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Traditions in Astrology are the surviving source of knowledge all of us drink from. This article is about the continuity of astrological traditions, particularly BaZi and Ancient Astrology, and how an astrologer today can often look up a particular chart configuration in the classics and get help.
These days I dealt with some extremely interesting charts. In particular, I have 2 nativities and a horary question in mind.
I will start with the horary. Since I use the oldest types of Astrology, where slight differences of some factors can alter the meaning of a given configuration, be it for good or bad, I am always very careful when approaching a chart.
For example, a planet being averse, that is, being in the 2nd 6th, 8th or 12th zoidion/image from its own, carries a significantly different meaning than when it is configured/beholds its zoidion. It is also the same with planets: there is a difference when the planets are averse vs when their figure has long separated and they are involved in others.
The continuity of astrological traditions: a horary question
The horary question I examined was extremely important to the querent. It pertained to a relationship that has been going on for decades. As soon as I calculated the chart, upon understanding the question, my attention was drawn to certain configurations.
The point is that, as I am using Ancient Astrology, I have an enormous tradition behind me that I can rely on in a lot of cases. I say this to any practitioners of modern astrology: you cannot imagine how reassuring it is to open an ancient astrological treatise and draw on the experience of the practitioner in question.
Needless to say, I am not talking about the ancients doing the work for you, because to be in a position to offer such service, one needs to handle any type of question. The point here is that, by using Ancient Astrology, one can consult with the works of other practitioners and see how they dealt with the same type of issue.
Again, I keep writing that Ancient Astrology’s rules are eternal. Very little has changed and will change in human life for these 2,000 years. People are still dealing, and will keep on dealing with the same issues: relationships, children, health, wealth, profession, happiness, disease, death, etc.
Guido Bonatti’s 13th century Book of Astronomy
What actually happened is that I opened a book written in the 13th century (Guido Bonatti’s Book of Astronomy translated by Ben Dykes) and the book contained a few quotes that exactly matched the horary chart I was dealing with.
In other words, I could take them and apply them directly, which I did, because they described the situation perfectly. But of course they did. As I said, someone already dealt with questions such the one asked by my client.
Moreover, Bonatti himself is quoting older sources that go back to the first millennium CE.
Could I have answered the horary without referring to ancient sources? Of course I could. After all, I have been doing it for years. That is not the point; the point is, it is a great assistance to have at your disposal such a long tradition.
Just think about it please: authors from different time periods, in different countries, different languages, different religions, etc, each quoting from the other and making use of their experience. A European christian quoting from an Arab or Jewish muslim soon after the Crusades. That Knowledge had better be worth it, right?! All those professionals realized the importance of the continuity of astrological traditions.
The young woman to whom a psychic predicted a short life
The other example I want to tell you about is a young woman’s nativity. One of the things she told me, due to the extremely turbulent character and life she has, (including many injuries, danger of death, a horrific road accident), is that she went to a psychic some years ago. She was told that she would die before reaching 30 years old.
Now, those of scientific inclination may regard this information as suspect or outright nonsense. However, I have encountered true psychics whose abilities are really powerful. Since I have not seen this one (nor did ask who it was, their gender, etc), I had to take their prediction seriously. The psychic in question did not use any Astrology, she just read this young woman’s aura. That the psychic had some reason to be correct was immediately apparent to me once I took a look at the chart of the native in question.
The continuity of astrological traditions: BaZi
I will briefly share some information from the client’s Four Pillars of Destiny chart. She has the 7 Killings in the Month Stem. This is a very, very dangerous configuration because this star is the most malefic of all. It is the one that kills the Day Master/ the native.
However, as I have written before, the first thing that the BaZi astrologer must do is determine the chart structure. If the native has a chart falling in the Special categories, then the validity of this indication is subject to change. It can even turn out to be very auspicious, provided the Self favours the Power/Controlling element. What turned out is that the native is a weak self (her chart’s structure as shown by the 5 elements and 12 branches, not her own character). This is the worst possible configuration to have when the 7 Killings is that powerful (it is also in season/prosperous!).
Again, I could open a Classic on the Four Pillars of Destiny and read that such a configuration gives a short life. It doesn’t matter that these are Chinese astrological sources, not European or Perso-Arabic ones. The important thing is that the traditions of Astrology are valued everywhere and the serious astrologer can and should take advantage of them.
Returning to the horoscope, whether the native will die before the age of 30 cannot be determined only by the birth chart. This is because the Annual Pillars and Luck Pillars must be taken into account. But that’s not all.
The Eating God controlling the Seven Killings configuration
The Chinese BaZi Classics BaZi also say that if the Eating God controls the 7 Killings, the native is spared. This young woman has the Eating God in the Year Stem – right next to the 7 Killings, which means it controls this most negative star. The result? She will not die before 30, and I told her so.
As you see, it is very important to take the whole chart into account before applying a given rule or big configuration. Again, these rules were written hundreds of years ago, yet they hold true regardless of culture and time period and will continue to do so. Why? Because Ancient and Chinese Astrology deal with the eternal principles of this reality. They describe the human experience, and people continue to do the same as they have done before.
By the way, for those who are wondering whether this young woman’s Western horoscope contains indications for danger of death, accidents, the answer is Yes. I chose to give the BaZi chart configuration because its explanation is more succinct.
Translation from a Chinese quote on the importance of traditions in BaZi
I will close this article by quoting from Trey BaZi’s blog. Trey translated an article from a fellow Four Pillars of Destiny Chinese practitioner:
https://treybazi.blogspot.com/2014/11/is-my-daymaster-strong-or-weak.html
Original source: http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_63d1d9ea0102v2jo.html
For the sake of gaining further insight into the importance of the continuity of astrological traditions, I recommend that you read the article in its entirety. Please do not be concerned that it deals with BaZi only. Chinese Astrology is a the little sister of Ancient Astrology. What concerns is here is Eternal Knowledge, regardless of location.
Here come the selected quotes by me, which were translated by Trey BaZi from Chinese to English:
“In every corner of the (BaZi) world, those who established their own factions, like the blind sect, the orthodox ZiPing, traditional ZiPing, Natural Sect, As-You-Wish Sect, Doors and Door Sect, etc, are actually, when they were researching the ancient methods of structures and have found their own unique viewpoints, established a new Sect.
They think that without having a school or a sect, then one cannot become a teacher and get some reputation, without a school or a sect, one cannot have students and give classes.
All those true knowledge of BaZi have the classics as their sources, all those structures that were separated out to become a sect, that deviate from the ancient methodical structures, will become a water that has no source, a tree that has no foundation, how could that become a knowledge that is completely self-sufficient?
To leave the classics and establish a Sect would give some kind of satisfaction, that is because the method was invented by ancient people, is a synthesis of an enormous theoretical system. Every BaZi specialists who laboriously researched ZiPing structures, and found unique viewpoints regarding certain aspects are admirable.
But one should not, because of having found certain viewpoints to certain problems, put himself above the ancient people and establish new sects or schools.
On this aspect, I respect more those who studies ZiPing method meticulously without establishing new sects.
To deviate from what was actually meant by the ancient people and to call that deviation ‘true knowledge’ will eventually become heresy.
Xuan Xue (mystical knowledge) itself is not a form of public knowledge, thus, from the ancient times until now, most of the knowledge were passed on orally, today, a big part of the knowledge is stuck in the form of ‘odes’, some of the odes are incorrectly interpreted, so the knowledge that is learnt today, ineluctably, is flawed.”
So there you have it. This is what I mean by the continuity of the traditions.
Conclusion
In closing, I want to remind my readers that I am not criticizing modern astrological practitioners. What I am criticizing is modern astrology.