Zi Wei Dou Shu

紫微斗數

Zi Wei Dou Shu is the primary astrological method in Daoism, developed by Daoists for Daoists. For this reason we would like to share some information about this topic.

In Asia and the West the method known as Bazi has become the most popular method due to its relative simplicity and indeed it is an excellent system for an introduction to the world of Chinese divination.

However Bazi was more or less a Confucian art and was not the main system used by Daoist priests and Chinese folk magicians. That's not to say Bazi wasn't employed by some Daoists , it was but it was recognised as being civilian rather than a sacerdotal art.

Zi Wei Dou Shu is often badly translated as Purple Star Astrology.

A much better translation is Purple Profundity Dipper Calculation (of fate) Method.

Ziwei 紫微 , the Profound Profundity refers to the fabled palaces of the Gods, i.e. the Northern Star. Purple is a mixture of yang red and yin blue, thus representing the Dao in perfect equilibrium.

Dou, 斗 refers to not only the Big Dipper, but also other configurations such as the Southern, Western, Eastern and Central Dippers. The Northern Dipper refers to fate and is thus the keystone of understanding destiny in the Zi wei dou shu system and the cycles of apparent misfortune and fortune in a person's life.

The final word is Shu, 數 , which can mean calculation and fate simultaneously.

Zi Wei uses information garnered from an analysis of time and space at the time of birth of the person in question, and using combinations of stars and constellations seeks the pulse and vibration of the beneficial and malefic forces in a given destiny.

Ziwei , like most divinatory arts has the basic principle of 'Tianren he yi', Heaven and Humanity are One.

In other words like the Hermetic axiom, 'As above so below' . A basic premise is that at birth a person as an individual is connected with the cosmic energy field.

Ziwei was created in the Song Dynasty by the Daoist sage and priest of Mount Hua, Chen Tuan (871-989).

Master Chen took the already well developed Daoist astrology system Shi Ba Fei Xing (The Eighteen Flying Stars) and combined it with some principles of Vedic Astrology.

At a later date the Ziwei System was divided into two schools, the Northern and the Southern.

The Northern School is the simpler of the two and was probably a simplification of the original Zi Wei. It is also referred to as the Si Hua or Four Transformations Faction and is characterised by its relative simplicity and use of fewer stars.

The Southern School goes by the name of the San He School or Three Combinations Faction and is rather more complex and involves a greater number of stars. Generally both are learned.