Patterns of Poverty and Low Station

The Patterns of Poverty and Low Station are the reverse side of the Patterns of Wealth and the Patterns of Rank, eight entries in all. Born Out of Season: Lian Zhen sits in the Life Palace and also falls into emptiness. Lian Zhen's transformed qi is 'prisoner', a star that is already held in check; add emptiness and there is ability without the moment to use it. The name fits well: the person is not lacking, the timing is wrong.

On a Xingge chart, look among the minor stars in the Life Palace for Xun Kong, Jie Lu or Kong Wang. Today this pattern can be read as talent and setting out of step with each other, effort that does not easily get noticed; it calls for waiting for the luck periods to turn, or for a different stage.

Lu Meets Two Killers: the Lu star sits in emptiness and also meets Di Kong and Di Jie. The name says 'two killers', yet the definition is emptiness plus Di Kong and Di Jie, really emptiness on top of emptiness. Lu Cun governs wealth; worn down again and again by emptiness and by Di Kong and Di Jie, it means that even money that comes in cannot be kept.

This is the same point the Lu Cun chapter makes with 「最嫌落於陷空不能為福，更湊火鈴空劫，巧藝安身」. Xingge's pattern pages explain related patterns such as Lu Feng Kong Jie (Lu Meets the Voids), whose conditions can be compared with this one.

The Horse Falls into Emptiness: Tian Ma lands in emptiness, and even a Lu star clashing in or joining it is no use; it means rushing about. The Tian Ma chapter calls Tian Ma in emptiness a 'dead horse' or 'lost horse', and listing it here among the patterns of poverty is consistent with that.

「雖祿沖會無用」 is the key phrase. Lu and the horse running together usually means making money, but once the horse falls into emptiness, Lu cannot save it. The modern picture is a lot of busyness and a lot of travel, with results below expectations; it suits confirming the direction before acting, rather than trying to make up for it by running more.

Sun and Moon Hide Their Light: the sun and moon are turned away and Ju Men is met as well. 'Turned away' means the sun (Tai Yang) in night palaces and the moon (Tai Yin) in day palaces, so both lose their light; Ju Men's transformed qi is darkness, which adds one more cover, and the light is hidden altogether. Master Yuchan in the Tai Yang chapter says Tai Yang 「在戌亥子為失輝，更逢巨暗一生勞碌貧忙」, which is this pattern.

Xingge's Ri Yue Fan Bei (Sun and Moon Turned Away) is judged as Tai Yang and Tai Yin both in Xian and both reaching the Life Palace. On the chart, read the brightness in the small text beside the sun and moon, then see whether Ju Men stands in the San Fang Si Zheng of the Life Palace.

Wealth at Odds with the Prisoner: Wu Qu (wealth) and Lian Zhen (prisoner) guard the Body and Life Palaces together. The note already explains that the two stars never share a palace, so the 'your chart' match uses meeting instead. That raises another problem: under the placement method, Wu Qu and Lian Zhen are always in trine to each other, so Wu Qu in the Life Palace always meets Lian Zhen and Lian Zhen in the Life Palace always meets Wu Qu. Read as meeting, this pattern of poverty would apply to everyone with Wu Qu or Lian Zhen in the Life Palace, which is plainly too broad.

A more reasonable reading is that the name is built from the meanings of the two transformed qi: the wealth star imprisoned, money that is stuck. In actual chart reading, look at the brightness and transformations of the two stars; the clash between wealth and prisoner only becomes obvious when, for example, Wu Qu takes Hua Ji in a Ren year or Lian Zhen takes Hua Ji in a Bing year. The chapter on star elements also says 「武曲金星與廉真同度，則武曲為財而無用也」 (see Star Elements and the Northern and Southern Dippers).

Alone and Poor All Life: Po Jun guards the Life Palace in Xian. Po Jun is Xian in Mao and You, where it shares the palace with Lian Zhen. The Po Jun chapter says 「在身命陷地，棄祖離宗」, which is the same position.

The contrast to keep in mind: Po Jun in Zi and Wu is in its temple (Miao), the top pattern of 'the hero star in its temple'. The same Po Jun is rated worlds apart in Zi and Wu versus Mao and You, one more sign that the Quan Shu decides good and bad by brightness. In modern terms, Po Jun in Mao or You means heavy spending and difficulty building up reserves; it suits starting something of one's own more than holding on to what exists.

The Gentleman in the Wilds: the four malefic stars guard the Body and Life Palaces and are in Xian as well. The phrase also appears in the Zi Wei chapter: 「君子在野，小人在位」, describing Zi Wei isolated without helpers and sharing a palace with malefic stars. The two uses agree: people of virtue and ability are pushed out.

Qing Yang is Xian in Zi, Wu, Mao and You, Tuo Luo in Yin, Shen, Si and Hai, Huo Xing and Ling Xing in Shen, Zi and Chen; the brightness in the small text on a Xingge chart lets you check directly. Today it reads as talent held down and not in its proper place, waiting on a change of time and setting.

The Double Canopy: Lu Cun and Hua Lu both sit in the Life Palace, and Di Kong and Di Jie are met. Lu Cun plus Hua Lu is 'double Lu', a pattern of wealth; but meeting Di Kong and Di Jie, both layers of Lu are covered. It is the other face of the verse in the Lu Cun chapter, 「夾祿拱貴並化祿，金裏重逢金滿屋」: double Lu without Di Kong and Di Jie fills the house with gold, and with them it turns to poverty.

'Canopy' here is a metaphor: the canopy is the umbrella over an emperor's carriage, and once it covers from above, the light is blocked. A Xingge chart also has a minor star called Hua Gai, placed by the year branch; it has nothing to do with this pattern name, so keep the two apart when reading a chart.