Chapter 4 of 102
神峰通考
Overall Paraphrased Meaning
This chapter of Shenfeng Tongkao specifically critiques the erroneous viewpoints in Ziping astrology. The author points out that books like Luoluozi one-sidedly emphasize the importance of wealth and official status (💰🏛️) while neglecting the balance of the Day Master's (🧘) strength and weakness, which is unreasonable. If the Day Master is too weak and wealth and official status are too strong, a person simply cannot bear the pressure; conversely, if the Day Master is too strong and wealth and official status are too light, resources will be insufficient. Proper astrological analysis should comprehensively consider the relationship between the strength of wealth and official status and the Day Master. The Ziping texts state, "If wealth and official status are light and the Day Master is strong, the luck cycle of wealth and official status is most extraordinary," which is a reasonable principle. However, Luoluozi only pursues the prosperity of wealth and official status without considering the state of the Day Master, which is a grave mistake.
The Noble Day Pattern, such as the sayings "甲戊庚牛羊 (Jia, Wu, Geng: ox and sheep), 乙巳鼠猴乡 (Yi, Si: rat and monkey)," is entirely baseless. The so-called Heavenly Noble Star, when the Day Master aligns with it, is considered auspicious or inauspious for the Noble Day Pattern. However, the concept of the Noble Star itself is varied and of unreliable origin, similar to superstitious fallacies like the Five-Star Child Guardian Shutdown. Even if the Day Master aligns with the Noble Star, it should not overshadow the importance of wealth, official status, and the Seal Star (📜). Solely venerating the Noble Star is too fanciful. The theory of the Noble Star is baseless and lacks theoretical support, making it untrustworthy. The Six Yi Rat Noble Pattern is equally absurd.
The Virtuous Day Pattern, which includes days like Jia Yin, Wu Chen, Geng Chen, and Ren Xu, is called "virtuous" without any investigation into its origin. This is purely a fallacy in Ziping astrology.
The Noble Authority Pattern, which selects combinations like Ren Chen, Geng Xu, Geng Chen, and Wu Xu atop the tomb libraries, claims to grant great authority but lacks any theoretical support. Why should aligning with these tomb libraries confer power? This is another major error in Ziping texts.
The Six Ren Heading to Gen Pattern claims that the Jia Wood within Yin combines with Ji Earth to form Ren's official status, and the Bing Fire within Yin combines with Xin Metal to form Ren's Seal. This is entirely fabricated. It likely stems from the same lineage of absurd theories as the Arching Salary and Flying Horse Salary patterns and is particularly untrustworthy, hence its classification as a fallacy.
The Six Jia Heading to Qian Pattern claims that Hai is the Heavenly Gate, and only the Six Jia Day Masters aligning with it are considered heading to Qian. Why then are other Day Masters aligning with Hai not called heading to Qian? The Heavenly Gate is originally a concept of圆融 (perfect harmony) without doors, and Qian is merely the northwest direction, symbolizing the Heavenly Gate. How can this be used to discuss human fortune and misfortune? This theory is also a fallacy in Ziping astrology.
The Gouchen Attaining Position Pattern treats Wu as Gouchen, with "attaining position" referring to aligning with the realms of wealth and official status. If the Wu or Ji Day Masters are strong (💪) and can handle wealth and official status, it is somewhat reasonable. However, if the Day Master is weak (😵) and wealth and official status are too strong, leading to excessive wealth weakening the body or excessive killing overwhelming the body, and it is still called Gouchen attaining position auspiciously, it is a grave mistake. The theory of Xuanwu in Power is similarly absurd.
The Reform Pattern refers to Geng or Xin Day Masters encountering the complete combinations of Shen, You, and Xu or Si, You, and Chou. However, such combinations are often杂乱不纯 (chaotic and impure), similar to the Ren Gui Moistening Down Pattern, and rarely result in wealth and nobility in reality. Other principles should be used for inference. Only the Curved Straight (🌳) and Farming (🌾) patterns commonly result in wealth and nobility, while the Fire Pattern (🔥), such as the complete combination of Si, Wu, and Wei, is not favorable. The author advocates upholding correct principles and eliminating fallacies.
The core of this chapter is to critique the fallacies in Ziping astrology that blindly follow traditional pattern theories, emphasizing that astrological analysis must be based on rational balance rather than superstition or baseless assumptions. The author argues that the strength of the Day Master and wealth/official status must be considered comprehensively, avoiding single-indicator determinism. This reflects an academic attitude of discerning truth from falsehood.
In modern astrology, this critical spirit is highly worth emulating. We live in a data-driven era, and astrological analysis should focus on overall balance and empirical verification rather than rigidly adhering to traditional patterns. For example:
This reflects the extension of the "Golden Mean" (中庸) philosophy in traditional Chinese culture: everything requires balance and moderation. The process of critiquing fallacies is essentially a pursuit of truth and rationality, encouraging independent thinking and avoiding blind obedience to authority. In modern society, this attitude helps integrate traditional wisdom with scientific spirit, promoting personal growth.
