The Nature of Po Jun

Po Jun's transformed qi is wasting: consumption and breakage, breaking first and building after. The Quan Shu says it governs wife and children and servants, and What Does Po Jun Govern? calls it 「司夫妻、子息、奴僕之神」; these are all positions that concern people, so Po Jun's wasting often lands on relationships. 「棄祖發福」 is its most famous line: the person prospers only after leaving the old family business or surroundings and starting afresh.

'Fond of gambling and hunting' was a sign of dissipation in old times; today it can be read as a taste for risk, excitement and competition. On a Xingge chart Po Jun always has Tian Xiang opposite and Qi Sha and Tan Lang in its trine, one corner of Sha Po Lang.

This line lists three of Po Jun's relationships. 'It likes Zi Wei': Zi Wei and Po Jun share a palace in Chou and Wei, and face each other (with Zi Wei and Tian Xiang opposite) in Chen and Xu; Zi Wei, the sovereign, can use Po Jun, the vanguard. 「天梁天府能制其惡」 comes with a fact about the chart worth knowing: neither Tian Liang nor Tian Fu ever appears in Po Jun's San Fang Si Zheng, so this 'restraint' can hardly hold literally on a natal chart; more likely it means a luck period laid on top, or the general character of the whole chart.

「與文曲同度一生貧士」: What Does Po Jun Govern? has 「與文星守命一生貧士」. Po Jun's wasting meeting the purity of a literary star leaves only honest poverty. 'Entering a water palace' is covered in the note: the water-strong positions around Hai and Zi.

Po Jun in its temple in Zi or Wu is what later writers call Ying Xing Ru Miao (the hero star in its temple), with Lian Zhen and Tian Xiang opposite. The lucky stems: in Jia years Po Jun takes Hua Quan and in Gui years Hua Lu, the star itself transforming well. The unlucky stems: in Bing and Wu years Lu Cun is in Si and Qing Yang right in Wu, so a Life Palace in Wu meets Qing Yang directly and one in Zi meets it from opposite; in Bing years Lian Zhen also takes Hua Ji in the opposite palace. So the line between lucky and unlucky here is clear, and rests on the transformations and where Qing Yang falls.

Star Combinations has 「甲癸生人合格，丁巳生人次之，丙戌生人主困」 (see Star Combinations: Po Jun); its 丙戌 is probably also a miscopy of 丙戊 (Bing and Wu), the same kind of doubt as in this segment's collation.

Po Jun in Chen, Xu, Chou or Wei shares a palace with Zi Wei in Chou and Wei, and sits alone in Chen and Xu facing Zi Wei and Tian Xiang, hence 'in the same palace as Zi Wei or facing it'. The condition names Bing and Wu years, but the transformation table shows no lucky transformation for Zi Wei or Po Jun in those years; it is one more case of the Quan Shu giving year stems without reasons.

The second half's condition is 'a fallen palace' with Lian Zhen and the four malefic stars, yet Po Jun is Wang in all of Chen, Xu, Chou and Wei, not fallen; and Lian Zhen shares a palace with Po Jun only in Mao and You, so the half-sentence really refers to Mao and You. When checking a chart, read 「遇廉貞羊陀火鈴於陷宮」 as a supplement to Lian Zhen and Po Jun in Mao or You in segment 7. The half-sentence on women is covered in the collation and continues in the next segment.

Following the collation, this line continues 'a woman's chart' from the previous segment: in its temple in Zi or Wu a woman's chart is still acceptable; fallen with malefic stars, disability, low and base, lust. Po Jun's only fallen positions are Mao and You, where it shares a palace with Lian Zhen, so on a chart this line really means a woman with Lian Zhen and Po Jun in Mao or You plus malefic stars. What Does Po Jun Govern? says a woman meeting it 「無媒自嫁，喪節飄流」, just as severe.

That is the old standard of judging women's charts by chastity. A modern reading: love comes fast and decisions come fast, things easily happen without the family's blessing, and easily reverse; but this still depends on the Spouse Palace and where the malefic stars fall.

This is the table version of segment 3, with slightly different stems: segment 3's lucky years are Jia and Gui, while here the rich blessings go to Ding, Ji and Gui. In Ding and Ji years Lu Cun is in Wu, in the same palace as Po Jun in Wu and opposite Po Jun in Zi; in Gui years Po Jun itself takes Hua Lu. Jia is not listed here, though segment 3 says 'rises to the Three Excellencies'.

The two segments differ, which can be understood as segment 3 speaking of rank (Hua Quan governs authority) and this one of rich blessings (Lu governs wealth). The unlucky years are still Bing and Wu, for the same reason as in segment 3: Qing Yang falls in Wu. Po Jun in Zi or Wu is the strongest position in Sha Po Lang, and the gap between lucky and unlucky is the widest.

Lian Zhen and Po Jun share a palace in Mao and You, Po Jun Xian and Lian Zhen Ping: Po Jun's weakest position. The lucky stems: in Yi years Lu Cun is in Mao, in Xin years in You, and in Gui years Po Jun takes Hua Lu. Those for whom it does not last: in Jia years Lian Zhen takes Hua Lu and Po Jun Hua Quan, but Lu Cun is in Yin and Qing Yang falls in Mao; in Geng years Qing Yang falls in You; in Bing years Lian Zhen takes Hua Ji.

So even with Hua Lu and Hua Quan, once Qing Yang sits in the palace the Quan Shu judges 'does not last', which shows it weighs Qing Yang above the transformations. On Lian Zhen with Po Jun, What Does Po Jun Govern? says 「與廉貞火鈴同度則決起官非」.

In Chen and Xu Po Jun sits alone in a Wang position, with Zi Wei and Tian Xiang opposite. Only Jia and Gui are listed, exactly the two years in which Po Jun itself takes Hua Quan and Hua Lu. This shows Po Jun is treated differently from other stars: where Lu Cun falls is not mentioned here, and the Quan Shu looks only at whether Po Jun itself transforms well.

Once Po Jun takes Hua Lu or Hua Quan, the force of wasting turns into the force of opening new ground. On a Xingge chart, find Po Jun's palace and see whether it carries a Lu or Quan transformation mark: that is the most direct way to read this segment.

Zi Wei and Po Jun share a palace in Chou and Wei, Zi Wei Miao and Po Jun Wang. The stems: in Yi years Zi Wei takes Hua Ke; in Bing and Wu years Lu Cun is in Si, in the trine of Chou (Si, You, Chou), but not in the San Fang of Wei, so this rule is not quite symmetrical between Chou and Wei.

What Does Po Jun Govern?, though, is severe on Zi Wei with Po Jun: 「此星居紫微則失威權」 and 「會紫貪則鼠竊狗盜」 (see What Does Po Jun Govern?), the opposite of the wealth and office pattern here. The usual reading: with lucky transformations and lucky stars, Zi Wei with Po Jun is a pioneering leader; with heavy malefic stars and Hua Ji, Zi Wei cannot hold Po Jun in check and the emperor star is dragged down instead.

In Yin and Shen Po Jun sits alone and has its place, with Wu Qu and Tian Xiang opposite. The four stems, Jia, Geng, Ding, Ji, are exactly the list for Tian Xiang and Qi Sha in Yin and Shen, from the same logic: in Jia years Lu Cun is in Yin, in Geng years in Shen, and in Ding and Ji years in Wu, in the trine of Yin. In Jia years Po Jun also takes Hua Quan and Wu Qu Hua Ke, an extra boost.

Most of the year stems for 'wealth and office pattern' in the Quan Shu's twelve-palace tables are worked out from Lu Cun and from Hua Lu and Hua Quan. Once readers know this rule they can work out other combinations for themselves rather than memorise them.

Wu Qu and Po Jun share a palace in Si and Hai, Wu Qu Ping and Po Jun Ping, a position where neither star is strong. Only Wu years have rich blessings: Lu Cun is in Si, in the same palace as Wu Qu and Po Jun in Si, but only shining from opposite for a Life Palace in Hai.

What Does Po Jun Govern? says 「與武曲入財位則東傾西敗」, and a little further on 「與武曲同居巳宮，貪狼拱亦居臺閣」, one unlucky and one lucky, the difference lying in the palace and what meets it. Wu Qu with Po Jun is a wealth star meeting a wasting star: money is earned and spent. It suits work that keeps investing in order to earn back, but needs a way to keep the money.

This verse names the three stars of Sha Po Lang together. By the rules for placing stars, Po Jun, Qi Sha and Tan Lang always sit in one another's trine: if one is in the Life Palace, the other two are bound to be in its San Fang, so 'Po Jun, Qi Sha and Tan Lang' is a single whole. The condition is 'in their temples': Po Jun is Miao in Zi and Wu, Qi Sha in Yin, Shen, Chen, Xu, Chou and Wei, Tan Lang in Chen, Xu, Chou and Wei.

Using Guan Yu as the example is a typical old-book attachment of a famous name; there is no reliable record of his birth time. A modern reading: Sha Po Lang people suit settings with much change that call for pioneering and sprinting, and ordinary people too can build up family assets by being active.

Po Jun in Zi or Wu with Wen Chang, Zuo Fu and You Bi is the upgraded form of Ying Xing Ru Miao (the hero star in its temple). There is a tension here with segment 2, which says Po Jun in the same palace as Wen Qu is a poor scholar, while this verse says that meeting Wen Chang he enters the court. The difference is that here Wen Chang 'meets' it, Zuo Fu and You Bi both arrive, and Po Jun is in its temple; segment 2 has Wen Qu in the same palace, a worse condition.

What Does Po Jun Govern? says 「遇文昌於震宮，遇吉可貴」, which also shows Po Jun with a literary star is not always bad; it depends on the position and the supporting stars.

The 'Hua Lu, Hua Ke or Hua Quan' of this verse needs checking against the transformation table: Po Jun takes Hua Quan only in Jia years and Hua Lu only in Gui years, and Po Jun never takes Hua Ke under any stem, so 'Ke' can only be filler for the line, or mean Hua Ke in the San Fang. Why Hua Lu and Hua Quan are 'an unusual joy' for Po Jun: the wasting star's nature is to consume, and Hua Lu turns consumption into money that flows, Hua Quan turns destruction into reform under control.

The last two lines, 「若還陷地仍加殺，破祖離宗出遠鄉」, carry on from 「棄祖發福」 in segment 1, only here the leaving is forced. Moving away from home to make a living is common today and can simply be read as moving or changing careers, but the Quan Shu's meaning is unlucky.

This verse moves the condition from the Life Palace to the Body Palace: Po Jun in the Body Palace, meeting Lian Zhen, Huo Xing, Qing Yang and Tuo Luo, is unlucky. The Body Palace shows conduct and circumstances later in life, and Po Jun there means a life spent amid change, breaking the old to build the new. 「不見傷殘定壽夭」 keeps its original meaning; it is a warning attached to an extreme combination, and it needs Lian Zhen and several malefic stars at once.

What Does Po Jun Govern? says 「惟天梁可制其惡，天祿可解其狂」, so Po Jun's harm is not beyond remedy; Lu Cun or Hua Lu is the commonest easing. On a Xingge chart the Body Palace is marked on one of the palaces; just check whether that palace holds Po Jun.

For a woman with Po Jun in its temple in Zi or Wu this verse gives a high rating: blessings and long life, outstanding ability, prospering her husband and benefiting her children. It contrasts with the unlucky verdicts of segment 5 and the next verse, and the dividing line is temple or fallen. Po Jun in Zi or Wu has Lian Zhen and Tian Xiang opposite and Qi Sha and Tan Lang in the trine.

Such a woman is capable, bold and willing to change things, able to carry the load at home and at work; 'prospering her husband and benefiting her children' can be read as making a real contribution to the family. It also shows the Quan Shu does not reject Po Jun in women's charts across the board; it depends on the position.

The condition is clear: Po Jun fallen (in Mao or You, with Lian Zhen) plus Qing Yang. Qing Yang in Mao or You means Jia years (Qing Yang in Mao) or Geng years (Qing Yang in You), which matches 「甲庚丙生人不耐久」 in segment 7 exactly. 「剋害良人非一次」 is old wording for a marriage that founders more than once, or a husband who meets misfortune.

Put in present-day terms, that is a marriage prone to breaking, a good chance of remarriage, and much conflict in love. It is a harsh verdict and its meaning stays unchanged, but it still has to go back to the stars of the Spouse Palace and the Decade Luck; no conclusion should rest on the Life Palace alone.

For a Po Jun luck period, look first at the temple position, then at Wen Chang and Tian Kui and Tian Yue. Po Jun is Miao only in Zi and Wu, and Wang in Chen, Xu, Chou and Wei. When reading the Decade Luck on Xingge, switch to a ten-year period; if the decade's Life Palace holds Po Jun, check its brightness in the small text first, then whether Wen Chang, Tian Kui or Tian Yue is in its San Fang Si Zheng.

Po Jun periods often bring change: a new job, a move, a new line of work. In its temple with lucky stars, the change means promotion or new chances. It is a time to take the initiative and build, not to hold on.

This verse pairs with the one before and speaks more cautiously: in its temple with no malefic stars, injury is slight; with killing stars gathered, beware loss and waste, and beware for the life of one's wife and oneself. Po Jun governs wife and children (segment 1), so when a luck period reaches Po Jun with malefic stars, the ancients singled out the wife.

The practical advice: during this period give family relationships and health more care, and be careful with large expenses. What Does Po Jun Govern? says 「若逢流殺交並，家業蕩空」, which is exactly the case of annual malefic stars laid on a Po Jun luck period.

This verse brings the harm of a Po Jun period down to the body: pus and blood, losses, perversity; for a woman, mourning, bloodshed and difficult birth. Po Jun belongs to water and governs wasting, and the ancients also linked it to blood and breakage, hence pus and blood and bloodshed.

A difficult birth was the gravest life-and-death trial for women in old times. Medicine is different today, and such a verdict can be read as 'take extra care over childbirth and surgery in this period', without changing the book's meaning. The three luck-period verses grow heavier one by one, and the order itself is a warning stepped up stage by stage.