Ba Zi

T ake a peek into your crystal ball with a Ba Zi (Eight Characters) reading from Dr. Tan. Your birth date and time formulate eight Chinese characters revealing an incredibly accurate picture of your life relating to timing, direction, and relationships. Viewing the peaks and valleys from the your past and future can provide you with a balanced perspective and assist you with decision-making.

What is a Ba-Zi reading?

In simple terms, Ba-Zi (pronounced bah-dzee) can be thought of as a form of Chinese Astrology. A Ba-Zi reading gives an astonishingly accurate portrait of a person's life according to the year, month, day and hour of birth. In order to perform a Ba-Zi reading, these four specific times are arranged in four columns or pillars, the so-called "Pillars of Destiny." Each segment of time is denoted by two groups: the first is comprised of the "Ten Heavenly Stems," the Yin and Yang parts of the five elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Metal, and Wood. The second group is comprised of the "Twelve Earthly Branches," more commonly known as the twelve animals of the Zodiac: Horse, Tiger, Monkey, Dog, Goat, Snake, Rabbit, Ox, Rooster, Pig, Dragon and Rat. A detailed analysis of the relationships among these Chinese characters yields information about the person's potential and future direction. It reveals personality traits, as well as strengths and weaknesses that may be applied to career choices and major life decision. It also reveals information about social interactions that may be used to enhance personal and career relationships.

Is Ba-Zi a relatively new practice among the Chinese Arts?

Ba-Zi is certainly not a new practice. The Chinese have likely practiced Ba-Zi for about 3,000 years, yet it has only been documented for hundreds of years. However, Ba-Zi is a relative newcomer to the Western world, and is therefore not as well known as other Chinese arts such as acupuncture and Feng Shui. In time, Ba-Zi will most likely become just as widely accepted in the West as Chinese Medicine and Feng-Shui have become. In fact, Chinese Medicine, Feng Shui and Ba-Zi are closely interconnected, as all of these arts originated in the I Ching and are linked by means of the Five-Element theory. Whereas Feng-Shui is concerned with manipulating environmental design, Ba-Zi is concerned with timing, place and relationships. Like these better known treasures emanating from China, Ba-Zi can enhance happiness, health and even longevity.

Does this mean that two people who were born on the same day, at the same exact time, will share the same destiny?

Ba Zi fortune telling is much like reading a movie script. The script can be pre-written in a certain way, but the director, producer and actors determine the true outcome of the final movie. Similarly, the same Beethoven piece will sound distinct to each orchestra that plays it because it is conducted by different musicians. Therefore, two people born at the same exact time may have the same "script," but how they choose to act out their roles varies from individual to individual. These two people are raised by different parents, surrounded by different environments and encounter different people in their lives. So, a Ba Zi reading can tell you what kind of "seed" you are for this life. But, how you take care of your seed, what kind of soil you use and where the seed is planted will all have an effect on how well the seed grows. So, many people may have the same birth time, date, month and year as Abraham Lincoln, but there is only one Mr. Lincoln. Some may even be much smarter and work harder than incoln, but they are not from same kind of seed. Their script is not written that way.

As for myself, I wanted to be a basketball player and I was very good at it. The problem is that nature did not make me tall. So, if I worked against nature and tried hard to be a great basketball player, the odds are much less than if I was tall. Look at the gifts that nature has given you, work hard and follow the flow. Does this mean that there is no free will?

Ba Zi readings calculate astrology by universal rules. How you live your life based on these rules is still up to you. Your free will allows you to choose to live a happy or miserable life. So, we do have free will in our lives, but we still need to follow the universal rules. For example, you may have the free will to fly, but you do not have the wings. You need to follow Newton's law to design and make the airplane in order to fly. How much freedom you have to carry out your will is determined by nature. You determine what you will do with the freedom that nature does give you.

Can anyone practice Ba-Zi and yield the same results?

Practitioners of Ba-Zi include I Ching scholars, and practitioners like myself who are well versed in Chinese Medicine. Ba-Zi is an art form that is based in logic and mathematics. It is dependent on the sensitivity of the individual practitioner. Therefore, different practitioners will yield varying results from a Ba-Zi reading. Personally, I have been performing Ba-Zi readings with great accuracy for the past three years. My deep interest in the art of Ba-Zi stems from my very individualized approach to Chinese Medicine.

Can a Ba-Zi reading give us guidance about our health?

Ba-Zi readings serve to enhance the doctor's perception of the body on an emotional and spiritual level. In the end, this multifaceted approach to the body facilitates the practice of good medicine. Needless to say, patients will benefit greatly from this broader understanding of their bodies. Thus, there is much to be gained in the arena of health from a Ba-Zi reading. Developing insight about one's life's design can enhance wisdom, happiness, and longevity.

How can a Ba-Zi reading help us in our personal relationships?

The insight that comes from a Ba-Zi reading can help us understand our personal traits and use this information to enhance our relationships. For example, one of my clients used information from her Ba-Zi readings to better understand her family relationships. She can now use that information to make positive changes for her future. After our reading, the client said: "The accurate description of my past life amazed me. It has helped me to look back at family relationships, in particular with my mother, and to change how I relate in the present. It also increased my sense of self-worth."

The author of several books on acupuncture and Feng-Shui, Dr. Tan is well known in San Diego and throughout the United States for his effective practice of Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture, Feng-Shui and Chi Gong instruction. Dr. Tan now offers Ba-Zi readings to enhance your state of happiness and to provide a glimpse into your future. Please click contact Dr. Tan ,or call (858) 277-1421 for an appointment.