''Ziwei doushu'', sometimes translated into English as purple star astrology, is a form of

fortune-telling Fortune telling is the spiritual practice of predicting information about a person's life. Melton, J. Gordon. (2008). ''The Encyclopedia of Religious Phenomena''. Visible Ink Press. pp. 115–116. The scope of fortune telling is in principle ...

Chinese culture Chinese culture () is one of the Cradle of civilization#Ancient China, world's earliest cultures, said to originate five thousand years ago. The culture prevails across a large geographical region in East Asia called the Sinosphere as a whole ...

. The study of destiny () is one of the five arts of Chinese metaphysics. Along with the Four Pillars of Destiny, ''ziwei doushu'' is one of the most renowned fortune-telling methods used in this study. Much like western

astrology Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...

, ''ziwei doushu'' claims to use the position of the cosmos at the time of one's birth to make determinations about personality, career and marriage prospects, and more.

History

Traditionally, ''ziwei doushu'' is considered to have been created by a

Taoist Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ...

named Lu Chunyang () during the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

. It was further developed by Chen Xiyi () during the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

and later on by Luo Hongxian () during the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

to its present-day form. Its exact origin, however, is still debated among different schools. Unlike the more commonly known Four Pillars of Destiny system of birth-chart divination, ''ziwei doushu'' is based on a purely lunar calendar and the position of the night sky. By contrast, Bazi is tied to the

sexagenary cycle The sexagenary cycle, also known as the gānzhī (干支) or stems-and-branches, is a cycle of sixty terms, each corresponding to one year, thus amounting to a total of sixty years every cycle, historically used for recording time in China and t ...

system of timekeeping, which is often mapped to traditional Chinese

solar term A solar term (or ''jiéqì'', zh, t=節氣, s=节气) is any of twenty-four periods in traditional Chinese lunisolar calendars that matches a particular astronomical event or signifies some natural phenomenon. The points are spaced 15° apart ...

s. Some believe that this difference makes the two systems complementary rather than competitors. The study of destiny (), of which ''ziwei doushu'' is a part, has traditionally been closely intertwined with astronomy. Historically, gifted astronomers and astrologers were recruited as officials to work in Imperial Courts during the dynastic eras, producing astrological charts for the

emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

, as his personal fate had a direct bearing on his kingdom. The court astrologers also played an important role in determining the successor to the throne. Astrologers observed the stars and noticed that among so many stars, only one was seemingly stationary while the rest revolved around it. This star was named the 'Emperor star' ()—the celestial equivalent of the Emperor and known in the West as Polaris. While this star in ''ziwei doushu'' has a physical basis, the rest of the system's "stars" are expressions of the cyclical passage of time and do not necessarily represent physical stars in the sky. As with many other forms of fortune-telling, practitioners do not generally see the natal chart as an infallible guide as to what will happen, but more as a form of forecasting in detail. Destiny and fortune are considered structurally complex and are unlikely to be changed by a single element. An overly simplistic application of – for example – changing one's lucky colors and numbers is not expected to affect or change one's destiny in any significant way. However, practitioners believe that knowledge about future possibilities may allow one to gauge the situation in advance and make decisions from a position of strength. ''Ziwei doushu'' approaches the world and events from the idea that to view things in their proper context, it is important to recognise the "spiritual dynamic of the universe" to find the pattern of change that leads to "fundamental truth".

Chart structure

The 12 Palaces () are arranged and plotted in an anti-clockwise rotation. The presence of certain stars in each palace can be considered either an auspicious or inauspicious omen regarding that part of one's life. In some lineages, these palaces are also assigned phases based on the

which is also used in Four Pillars of Destiny reading. # Self Palace () # Siblings Palace () # Spouse Palace () # Children Palace () # Wealth Palace () # Health Palace () # Travel Palace () # Friends Palace, or Subordinate Palace () # Career Palace () # Property Palace () # Mental Palace, or Karma Palace, Ancestor Palace () # Parents Palace ()

The 14 Major Stars

Different schools ascribe importance to the presence and strength of many different 'stars', ranging from 18 to dozens, often including interactions and transformations between these stars. However, 14 "major" stars are used consistently across different lineages: # Zi Wei 紫微 (The Emperor Star or The Purple Star): associated with Yin Earth, the leader – organizator, the senior, the monarch, stable development, benevolence, neutrality, wisdom, obligations, human society, power,　position, material wealth, the capacity of healing and rescuing. # Tian Ji 天機 (The Smart Star or Heavenly Secret): associated with Yin Wood, the assistant, the strategist, the clerk, siblings, intelligence, strategy, manipulation, goodness. # Tai Yang 太陽 (The Sun): associated with Yang Fire, the leader of men, the senior, the male (father-husband-son), the mass, mass development, masculine characteristics, directness, vision, self-sacrifice, universal love, ideal, nature, power, fame, the capacity of giving. # Wu Qu 武曲 (The Finance Star): associated with Yin Metal, the assistant, the short term planner, the merchant, the worker, the lonely, craftiness, inner strength, caution, rigidity, decisiveness, wealth, industry. # Tian Fu 天府 (The Treasury Star): associated with Yang Earth, the senior, the monarch or high official, background leadership, stability, benevolence, conservativeness, human society, material wealth, position, power, the capacity of consolidating. # Tian Tong 天同 (The Caring Star): associated with Yang Water, the junior, mercuriality, natural kindness, pleasure, laziness, good fortune # Lian Zhen 廉貞 (The Upright Star): associated with Yin Fire, the virgin, the judge, the lawyer, the witch, the courtesan, strictness, chastity, wickedness, double-facedness, prison, harem, justice, abominable accidents, punishment, love, humour, poverty # Tai Yin 太陰 (The Moon): associated with Yin Water, the female or feminine leader, the manipulator, the senior, the female (mother-wife-daughter), inner or passive development, retrospective development, feminine characteristics, subtlety, feminine or maternal love, maternal sacrifice, selfishness, extravagance, ideal, arts, nature, material wealth, real estate, cleanness, the capacity of receiving and spending. # Tan Lang 貪狼 (The Flirting Star): associated with Yang Wood and Yin Water, the hunter, extravagant people, the priest, sex, deviousness, libido, selfish desires, riskiness, prison # Ju Men 巨門 (The Gloomy Star): associated with Yin Water, the lawyer, the parliament, singers, quarrel, betrayal, notoriety, frankness, secret, bad luck, prison # Tian Xiang 天相 (The Minister Star): associated with Yang Water, the high-ranked assistant, delegates or representatives, high offices, benevolence, generosity, stability, loyalty # Tian Liang 天梁 (The Blessing Star): associated with Yang Earth and Yang Wood, the teacher, the scholar, the rules, benevolence, generosity, toleration, forgiveness, education, wisdom # Qi Sha 七殺 (The Power Star): associated with Yin Metal and Yang Fire, the military leader, quick temper, heroicism, directness, pain and labour, danger, loyalty, exception # Po Jun 破軍 (The Ruinous Star): associated with Yin Water, military leaders, betrayal, craftiness, waste, destruction, changes

References

* Kong Ri Chang. (2004). . Publisher: (Taiwan). * Xie Tian Quan. (2002). Publisher: (Hong Kong).

Notes

{{Reflist Chinese astrology Divination Taoist divination