduced by melting what’s left of metal. While there will still be a beneficial effect, it will be less pronounced.

One bazi remedy is to wait for an auspicious period with metal or earth energies. This could mean waiting for a metal or earth year, or transitioning into a ten-year luck period with appropriate elemental energies. During a period with earth energies, the chart holder may gain a measure of humility, groundedness, discipline, urgency and common sense. This could help him address his flaws, paving the way for future success.

Another remedy is to make friends with people who possess the useful element(s) and keep them close. Such a person isn’t going to tolerate any nonsense from the chart holder. He will try to set him straight, to keep him focus, to help him make the most of his strengths while overcoming his weaknesses.

A modern bazi cure is for the chart holder to actively cultivate the qualities he is missing. Thus, he will be advised to be firm and steady, to be reliable and trustworthy, to develop sincerity and resilience, and other such earthly traits.

Yet none of these cures will automatically lead to success and fulfilment. The chart holder has to put in the work. If an auspicious period arrives but he doesn’t do anything, then he remains stuck. If a friend wants to help him but he pushes him away, then he remains stuck. If he knows what he has to cultivate but refuses to do it, then he also remains stuck.

A bazi chart shows you who a person is, who he will be—and most importantly, what he can do to overcome his weaknesses. The elemental cycle is the principal tool to attain balance. Yet without effort, the chart will be useless. Your fate may be written in the stars, but your destiny is in your hands.

Qimen Dunjia

Qimen dunjia is the study of space and time. It charts the energy configuration of the universe across time. At the moment you conceive of your question, the chart at that time will provide the answer.

Qimen dunjia uses the elemental cycles to expose problems and reveal solutions. A qimen chart arranges nine palaces in a 3×3 grid. The eight palaces surrounding the central palace is assigned to an element. The interactions of the elements of each palace can be used to determine how one aspect of a situation relates to another.

When the asker and the outcome are located in palaces with the same element, it is usually considered to be positive. When the element of one palace produces another, then it is positive for the palace being produced—but negative for the palace doing the producing. The former is increasing at no cost to itself, whereas the latter is decreasing while seeing no gain. When the element of one palace conquers another, then it shows that the former will be victorious and the latter defeated, but at high cost. The interaction shows a fierce battle that leaves the conqueror weakened. By undertaking the actions described in the palace that triggers a favourable outcome, you can attain your goals at minimal cost.

Suppose you wish to start a business. You develop a business plan, then use qimen to forecast the outcome. The asker palace, representing yourself, falls into the north, associated with the element of water. The outcome palace, representing the answer, is in northeast, which is associated with earth. The life door, in this case meaning profits, is in the southwest, which is also an earth palace. Your competition, which is the month pillar, is also in the southwest.

This is a terrible forecast. You have two earth palaces countering the single water palace. You’re going to expend a huge amount of energy for little gain. Your competitors are established in the industry and are highly profitable—but you won’t be.

The beauty of qimen is that in the face of negative forecasts, it provides an alternative solution. In this situation, the solution is to embark on the strategy described in the west or northwest palace. West and northwest are associated with metal. Earth produces metal, and metal produces water. By carrying out the actions that strengthen you, you will achieve your goal.

Placing Ideas In Context

Yin, yang, five elements, ten heavenly stems and the elemental cycles are the core components of Chinese metaphysics. Other masters go into extensive detail about the meanings of these concepts on their respective blogs and websites. As for us, we want to place these ideas in context.

Chinese metaphysics comes from Chinese culture. Chinese culture places a great deal of emphasis on change, transformation, harmony, interdependence, interconnectedness, context, and holistic thought. These ideas are reflected in the arts of feng shui, bazi, qimen dunjia, and other Chinese methods of astrology and divination.

Studying the meaning of elements, stems and other related concepts are certainly of great importance. However, as we’ve repeatedly stated, each of these aspects cannot be read in isolation. To truly grasp Chinese metaphysics, we must see the essence of these aspects and see how they relate to each other in the context of the reading. This is what we at Healiss Metaphysics will focus on in our work, showing you the true depth and wonder that is Chinese metaphysics.

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