(Poeme of Transformations)

In Chinese metaphysics it is considered that everything that has been created, the macrocosm and the microcosm, has been achieved by the effect of the five elements, in fact, the principles of elements and not about the elements themselves. These are Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. In a previous article, The Theory of the 5 Elements, there is a comprehensive description of the principles of elements.

When we speak about these elements in relation to the Day Master, we refer to them as Stars. Based on the existent interactions between each of the 5 elements and the Day Master, the Ba Zi study defines Five Stars as follows: Friends Star, Resource Star, Output Star, Wealth Star, and Influence Star. A detailed analysis of these five stars is provided in the article Ba Zi - Five Stars Analysis.

Later on, in the article Unraveling Destiny: Exploring the Ten Gods in Ba Zi Analysis we introduced the concept of the Ten Gods which is deeply rooted in the interactions between the Five Elements—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water—and their Yin-Yang attributes. Each of the Five Elements has a supportive or controlling relationship with others, creating a web of connections that define the qualities of the Gods.

We'll talk in this article about the concepts of strength and quality of these Ten Gods. As we already know, the strength of the element is always an important factor but not the only one. In Ba Zi's study sometimes we distinguish between strength and quality of the god. To be of good quality means not only to be strong but to be supported by the surrounding elements. The two terms are often confused but without major consequences. A good-quality, strong god will have an important influence on the Destiny Chart in contrast with a weak and low-quality god. In this last case we can say that the Day Master has a very low affinity with all that god represents traits, people, places, or matters.

Evaluating the Real Strength of Gods

To establish the strength of a god we have to go through the following steps:

Analyze the strength of the element (Star) based on the season of birth as we have seen in a previous chapter. In this stage, both the Yin and Yang polarities of the Star (the two gods) will get the same strength (for ex. if the Output Star is Weak both Eating God and Hurting Officer will be Weak).
We will adjust the strength of each of the five elements according to the rules deducted from the classical Chinese Poeme of Transformations. It contains five strophes (for 5 elements) of six verses translated hereunder.

Poeme of Transformations

The Poem of Transformations, as a set of exceptions, takes precedence over all the other rules applied in determining the strength of an element.

Wood is nourished by Water, but in too much Water wood will float and will go away.
Wood is producing Fire but is quickly consumed if the Fire is too strong.
Wood controls the Earth, but wood is broken if the Earth is too hard.
The prosperous Wood will only work if it is visited by Metal.
If the weak Wood receives a visit from Metal it will be cut into pieces and destroyed.
The strong and growing Wood becomes coal if it receives a visit from Fire.

Fire is fed by Wood, but it will go out if the wood is too much.
Fire can produce Earth, but too much Fire will also produce much pother.
Fire can control Metal but it can be extinguished by a strong and determined Metal.
The prosperous Fire will balanced by the visit of Water.
The weak Fire is extinguished by the visit of Water.
The strong and growing Fire is controlled by the Earth's visit.

Earth is generated by the Fire, but a Fire which is too strong will dry the Earth.
Earth can produce Metal, but it would be weakened if it produces too much.
Earth can control the Water, but if the Water is angry it will erode and give away the Earth.
The prosperous Earth is airy and ventilated by the visit of Wood.
The weak Earth is got out by the visit of Wood.
The strong and growing Earth becomes lazy if it receives a visit from Metal.

The Metal is coming from the Earth's heart, but too much Earth will want to bury and hide its treasure.
The Metal may produce Water, but too much Water will sink the Metal.
The Metal controls the Wood, but if the Wood is strong, the metal will lose the sharpness of its cutting edge.
The prosperous Metal will become even stronger by the visit of the Fire.
The weak Metal will be melted by the visit of Fire.
The strong and growing Metal becomes rusty and corroded if it is visited by the Water.

Water is generated by Metal, but it becomes confused when there is too much Metal around.
Water can produce wood, but too much Wood dries the Water quickly.
Water can control the Fire but a Fire that is too strong will dry the Water quickly
The prosperous Water will be controlled by the visit of the Earth.
The weak Water will be dissipated by the visit of the Earth.
The strong and growing Water will be slowed and controlled by the visit of the Wood.

Especially when we didn't apply any rule from the Poeme above, we'll check if the element is sustained by one of the following.

Check the strength and quality of your gods on your Profile Analysis page.

Rooting

If an element is found in both Heavenly Stems and Hidden Stems (doesn't matter which polarity), it is considered as being rooted. Similar to a tree with strong roots, a rooted element will be stronger and more resistant.

As strong an element is rooted less it will suffer from a clash with another element.

If an element is supported by the season and also rooted, this makes it really strong and of superior quality.

A weak element (which is not supported by the season) could become stronger if it has one or more roots.

Support from Resources or from the same element

Talking about support from the same element is not talking about rooting but about the same elements found in Heavenly Stems. Be careful because the support relationship is not reciprocal. For example, the Yang Wood can support the Yin Wood but vice-versa is not available. Think about real-life examples of relationships between polar elements and you will discover interesting things.

An element is considered to be supported by its resource if the element that is producing it is found in the Hidden Stems.

In this example, the Yang Metal is supported by the Yang Earth.

Hint: It is considered that Yin Water is better produced by Yin Metal than Yang Metal, so Yin Metal is the preferred resource of Yin Water.

Support from Combinations

A full structure combination found in the Destiny Chart is a very strong support for the produced element.

Even a partial combination (only 2 of the three elements of the combination exist in the Destiny Chart) it is considered to support from Combination.

In our example, the Monkey and the Rat are considered a partial Structure Combination producing Water. The water element in this chart will be reinforced by this combination.

If we have a Partial Combination in the Destiny Chart this will become complete in the time intervals when the third missing element appears in a temporal Pillar (Luck Pillar, Yearly, Monthly, or even Daily Pillar). In these cases, the effect of the combination is very strong and not always desirable (depending on the favorability of the produced element for the Day Master).

Hint: A Partial Combination is easily activated if the person is doing an activity specific to the missing element.

Establishing the Quality of Gods

Mainly the Quality of an element is given by its strength and mostly the strength is determined by the season of birth. If the element is supported by the surrounding elements its quality can increase. We are using four levels of quality:

Superior Quality if either
- it has roots with the same polarity in the Main Qi of the same Pillar, or
- it has roots in the Sub-Qi with the same polarity in the Hidden Stems of a Growing Branch in the same Pillar
Good Quality if either
- it has roots with the same polarity in the Main Qi of the nearby Pillar, or
- it has roots with the opposite polarity in the Main Qi of the same Pillar, or
- it has roots in the Sub-Qi with the same polarity in the Hidden Stems of a nearby Pillar
Average Quality if either
- it has roots with the opposite polarity in the Sub-Qi of the same Pillar, or
- it has roots in the Sub-Qi with the opposite polarity in the Hidden Stems of a nearby Pillar
Poor Quality if either
- if the element is not supported by the Season of Birth and appears only in Heavenly Stems.
- if the element is not supported by the Season of birth and appears in the Hidden Stems of its own Graveyard.

There are a few other "special rules" for determining the quality of an element, for example:

An element is considered of Superior Quality if it is strong, favorable, and appears only in the Hidden Stems

Tips and Tricks

The easiest way to activate an element is through action. It is the way how the man can control the events in his life. At any moment the decision is only ours. The role of Ba Zi's study is to help us to make an informed decision. To activate an element means either:
- do activities associated with that element (Star), or
- use specific traits or characteristics of that element, or
- interacting more frequently with the type of persons represented by that star
A strong and favorable element will mostly manifest the positive traits of the elements and not the negative ones. If it is frequently used it will become the dominant personality characteristic.
It is recommended to use only elements which are favorable and of good quality.
You can use an unfavorable element with three mandatory conditions:
- to be of good or superior quality
- to use also the favorable element which neutralizes the negative effects of the unfavorable element
- once you have started doing this, never stop!

Take another look at the Destiny Chart and see how you might apply the above tips in your own case.