Fortune Palace

Zi Wei in the Fortune Palace: deep blessings, enjoyed in peace. The Fortune Palace is about state of mind and enjoyment, and with the emperor star seated here the mind has backbone and does not panic. Partners: Tian Fu (Yin, Shen) and Tian Xiang (Chen, Xu), good fortune all one's life; Po Jun (Chou, Wei), labouring heart and body. Yet the Po Jun entry in this chapter says 「紫微同安樂」, peace and happiness (segment 16): the same pair gets opposite verdicts, an inconsistency that comes from writing one entry per star. What Does Zi Wei Govern? says that in the Fortune Palace Zi Wei is 「男為陷地，女為廟樂」, a fallen position for a man and a temple of joy for a woman, a gender difference this entry does not mention. People with Zi Wei here have their own views and strong self-respect; they enjoy life and care about taste.

Tian Ji in the Fortune Palace: toil first and ease later. Tian Ji rules thought and change; here the mind will not stop, thinking and doing a great deal when young and only letting go with age. Partners: Ju Men (Mao, You), labouring the body and not at peace; Tian Liang (Chen, Xu), enjoying blessings; Tai Yin (Yin, Shen), happiness. The Tai Yin entry of this chapter gives Tian Ji as 「心忙」, a busy mind, which differs from 'happiness' here. With malefic stars, running about without rest. Tian Ji people have minds that keep turning, and sleeplessness and overthinking are common themes; pastimes that calm the mind, such as reading or handcraft, help them especially.

Tai Yang in the Fortune Palace, 「忙中發福」. Tai Yang gives out and spreads, so here satisfaction comes from being busy, and having nothing to do is what makes it unhappy. Partners: Tai Yin (Chou, Wei), happiness; Ju Men (Yin, Shen), effort without peace; Tian Liang (Mao, You), happiness. With Ju Men, Tai Yang is Wang in Yin and De in Shen, a difference the entry does not draw. Tai Yang people take pleasure in work and in helping others and want something to do even on holiday; the thing to watch is giving too much and neglecting their own needs. The Quan Shu also says 「會太陽於福德，極品之貴」, meeting Tai Yang in the Fortune Palace is nobility of the highest rank, in What Does Tian Liang Govern?, a very high verdict.

This continues the Tai Yang entry for women: Tai Yang in the Fortune Palace with lucky stars 「招賢明之夫」, gains a wise husband; with malefic stars and Hua Ji, the whole life is not good. In a woman's chart Tai Yang is the husband star; What Does Tai Yang Govern? says 「女得之為夫星」, for a woman it is the husband star. So Tai Yang in the Fortune Palace is read as the quality of the husband and of married happiness. The line can be read as saying that a partner affects this person's happiness a great deal: a bright Tai Yang with lucky stars tends to meet a dependable partner; with malefic stars and Hua Ji, the relationship needs more tending. For a man, the ancients read Tai Yang in the Fortune Palace as about his father and his own blessings.

Wu Qu in the Fortune Palace labours heart and body; in its temple it enjoys blessings in peace. Wu Qu is a wealth star and a general star; here the mind is always calculating and cannot put work down. Wu Qu's temple positions are Chen, Xu, Chou and Wei, and Xingge marks it Miao in all four. Partners: Po Jun (Si, Hai), running about without peace; Tian Xiang (Yin, Shen), a healthy old age. The Po Jun entry of this chapter also gives Wu Qu as 「欠安」, so the two agree. Wu Qu people carry a heavy sense of duty and think about money and work even while resting; they do well to set aside time to switch off on purpose. In its temple, the security of sound finances can turn into real peace of mind.

Continuing the Wu Qu entry: with Qi Sha (Mao, You), not quite at peace; with Tan Lang (Chou, Wei), blessings in old age; with Huo Xing or Ling Xing, at ease; with Qing Yang or Tuo Luo, worry that pays off. Wu Qu and Tan Lang meeting Huo Xing or Ling Xing in the Fortune Palace is another form of the Huo Tan pattern, which the ancients read as ease. 「操心得力」 is an interesting phrase: plenty of worry, but useful worry, and effort is rewarded. The entry does not cover Wu Qu with Tian Fu (Zi, Wu); the Tian Fu entry fills that in with 「武曲同早年更辛苦，中晚安樂享福」 (segment 9).

Tian Tong in the Fortune Palace: happy, blessed and long-lived. Tian Tong's transformed qi is blessing, and What Does Tian Tong Govern? calls it 「福德宮之主宰」, the master of the Fortune Palace, so this is where Tian Tong is most at home. Partners: Ju Men (Chou, Wei), much sorrow and little joy; Tai Yin (Zi, Wu), enjoying blessings; Tian Liang (Yin, Shen), carefree leisure. But the Ju Men entry says 「天同同享福」: the same pair, sorrow in one place and blessings in the other, another inconsistency between two entries. Tian Tong here is content and knows how to enjoy life, the placement that finds happiness most easily; the thing to watch is too much comfort and too little drive.

Lian Zhen alone in the Fortune Palace, 「忙中生福」, blessings that come out of being busy. Lian Zhen sits alone only in Yin and Shen, where Xingge marks it Miao. Partners: Tian Xiang (Zi, Wu), blessings and long life; Tian Fu (Chen, Xu), peace without worry; Po Jun (Mao, You), labouring heart and body, and with malefic stars toil all one's life, eased in old age. Notice that the Tian Fu entry of this chapter gives Lian Zhen as 「身安心忙」, body at rest and mind busy, which differs from 'peace without worry' here. Lian Zhen people have a rich but tense inner life and set high standards for themselves; with Tian Fu or Tian Xiang they are much steadier, while with Po Jun the mind is restless and learning to let go matters.

Tian Fu in the Fortune Palace: quiet enjoyment of blessings. Tian Fu is the treasury, and here it means a steady mind and a sense of security. Partners: Zi Wei (Yin, Shen), happiness; Lian Zhen (Chen, Xu), body at rest and mind busy; Wu Qu (Zi, Wu), toil early and peace in middle and late life. With malefic stars and Hua Ji, toil. Tian Fu keeps and guards, so people with it here avoid risk and like a steady rhythm. What Does Tian Fu Govern? says Tian Fu 「能制羊陀為從，能化火鈴為福」, it can bring Qing Yang and Tuo Luo into line and turn Huo Xing and Ling Xing into blessings, which is why the entry speaks of toil only once malefic stars pile up; with few of them, Tian Fu usually holds firm. In today's terms: savings and retirement plans matter, and security comes from financial stability.

Tai Yin in its temple in the Fortune Palace: blessings and happiness. Tai Yin is soft and inward, and here it means a rich inner life that values feeling. Partners: the sun (Tai Yang, in Chou and Wei), excellent, and even monks and priests enjoy pure blessings; Tian Ji (Yin, Shen), a busy mind; Tian Tong (Zi, Wu), quiet and free of worry. With malefic stars, sorrows and joys. 「僧道亦清潔享福」 is an unusual line: with the sun and moon together in the Fortune Palace, even a monk is well suited, a placement of high spiritual tone. In Xingge's brightness Tai Yin is Miao in Hai, Zi and Chou and Xian in Mao, Chen and Si; in Xian it is prone to melancholy.

Tan Lang in the Fortune Palace: a labouring mind without peace. Tan Lang rules desire; here there are many wants, and the mind cannot settle. Partners: Lian Zhen (Si, Hai), thin blessings; Zi Wei (Mao, You), happiness in old age. The entry leaves out Wu Qu (Chou, Wei); the Wu Qu entry has 「貪狼同晚年享福」 (segment 6). Lian Zhen and Tan Lang in Si or Hai are both Xian, hence thin blessings. Tan Lang people have many interests, seek excitement and easily feel life is not enough; learning to choose and to hold back is the key to real satisfaction.

Ju Men in the Fortune Palace: labouring the body without peace. Ju Men rules darkness and suspicion; here the mind is often full of doubts and finds it hard to relax. Partners: Tai Yang (Yin, Shen), sorrows and joys; Tian Ji (Mao, You), a busy mind without peace; Tian Tong (Chou, Wei), enjoying blessings. With malefic stars, much sorrow all one's life. 'With Tian Tong, enjoying blessings' here is the exact opposite of 「巨門同多憂少喜」 in the Tian Tong entry (segment 7). Readers can keep both, or decide by brightness: in Chou and Wei both Tian Tong and Ju Men are Bu, both weak, which fits 'much sorrow' better. Put simply, Ju Men people think deeply and worry easily, and do well to have someone they trust to talk to.

Tian Xiang in the Fortune Palace: ease, blessings and long life. Tian Xiang is the seal star, ruling mediation and fairness; here the mind is calm and even. Partner: Zi Wei (Chen, Xu), happiness. As the note says, 'with' Tian Ji and Tai Yang means meeting them. The entry does not cover Wu Qu (Yin, Shen) or Lian Zhen (Zi, Wu); the Lian Zhen entry adds 「天相同有福有壽」 and the Wu Qu entry 「天相同老境安康」, so taken together, Tian Xiang does well in the Fortune Palace in every case. Tian Xiang people value harmony and regular habits, a placement that is easily content.

Qi Sha in its temple in the Fortune Palace enjoys blessings; in a Xian position with malefic stars, it labours heart and body. Qi Sha is Miao in Chen, Xu, Chou, Wei, Yin and Shen (volume three's table), and in Xingge's brightness Qi Sha goes no lower than Ping (Si, Hai); it has no Xian position. So 'a Xian position' is hard to match on a chart and may mean Ping in Si and Hai. Partners: Wu Qu (Mao, You), not at peace; Lian Zhen (Chou, Wei), toil. Qi Sha is stern and solitary, and here the mind is always chasing a goal. Qi Sha people find it hard to really rest; even their leisure leans to sport and challenge, using action to let off pressure.

Continuing the Qi Sha entry: with Zi Wei (Si, Hai), toil first and ease later, things going as wished in old age. The second sentence is one of the Quan Shu's harshest verdicts on women: Qi Sha alone in the Fortune Palace, and a woman 「必為娼婢」. Men's and Women's Charts Compared has the same line, 「若七殺單居福德必為娼婢」. The ancients' logic: a woman's chart turns on the Fortune Palace, and the stern, solitary Qi Sha seated there with no other main star to soften it was the thinnest lot of blessings there could be. Today, a person with Qi Sha alone in the Fortune Palace is inwardly independent, relies on no one, lives at a brisk pace and does well to find the thing they truly love. The verdict reflects the old prejudice against women.

Po Jun in the Fortune Palace: labouring heart and body. Po Jun rules waste and change; here the mind is restless and always wants something different. Partners: Wu Qu (Si, Hai), not at peace; Lian Zhen (Mao, You), toil; Zi Wei (Chou, Wei), peace and happiness. With malefic stars, worry and no rest. 'With Zi Wei, peace and happiness' here contradicts 「破軍同勞心費力不安」 in the Zi Wei entry (segment 1). By brightness, Zi Wei is Miao and Po Jun Wang in Chou and Wei, both strong, so 'peace and happiness' has the better footing. Po Jun people like novelty and are willing to try things; their lives change often.

Wen Chang in the Fortune Palace, in its temple with lucky stars, enjoys blessings and happiness; in Xian with malefic stars, neither body nor mind is at peace. Wen Chang is Miao in Si, You and Chou (volume three's table) and Xian in Yin, Wu and Xu. The Tai Wei Fu's 「福安文曜謂之玉袖天香」 (see the original), literary stars settled in the Fortune Palace being 'jade sleeves and heavenly fragrance', is Wen Chang or Wen Qu in the Fortune Palace and a very high verdict, consistent with the temple case here. There is no Wen Qu entry; the chapter lacks a verdict for it. Wen Chang people take pleasure in reading, study and writing and have a full inner life; in Xian with malefic stars, they tend to overthink and grow anxious.

Zuo Fu in the Fortune Palace with lucky stars enjoys blessings; alone, it has peace in old age; with malefic stars, toil. Zuo Fu is a helper star, and in the Fortune Palace it means support for the spirit, never being alone. 'Guarding alone' means the Fortune Palace has no main star, only Zuo Fu, which gives a peaceful old age. In daily life, Zuo Fu people usually have friends they can really talk to and someone to consult when something weighs on them; that feeling of being backed up is itself a blessing. When Zuo Fu and You Bi are both in the Fortune Palace (only possible in Chou and Wei), the support is plainer still.

You Bi in the Fortune Palace, 「生平福祿全美」; with lucky stars, little sorrow all one's life; with malefic stars, a labouring mind. You Bi is rated slightly above Zuo Fu here: the Zuo Fu entry needs lucky stars before it enjoys blessings, while the You Bi entry calls its blessings complete outright. The Quan Shu often describes You Bi as the star of quiet help and smoothing relations, and in the Fortune Palace that is an unseen blessing. You Bi people get on well with others and are easy-going, and help often comes from unexpected quarters; such blessings mostly grow out of how they treat people day to day.

Lu Cun in the Fortune Palace: deep blessings all one's life, living quietly. Lu Cun keeps and steadies, so here the mind is settled and does not seek thrills. With lucky stars, joy and blessings; with malefic stars, no rest for body or mind. Note that Lu Cun is always flanked by Qing Yang and Tuo Luo, so when Lu Cun is in the Fortune Palace, the neighbouring Property and Parents palaces always hold Qing Yang and Tuo Luo; 'seeing Qing Yang and Tuo Luo' in the text should mean in the same palace or shining in. Lu Cun people spend carefully and value saving, and their security comes from savings; sometimes they are too cautious to let themselves enjoy anything.

Tian Kui and Tian Yue in the Fortune Palace: noble helpers for company, blessings and happiness. Kui and Yue are the stars of noble helpers, and here they stand for good teachers and friends in one's inner life. The entry is short and names no malefic conditions at all, which suggests the ancients saw Kui and Yue in the Fortune Palace as purely good. The section on Kui, Yue, Zuo Fu, You Bi and Lu Cun says 「魁鉞輔星為福壽」, Kui, Yue and the helper stars bring blessings and long life, in the same spirit. People with this placement have people worth learning from around them, get on well with elders and teachers, and are nourished in spirit.

Qing Yang in its temple in the Fortune Palace has 「動中有福」, blessings in movement; in Xian, a labouring mind without strength; with lucky stars in the same palace, less sorrow; alone, no peace for body or mind. The text note covers the punctuation. Qing Yang is Miao in Chen, Xu, Chou and Wei and Xian in Zi, Wu, Mao and You. 'Blessings in movement' is a vivid phrase: Qing Yang is drive, and in the Fortune Palace it is happy only when moving and uneasy when still. In daily life, Qing Yang people do well to let off pressure through sport, competition and challenge; in Xian they grow irritable and should avoid taking it out on those around them.

Tuo Luo alone in the Fortune Palace: toil; in its temple, blessings and fortune; in Xian, rushing about; with lucky stars, blessings in old age. Tuo Luo is Miao in Chen, Xu, Chou and Wei, and Xingge's brightness agrees. Tuo Luo rules delay and entanglement; here worries drag on and are hard to put down. Set against Qing Yang's 'blessings in movement', Tuo Luo has blessings in slowness: in its temple it goes step by steady step and is blessed in old age. Tuo Luo people turn things over and over and decide slowly, but once clear they are very firm; what they need to learn is not to let small things knot up inside for too long.

Huo Xing in the Fortune Palace: not at peace, labouring and toiling; with lucky stars, wishes fulfilled in old age. Huo Xing is hasty and sudden, and here moods rise and fall fast and are hard to calm. The entry does not separate Miao from Xian; it only gives the case with lucky stars. Volume three's section on Huo Xing and Ling Xing says 「火鈴旺宮亦為福論」; Huo Xing is Miao in Yin, Wu and Xu, and the verdict improves somewhat when it is bright. Huo Xing people are impatient, their moods come and go quickly; with lucky stars they can turn that energy into action and actually achieve what they wanted later in life.

Ling Xing in the Fortune Palace: toil; with lucky stars, calm; alone, toil. Ling Xing is fire like Huo Xing, but darker and more smouldering; here feelings are kept bottled up. The entry is even shorter than Huo Xing's and rates it slightly lower: Huo Xing with lucky stars gets 'wishes fulfilled in old age', Ling Xing with lucky stars only 'calm'. Concretely, Ling Xing people do not show their feelings easily and pressure builds up; they do well to find a fitting outlet, such as exercise, writing or talking with someone they trust.

In the year the Dou Jun reaches the Fortune Palace, lucky stars bring peace and malefic stars unrest. The Dou Jun is the palace of a year's first lunar month, and every palace chapter in the Quan Shu ends with a Dou Jun line on how that palace plays out in the year; the Property Palace has the same kind of line (see the Property Palace). In the year the Fortune Palace is set off, whether the mind is at peace shows most clearly. Applied to a single year, it shows the mood and the quality of free time in a given year; with the Dou Jun in the Fortune Palace and malefic stars there, it is worth looking after one's mental health.

The last entry: when Tai Sui, the Decade Luck or the Minor Luck passes through the Fortune Palace, lucky stars bring blessings and malefic stars toil. It widens the previous entry's Dou Jun to every kind of luck period. While a luck period sits in the Fortune Palace, inner life and the capacity to enjoy are what it affects most. The ten years when the Decade Luck reaches the Fortune Palace are often a time of rethinking one's direction and looking for inner satisfaction; with lucky stars there is contentment, with malefic stars busyness and anxiety. On a chart, the ages at which the Decade Luck passes the Fortune Palace let you plan ahead what to focus on in those years.