Chapter 1 of 102
神峰通考
The traditional method for establishing the Life Palace (命宫) and Body Palace (身宫) is to set the Life Palace at the Mao position and the Body Palace at the You position. Why is this arrangement used? Because Mao belongs to the East and corresponds to the Wood element 🌳, which symbolizes benevolence and virtue. Benevolence governs life and longevity, so the Life Palace is placed here. You belongs to the West and corresponds to the Metal element 🪙, which represents righteousness and principle. Righteousness governs appropriateness and norms, hence the Body Palace is established here. The Life Palace corresponds to the initial stage of conception, dominated by benevolent Wood, reflecting the principle of continuous growth and vitality. The Body Palace corresponds to the stage after the embryo takes form, symbolized by righteous Metal, expressing the meaning of establishing one's body and destiny. The rationale for determining the Body Palace and Life Palace lies here, aligning with the fundamental principles of heaven and earth.
The method for arranging the stars should be based on the Five Stars Guide (《五星指南》) as the foundational system, with Qin Tang (《琴堂》) and Dian Jia (《殿驾》) serving as practical applications. The foundational system can be regarded as the standard for fate calculation, while practical applications form the basis for judging fortune and misfortune. Other schools, such as Qiao Ao (《乔拗》), Jia Pan (《加盘》), and Bu Tian Jing (《步天经》), also use the Life Palace as the starting point for calculations. The elemental attributes of each palace are as follows:
The relationships of generation and restriction align with conventional Five Elements theory. However, there is debate about whether the Sun in the Wu Palace can be obscured by Jupiter. The Sun is supremely exalted, making it difficult for Jupiter to obscure it, but it is reasonable for the Sun to favor the company of Metal and Water. The Moon in the Wei Palace belongs to Earth and dislikes suppression by Earth-based stars like Saturn (土) and Ketu (计). Instead, it favors protection by Fire, Rahu (罗), and Metal. ⚠️ Note: All stellar interactions of generation and restriction must be based on the Life Palace, not the Body Palace, because Life precedes Body.
Major cycles (大运) begin from the Life Palace and do not rely on the Body Palace, reiterating that Life precedes Body. Human fortune and misfortune must be deduced from the Life Palace—what benefic stars are present? What malefic stars are present? Malefic stars residing in the Life Palace indicate a life of loneliness and hardship, while benefic stars residing in the Life Palace signify a life of wealth and honor. If there are no stars in the Life Palace, examine the trine palaces (e.g., Yin, Wu, and Xu). If there are still no stars, examine the angular palaces (though this method is controversial). What is unfavorable for the Life Palace is also unfavorable in transportation cycles. The same judgment method applies to palaces like Wealth and Property, all based on the orthodox principles of Five Elements generation and restriction.
Degree lords refer to the elemental attributes of the lunar mansions' degrees. For example, if the Life Palace is established in Yin and the cycle reaches the Tail Fire Tiger mansion (which belongs to Fire), then Water is the element that restricts the degree, and Wood is the element that benefits the degree. 🔍 If there is a conflict between what benefits the Life Palace and what restricts the degree lord, prioritize the Life Palace. Overemphasizing the degree lord can easily lead to confusion. For methods of dividing degrees, refer to Zhang Tigu's Song of Degree Division (《划度歌》).
Regarding stellar classifications:
The seven government stars are like noblemen, causing relatively mild harm, while the four subordinate stars are like petty individuals, causing severe harm. This illustrates the principle of "a fox borrowing the tiger's authority."
In the Five Elements fate calculation system, the Five Stars Guide covers the methods for deriving the eight characters, establishing the Life and Body Palaces, arranging the stars, solar terms, and Five Elements generation and restriction. These are fundamental and indispensable for fate calculation. Other texts, such as Five Stars (《五星》), Qin Tang (《琴堂》), Dian Jia (《殿驾》), Jia Pan (《加盘》), and Bu Tian Jing (《步天经》), also contain orthodox principles. However, it is important to note that within Five Elements theory, orthodox principles are rare, while fallacious theories are relatively abundant.
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