Tian Tong and Ju Men: the Sunshine and the Debater

Tian Tong: transforms into Blessing

The *Quan Shu* calls Tian Tong "master of the Fortune Palace", gives it the Hua Qi of Blessing, and says that "in all twelve palaces it is read as blessing". Practitioners tend to read people with Tian Tong in the Life Palace as easygoing, easy to get along with and soft-hearted, people who know how to enjoy life and keep a childlike heart.

The *Quan Shu* also says Tian Tong "has a quick mind without being overbearing", and that it "does not mind Qi Sha's intrusion, nor fear sharing a palace with the challenging stars". Clever but not agitated, and not much affected by confrontational stars. Think of an argument: it isn't that Tian Tong people don't get it; they just don't think it's worth falling out over.

Tian Tong's blessing is often "hardship first, comfort later": you may take a detour or two when young, and get better at making yourself comfortable as you go. Its challenge lies here too: with too much comfort it's easy to drift, and once Tian Tong finds something it truly loves, it has plenty of drive.

Ju Men: transforms into the Hidden

Ju Men is "the second star of the Northern Dipper". The *Quan Shu* calls it "a star of yin essence, whose Hua Qi is the Hidden". Hidden doesn't mean darkness; it's closer to "seeing the shadows": where others see no problem, Ju Men doubts first, asks first, and only believes once it has checked.

That makes Ju Men well suited to work that needs analysis and expression: research, debate, teaching, criticism, broadcasting. The *Quan Shu*'s description of Ju Men leans severe, saying that "in Body or Life it brings a lifetime of disputes". In plain terms: its words carry weight and can easily stir up debate. If Ju Men asks itself before speaking, "am I trying to solve the problem, or to win?", it can put its eloquence where it counts.

The "Dou Shu Zhun Sheng" has a very fair line: "Ju Men is a harsh star, and especially fine when it gains its position." A star the ancients saw as harsh becomes especially good when it's in the right position.

Ju Men needs light

Ju Men is the Hidden, and what it needs most is Tai Yang. Volume three of the *Quan Shu* lists several Ju Men and Tai Yang combinations: "Ju Men in Hai with the sun in Si: fed by office and widely known"; the reverse, "Ju Men in Si with the sun in Hai, is not as good". The only difference is whether the sun is bright: Tai Yang in Si is Wang, and in Hai it's at Xian. When reading Ju Men, glance at where Tai Yang is and how bright it is; it often tells you more than Ju Men itself.

Ju Men also has a famous combination in Zi and Wu, which volume three writes as "Ju Men in Zi or Wu with Ke, Quan and Lu: jade hidden in stone, flourishing fortune": like jade hidden in rock, it needs Hua Lu, Hua Quan or Hua Ke to be polished out. Chapter 5 comes back to it.

Dim cells, the right transformations

Tian Tong is at Xian in Wu, and Ju Men at Xian in Chen and Xu. But the "Gu Sui Fu" in the *Quan Shu* has two intriguing lines: "Tian Tong in Xu is turned away, yet for a Ding-year person transforming well, it brings great nobility", and "Ju Men in Chen or Xu is fallen ground, yet for a Xin-year person transforming well, wealth stands tall". In Ding years Tian Tong takes Hua Quan, and in Xin years Ju Men takes Hua Lu: a star in a poor position meets the right transformation and turns things around. It's a good example of why brightness and the transformations have to be read together.

Tong Ju, a pair

Tian Tong belongs to the Zi Wei group and Ju Men to the Tian Fu group; the two share a palace in Chou and Wei, and both are at Bu there. One wants to relax, the other wants to dig deep, so the same person often hears two voices: one saying "oh, let it go", the other "no, we need to ask". Learn to let the two voices take turns, and you're easy company when it's time to relax and deep when it's time to be serious.

A note on the transformations

By the transformation rhyme in volume two of the *Quan Shu*, Tian Tong takes Hua Lu in Bing years, Hua Quan in Ding years and Hua Ji in Geng years; Ju Men takes Hua Lu in Xin years, Hua Quan in Gui years and Hua Ji in Ding years. For someone born in a Ding year with Tian Tong and Ju Men sharing a palace, one star takes Hua Quan and the other Hua Ji in the same cell, which practitioners often read as: saying "whatever" out loud while quietly calculating the whole time.