What is the Joy Deity and where does it come from?
The Joy Deity is an element of the five phases (or a star, or a palace) considered beneficial to the Useful God of a chart. In other words, if the Useful God is the "main medicine", the Joy Deity is the "supporting medicine" that helps the main medicine work, or protects it from being clashed and broken. This concept is inseparable from the Useful God: to determine the Joy Deity, one must first determine the Useful God.
Kind of knowledge: School: Tử BìnhSchool's interpretation. How one school or one book reads it; other schools may read it differently. The five labelsIn the Tử Bình system, the Joy Deity is usually understood as the phase that generates the Useful God, or the phase that can control the Taboo God threatening the Useful God. However, this relationship is not fixed. A phase can be the Joy Deity in one case but become the Taboo God in another, depending on the position of the whole chart.
Kind of knowledge: School: Kỳ Môn Độn GiápSchool's interpretation. How one school or one book reads it; other schools may read it differently. The five labelsIn Kỳ Môn Độn Giáp, the Joy Deity is not only a phase but is also tied to the position of the eight gates on the eight trigrams. The book Kỳ Môn Độn Giáp diệu bí by Khâu Kim Hán records the correspondence between the gates and the hexagrams: when the Rest Gate arrives at the Xun palace it corresponds to the hexagram Thủy Phong Tỉnh; when the Death Gate arrives at the Qian palace it corresponds to Địa Thiên Thái; when the Harm Gate arrives at the Dui palace it corresponds to Lôi Trạch Quy Muội; when the Blockage Gate arrives at the Gen palace it corresponds to Phong Sơn Tiệm; when the Open Gate arrives at the Li palace it corresponds to Thiên Hỏa Đồng Nhân; when the Fear Gate arrives at the Kan palace it corresponds to Trạch Thủy Khốn; when the Life Gate arrives at the Kun palace it corresponds to Sơn Địa Bác; when the View Gate arrives at the Zhen palace it corresponds to Hỏa Lôi Phệ Hạp1. From this, a user of Kỳ Môn can judge favourable directions and times based on the corresponding hexagram.
A distinction is needed: the Joy Deity in Tử Bình, Purple Star and Kỳ Môn Độn Giáp is not the same concept. They only share the word "Joy" (delight, something beneficial) and the general logic of finding the factor that supports the main one. But the way it is determined and the scope of application differ considerably.
How is the Joy Deity determined in Tử Bình?
Kind of knowledge: School: Tử BìnhSchool's interpretation. How one school or one book reads it; other schools may read it differently. The five labelsThe process of determining the Joy Deity in Tử Bình has three steps: first, determine the Day Master and its degree of strength or weakness; second, determine the Useful God (the phase needed to balance the chart); third, determine the Joy Deity (the phase that generates and supports the Useful God or controls the Taboo God).
A simple example: if the Useful God is Wood, then Water generates Wood, so Water is usually regarded as the Joy Deity. Fire is generated by Wood, so Fire can also be the Joy Deity because it drains the qi of Wood, helping Wood avoid excess. Conversely, Metal controls Wood, so Metal is usually the Taboo God. Earth is controlled by Wood, so Earth can be the Taboo God if it depletes Wood.
However, this rule is only a framework. The book Tuyển tập bài viết Bát Tự chọn lọc số 2 (Thiên Hỏa Đồng Nhân) stresses: the greatest taboo for the Useful God is to be damaged and encroached upon, it must not be scattered and plundered, and it is not permitted to be in excess or in deficit. When the Useful God falls into a state of excess, meaning it becomes too strong, that is also not a good thing, because if the yearly and luck cycles add further support it only damages it more severely, no different from Wood snapping, Water drying up, Earth collapsing, Fire flaring up and then dying out, Metal being worn away. In the opposite direction, when the Useful God falls into a state of deficit, it is already not auspicious, and if it then meets yearly and luck cycles that control it, it becomes even weaker, leading to disaster. Only when the Useful God reaches a balanced position, that is, a state of neutrality, is it considered noble.
This means: the Joy Deity is not a phase where "the more the better". A phase is truly the Joy Deity only when it brings the chart back to balance, not when it makes some phase too strong.
Table of correspondence of the Joy Deity by Useful God in Tử Bình
| Useful God | Common Joy Deity | Common Taboo God | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood | Water, Fire | Metal, Earth | Water generates Wood; Fire drains the qi of Wood and helps balance; Metal controls Wood; Earth is controlled by Wood and causes depletion |
| Fire | Wood, Earth | Water, Metal | Wood generates Fire; Earth drains the qi of Fire; Water controls Fire; Metal is controlled by Fire and causes depletion |
| Earth | Fire, Metal | Wood, Water | Fire generates Earth; Metal drains the qi of Earth; Wood controls Earth; Water is controlled by Earth and causes depletion |
| Metal | Earth, Water | Fire, Wood | Earth generates Metal; Water drains the qi of Metal; Fire controls Metal; Wood is controlled by Metal and causes depletion |
| Water | Metal, Wood | Earth, Fire | Metal generates Water; Wood drains the qi of Water; Earth controls Water; Fire is controlled by Water and causes depletion |
The table above is only a reference framework. In actual interpretation, one must also consider the position of the phases in the four pillars, the degree of strength or weakness of each phase, and the interaction between the pillars.
How is the Joy Deity in Purple Star Astrology different?
Kind of knowledge: School: Tử ViSchool's interpretation. How one school or one book reads it; other schools may read it differently. The five labelsIn Purple Star Astrology, the Joy Deity is not only a phase but also a specific star in the star system. The interpretive method known as the Joy and Taboo Method focuses on analysing the generating and controlling relationships between the factors on the chart, in order to determine the Joy Deity and the Taboo God..
According to the book Tuyển tập bài viết Tử Vi chọn lọc số 8 (Thiên Hỏa Đồng Nhân), the law of the five phases is the foundation for recognising the Joy Deity and the Taboo God. For instance, when the Useful God is Wood, Fire often plays the role of the Joy Deity because Fire generates Wood; while Water can become the Taboo God if it accumulates too much and leads to waterlogging, or Metal can also be the Taboo God because Metal controls Wood. Even so, this relationship is always shifting and must be viewed in the overall context.
This book also records an example: "this person favours wood and fire and taboos metal and water. From 1974 to 1978, money was abundant, partly because the years belonged to the Wood phase and the Fire phase. Here, the Wood and Fire years are regarded as the Joy Deity, bringing prosperity.. On the contrary, the Metal and Water years play the role of the Taboo God, bringing inauspicious things. This shows that external factors such as the yearly cycle (year) and the monthly cycle (month) can also turn into the Joy Deity or the Taboo God once they interact with the natal chart.
The book also gives a warning about troublesome situations: "the yearly cycle of the Canh Thân year is a joy and taboo year and again meets the Sun entering the natal palace, according to the application of the joy and taboo method, even without transformation into taboo it still becomes inauspicious." This means: even if a year is regarded as the Joy Deity, it can still turn into the Taboo God when it meets bad stars or other clashing factors, bringing results contrary to one's wishes, even disaster.
The basic difference between Tử Bình and Purple Star: Tử Bình determines the Joy Deity based on the five phase relationships between the heavenly stems and earthly branches in the four pillars; Purple Star determines the Joy Deity based on the position of stars and palaces in the chart, combined with the five phases of the natal element and the bureau. Both are conventions of divination, not scientific conclusions.
How does Kỳ Môn Độn Giáp use the Joy Deity?
Kind of knowledge: School: Kỳ Môn Độn GiápSchool's interpretation. How one school or one book reads it; other schools may read it differently. The five labelsIn Kỳ Môn Độn Giáp, the Joy Deity is not defined as a separate phase but is tied to the eight gates and the eight trigrams. The book Kỳ Môn Độn Giáp diệu bí by Khâu Kim Hán records the correspondence between the gates and the hexagrams: when the Rest Gate arrives at the Xun palace it corresponds to the hexagram Thủy Phong Tỉnh; when the Death Gate arrives at the Qian palace it corresponds to Địa Thiên Thái; when the Harm Gate arrives at the Dui palace it corresponds to Lôi Trạch Quy Muội; when the Blockage Gate arrives at the Gen palace it corresponds to Phong Sơn Tiệm; when the Open Gate arrives at the Li palace it corresponds to Thiên Hỏa Đồng Nhân; when the Fear Gate arrives at the Kan palace it corresponds to Trạch Thủy Khốn; when the Life Gate arrives at the Kun palace it corresponds to Sơn Địa Bác; when the View Gate arrives at the Zhen palace it corresponds to Hỏa Lôi Phệ Hạp1.
From this, a user of Kỳ Môn can judge favourable directions and times based on the corresponding hexagram. The book also records: "Nhất thời hữu bát quái, nhi sở dụng chỉ nhất quái" (in one time there are eight hexagrams, but only one hexagram is used). The specific way to use it: look at the hexagram of the direction from which the person comes, the direction in which the person sits, or the direction where there is an unusual sign1.
The book Kỳ Môn Chỉ Quy, volume 1, in the preface by Vạn Tế Hiên written in the 18th year of Quang Tự (1892), recalls the legend about the origin of Kỳ Môn: the Yellow Emperor received an auspicious sign granted by the "mother of heavenly mystery and darkness", and then together with Phong Hậu created Kỳ Môn2. This is a legend recorded in the book, not a proven historical event. The book also recounts: in the Zhou era, Thượng Phụ (Khương Tử Nha) received the transmission from Dung Thành Tử; in the Han era, Trương Tử Phòng received it from Xích Tùng Tử; in the Three Kingdoms era, Gia Cát Lượng received it from his father-in-law Hoàng Thừa Ngạn; by the Ming era, Lưu Bá Ôn used Kỳ Môn to assist Minh Thái Tổ2. These lines belong to the tradition of attributing authorship, not to reliable historical records.
A point to note: Kỳ Môn Độn Giáp was originally a military art, used to judge battle formations, the direction of advance, and the time to send troops. The preface of Kỳ Môn Chỉ Quy also states clearly that this is a "binh pháp gia chi tả khoán" (a strategy book of the military school)2. Therefore, the concept of the Joy Deity in Kỳ Môn is strategic in nature, unlike the Joy Deity in Tử Bình or Purple Star, which is personal in nature.
Why is the Joy Deity not fixed?
The short answer: because the Joy Deity depends on the Useful God, and the Useful God depends on the balance of the whole chart. When the chart changes (adding a yearly cycle, a monthly cycle, or changing the major luck cycle), the Useful God can change, and the Joy Deity changes along with it.
The book Tuyển tập bài viết Bát Tự chọn lọc số 2 (Thiên Hỏa Đồng Nhân) stresses: "Chuyên chấp dụng thần, thiết tường hỉ kỵ." This teaching guides the interpreter to focus on a single Useful God while thoroughly understanding the factors of joy and taboo. The greatest taboo for the Useful God is to be damaged and encroached upon, it must not be scattered and plundered, and it is not permitted to be in excess or in deficit.
A concrete example: a chart whose Useful God is Wood and whose Joy Deity is Water. But if the chart already has too much Water, then Water is no longer the Joy Deity but becomes the Taboo God because it causes waterlogging. Conversely, if the chart lacks Water, Water becomes an important Joy Deity. This is why the five phase correspondence table cannot be applied mechanically.
Similarly in Purple Star, the book Tuyển tập bài viết Tử Vi chọn lọc số 8 records: "the yearly cycle of the Canh Thân year is a joy and taboo year and again meets the Sun entering the natal palace, according to the application of the joy and taboo method, even without transformation into taboo it still becomes inauspicious." That is: a year regarded as the Joy Deity can still cause misfortune if it meets bad stars or other clashing factors.
Applying the Joy Deity in practice
Kind of knowledge: School: Tử BìnhSchool's interpretation. How one school or one book reads it; other schools may read it differently. The five labelsIn Tử Bình, the Joy Deity is used to judge fortunes by year, month, day and hour. When a yearly cycle or major luck cycle carries the phase that is the Joy Deity, people usually consider it a more favourable period. When it carries the phase that is the Taboo God, that is a period requiring more caution. However, this is a convention of divination, not a scientific conclusion about destiny.
Kind of knowledge: School: Tử ViSchool's interpretation. How one school or one book reads it; other schools may read it differently. The five labelsIn Purple Star, the Joy and Taboo Method is used to interpret the relationship between stars and palaces. To apply this method, the interpreter needs meticulousness and a high capacity for synthesis. According to the book Tuyển tập bài viết Tử Vi chọn lọc số 8, when applying the Joy and Taboo Deity one must rely on rules including examining the natal element, the five phases of the bureau, the birth month, and the stars present on the chart. For instance, in a case where the natal element belongs to Earth, the bureau is the Fire bureau, and the birth month falls in the 7th month (Earth), then Earth and Fire... (the rest is cut off in the source).
Kind of knowledge: School: Kỳ Môn Độn GiápSchool's interpretation. How one school or one book reads it; other schools may read it differently. The five labelsIn Kỳ Môn, the Joy Deity is used to choose directions and times for action. The book Kỳ Môn Độn Giáp diệu bí records: "Bốc lai nhân thiện ác, chỉ khán kỳ lai phương chi quái" (to divine whether a person's coming is auspicious or inauspicious, just look at the hexagram of the direction from which that person comes)1. This is a concrete application: relying on the direction to choose the hexagram, and from there judging good or ill fortune.
A suggestion from Nhật Nguyệt: If you read materials about the Joy Deity, remember that this is a concept of divination, not of science. Conclusions about a "good year", a "bad year" or a "good direction" should only be taken as reference information, not used to make important decisions about finance, health or marriage. The ancient books themselves also stress that the Joy Deity is not fixed and depends on the whole chart, so it cannot be applied mechanically.
Conclusion
The Joy Deity is an element of the five phases (or a star, or a palace) considered beneficial to the Useful God. This concept appears in many different divination systems with different definitions and scopes of application:
- In Tử Bình: the Joy Deity is the phase that generates and supports the Useful God or controls the Taboo God, determined based on the five phase relationships of the four pillars.
- In Purple Star: the Joy Deity is a star or phase beneficial to the natal element, determined by the Joy and Taboo Method based on the position of stars and palaces.
- In Kỳ Môn Độn Giáp: the Joy Deity is tied to the eight gates and the eight trigrams, used to judge directions and times.
Common point: the Joy Deity is not fixed, it depends on the Useful God and the balance of the whole chart. This is a convention of divination, not a scientific conclusion about destiny.
