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TL;DR: La Hầu is one of the three inauspicious stars in the Nine Luminaries, associated with disputes, hardships, and anxiety. According to folk belief, those affected often perform rituals on the 8th lunar day monthly, facing North, to mitigate the ill fate.
What is the La Hầu star in the Cửu Diệu?
In the Cửu Diệu system, a traditional astrological doctrine of the East, each person has a star ruling their destiny each year, rotating on a nine-year cycle. These nine stars are divided into three groups: three auspicious stars (Thái Dương, Thái Âm, Mộc Đức), three neutral stars (Vân Hán, Thủy Diệu, Thổ Tú) and three inauspicious stars (La Hầu, Thái Bạch, Kế Đô). Among them, the La Hầu star is always mentioned as a formidable malefic, ruling the destiny of both men and women.
In folk belief, the La Hầu star is a star of obstruction, bringing many misfortunes to the person whose destiny it rules that year. Unlike the auspicious stars that bring luck and favourable conditions, La Hầu is often associated with troubles in life, especially in the realm of the spirit and social relationships.
The detailed meaning of the La Hầu star
How does the La Hầu star affect fortune and career?
According to folk documents, having the La Hầu star rule your destiny will bring a person much bad luck and disadvantage. Specifically, those under this star often run into troubles involving gossip, disputes and may become entangled in matters related to the law. Career and advancement in such a year may meet more obstacles and difficulties than in other years.
How does the La Hầu star affect the spirit and relationships?
One of the most notable effects of the La Hầu star is creating a sense of weariness and unease in the person it rules. They may feel tired, lacking in motivation, and easily fall into a negative state. This not only affects work performance but also harms personal and family relationships. In folk belief, the worst period of the La Hầu star is in the first and seventh lunar months, when misfortune may become more severe.
How is the La Hầu star worshipped to resolve misfortune?
On which day, at which hour and in which direction should the La Hầu star be worshipped?
In traditional belief, to neutralise the adverse effects of the La Hầu star, people often perform a ritual to worship the star and resolve misfortune. The La Hầu star is said to shine brightest from 9 pm to 11 pm on the eighth day of each lunar month. When worshipping, the head of the household should face due north, held to be the position of this constellation.
What offerings are needed for worshipping the La Hầu star?
The offerings for worshipping the La Hầu star must be prepared carefully, including:
- Lamps or candles, with nine lamps lit to represent the position of the star
- A tablet written in red ink on yellow paper, clearly bearing the name "Đức Bắc Thiên Cung Thần Thủ La Hầu Tinh Quân"
- Gold votive paper, salt and rice
- Betel and areca, fruit, incense and flowers, offerings of glutinous rice cakes
- A bottle of clean water
The prayer text for the La Hầu star
The prayer for worshipping the La Hầu star usually begins by naming the presiding deities, then clearly recites the name of the La Hầu star, together with the name, age and date of birth of the worshipper. The content of the prayer expresses reverence and the wish to be freed from misfortune and granted blessings and peace. After the worship is finished, the head of the household burns the votive paper, the tablet and the prayer text.
What is an objective, modern perspective on the La Hầu star?
Reading one's star fortune and worshipping the stars to resolve misfortune is a beautiful spiritual cultural feature of the Vietnamese people, expressing the aspiration for a peaceful, fortunate life. However, from a modern perspective, we need a balanced approach, and should not worry too much or depend entirely on these beliefs.
A year full of difficulties, gossip, or feelings of weariness can stem from many other objective causes such as work pressure, relationship problems, or changes in one's living environment. Instead of only worrying about the ruling star, we should take the initiative to build a healthy lifestyle, keep an optimistic spirit, and be careful in our words and actions. The star worship ritual can be seen as a way for the soul to find peace, from which one gains more confidence and motivation to overcome the challenges of the year.
Quick reference table: the La Hầu star
| Aspect | Content |
|---|---|
| Folk classification | inauspicious star |
| Interpretation | La Hầu is an inauspicious star, governing gossip, unjust accusations, and a tendency to meet unpleasant matters involving documents or legal affairs. In a La Hầu year one should be careful in speech, avoiding hasty signing of agreements. |
| Nominal ages meeting this star (men) | 1, 10, 19, 28, 37, 46, 55, 64, 73, 82, 91, 100 |
| Nominal ages meeting this star (women) | 6, 15, 24, 33, 42, 51, 60, 69, 78, 87, 96 |
The figures in the table match the results of the lookup tools on Nhật Nguyệt.
