Heavenly Virtue

Mnemonic one: first month Ding, second month Kun palace, third Ren and fourth Xin the same, fifth Qian and sixth at Jia, seventh Gui and eighth Gen meet, ninth Bing tenth in Yi, Zi month Xun and Chou month Geng in between.

Mnemonic two: first month Ding, second month Shen palace, third Ren and fourth Xin the same, fifth Hai sixth on Jia, seventh Gui eighth Yin follow, ninth Bing tenth in Yi, Zi month Si and Chou month Geng meet.

Only Kun-Shen, Qian-Hai, and Xun-Si differ.

Another note: Yimao records: “The star of Heavenly Virtue begins at Hai in the first month and proceeds forward; the virtue and grace of Heaven descend from the Heavenly Gate—Hai is the Heavenly Gate, hence the name. The Heavenly Stem Heavenly Virtue is established on Ding in Yin month and on Shen in Mao month; human affairs and Heaven’s work, yin and yang assisting each other.”

However, according to the Secret Manuscript of Liu Ren: “The Flying Soul begins at Hai in the first month and proceeds forward through the twelve branches.” And the Complete Compendium of Liu Ren says: “The Wandering Soul begins at Hai in the first month and proceeds forward through the twelve branches. It governs ghosts and spirits, demons and monsters, and ill omens, presiding over fright of the spirit, illness, and disaster.” The Supplement to the Forest of the Yi likewise states: “The example of the Lost Spirit killing says: begin at Hai in the first month and proceed forward through the twelve positions—this is it.”

Therefore there must be an error here. Examining it: beginning at Hai in the first month and going backward through the twelve palaces corresponds to the lodge traversed—that is, the position of the monthly general. This is the mansion the sun occupies, taken as Heavenly Virtue; thus the star of Heavenly Virtue is the sun itself, capable of transforming away all sha.

It is also said: “Heavenly Virtue is the Way of Heaven; yin and yang mutually aid, comforting and protecting the eight regions. The leading and ending months preserve the human element of the life and grave palaces; the four cardinal months employ the assistance of the yang worthies. Thus within Yin the human element is Bing, and Heaven aids it with Ding; within Mao the human element is Gui, and Heaven aids it with the yang worthy Ren water in Kun; within Chen the human element is Gui, and Heaven aids it with Ren; within Si is Geng, and Heaven with Xin; within Wu is Yi, and Heaven with the yang worthy Jia wood in Qian; within Wei is Yi, and Heaven with Jia. The remaining six positions follow by analogy. What the calendar records as Kun, Qian, Gen, and Xun are merely Shen, Hai, Yin, and Si. Their earth virtue pervades everywhere, so they are not listed under Heavenly Virtue. This method uses heavenly stems: for example, with Ding established in Yin month and the children-and-descendants line moving, Ding is taken as Heavenly Virtue—it is advantageous to use for guarding against misfortune.) Monthly Virtue proceeds forward from Wei; Wei is the Cold Palace, the residence of the Moon, and hence begins there. In the heavenly stems, Monthly Virtue is established with Bing for Yin-Wu-Xu, with Jia for Hai-Mao-Wei; in Si-You-Chou months Monthly Virtue is in Geng, in Shen-Zi-Chen months it is in Ren. This is the virtue of the Moon and likewise its aid: with Wu having Ding, Bing assists; with Mao having Yi, Jia supports.”

Within Yin is Bing, aided by Ding; within Mao is Gui, aided by Ren; within Chen is Gui, aided by Ren; within Si is Geng, aided by Xin; within Wu is Yi, aided by Jia; within Wei is Yi, aided by Jia. The remainder follows by analogy.

This account is somewhat confused: for example, Gui in the second month and Jia in the fifth month would need to be calculated by the Na Jia method in reverse.

The Abyssal Sea of Zi Ping has a similar method, converting Kun, Qian, Gen, and Xun into Shen, Hai, Yin, and Si.

Yet the Qing dynasty scholar Yuan Shushan, in his Origins of Fate Analysis, still uses the ancient verse: first Ding, second in Kun; third Ren and fourth Xin the same; fifth Qian sixth on Jia; seventh Gui eighth Gen meet; ninth Bing tenth in Yi; Zi month Xun and Chou month Geng in between.

Moreover, Origins of the Star Calendar states: “Heavenly Virtue is the qi of the threefold combination. For example, Yin-Wu-Xu combine into the fire configuration, so fire is taken as virtue: first month Ding, ninth month Bing, fifth month Qian-Xu—fire’s tomb is in the Qian palace. Mao-Wei-Hai combine into the wood configuration, so wood is taken as virtue: sixth month Jia, tenth month Yi, second month Kun-Wei—wood’s tomb is in the Kun palace. Chen-Shen-Zi combine into the water configuration, so water is taken as virtue: third month Ren, seventh month Gui, eleventh month Xun-Chen—water’s tomb is in the Xun palace. Si-You-Chou combine into the metal configuration, so metal is taken as virtue: fourth month Xin, twelfth month Geng, eighth month Gen-Chou—metal’s tomb is in the Gen palace.”

Concise Words on Fate Analysis further says: “Taking Heavenly Virtue as residing in Qian, Kun, Gen, and Xun and corresponding them to Yin, Shen, Si, and Hai is a great error.” It explains: “For virtue resides in the heavenly stems, not the earthly branches. The four leading and four ending months fall on the eight stems of east-south-west-north; the four middle months fall on the four corners and cannot be assigned to any particular stem—hence the words Kun, Qian, Gen, and Xun. How could one mix in earthly branches! All eight stems have a Heavenly Virtue combination, while Kun, Qian, Gen, and Xun alone have none—they simply cannot generate or create. Thus for the four middle months, there is no need to discuss Heavenly Virtue.”