Our research, as indicated by articles already published in this website, shows that there are scientific evidence proving Feng Shui and astrology are highly scientific. Since astrology has scientific basis, then astrological systems among the ancient cultures should be the same. Indeed, evidence presented in an earlier article shows that Zi Wei Dou Shu , Western and Hindu astrology systems are the same. Zi Wei Dou Shu evolves from the same common astronomical sources as Western, Hindu and Middle East astrology.

Does Ba Zi Eight Characters belong to the same systems? Ba Zi Eight Characters is thought to be different from Zi Wei Dou Shu. Hence, claims have been made that Ba Zi Eight Characters and Zi Wei Dou Shu are of different systems, although some said both can give similar results.

It is time to expose the myths.

It has been said that Ba Zi Eight Characters divination is more popular and simpler than Zi Wei Dou Shu. Traditions point to the existence of Zi Wei Dou Shu long before its so-called invention by Chen Xi Yi in the Sung dynasty, indicating that Zi Wei Dou Shu had long existed before Ba Zi Eight Characters divination made its official appearance in the Sung dynasty.

The common people had access all the time to the widely available Ba Zi Eight Characters while the rarer elusive Zi Wei Dou Shu was applied only by the imperial circle and became better known to the public after the fall of the Qing dynasty. Modern people probably find Zi Wei Dou Shu more complicated as they had been long exposed to Ba Zi Eight Characters, and therefore can grasp better the later than the former.

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Creation of Ba Zi Eight Characters Divination

So, the emperor got someone from their palace to create Ba Zi Eight Characters divination. A high imperial officer imperial censor Li Hsu-chung was the attributed inventor of Ba Zi Eight Characters.

• However, an examination of the Li Hsu Chung Ming Shu shows that Li Hsu Chung wrote nothing like the modern Ba Zi Eight Characters divination. The more logical invenor was Xu Ziping, a Sung dynasty scholar.

Normally, the imperial astronomers were forbidden to communicate to the ordinary people. In this case, the imperial censor could, only because there was an agenda in mind - to get the people to use the inferior Ba Zi Eight Characters divination, so that Zi Wei Dou Shu would never be revealed to the people. The imperial circle would always have the advantage over the people.

• This was an additional advantage. The other advantage was that only the emperors used astronomical observations and forbidden planetary tables for dating their astrology while the ordinary people had to use the inferior calendars to indirectly compute Time.

Of course, whoever invented Ba Zi Eight Characters had to use something which worked to some extent. He delved into the lore of the imperial Zi Wei Dou Shu to obtain pointers for the invention of Ba Zi Eight Characters. But he was careful to omit from Ba Zi important aspects which relate to establishing and supporting kingship.

• It is foolish to think that the emperors would not want to preserve for themselves potent secrets of Feng Shui and astrology, while keeping the people in inferior knowledge. Why do you think the emperors should forbade the imperial astronomers from talking to the people? The imperial circle was adept in keeping all sorts of important information from the people.

• Some current practitioners claim to learn from "royal masters", such as of the fallen Qing dynasty. Unfortunately, looking at the status of current knowledge, these "royal masters" must have been privy only to inferior information, but quite ignorant of the inner potent secrets.

Some systems like Mei Hua Plum Blossom divination purporting to tell the future are fakes!

Our research shows that almost all the over 30 stars of Ba Zi Eight Characters are actually also stars found in and originating or derived from a small part of the over 100 stars of Zi Wei Dou Shu. Hence, Ba Zi Eight Characters divination belongs to the same astrology system as Zi Wei Dou Shu.

We have applied a critical historical analysis to uncover what really occurred. At least two riddles are solved.

• One is that Zi Wei Dou Shu, Western and Hindu astrology are the same and use the same astronomical sources.

• The second riddle solved is that an inferior Ba Zi Eight Characters divination is indeed part of the same systems but was derived through imperial deception from a small part of the more advance Zi Wei Dou Shu.

Q.E.D.

During the wars after the fall of the Tang dynasty, many Feng Shui and astrology secrets were lost. Chen Xi Yi's coming was a Godsent to the Sung emperors, who used him to recover the astrology secrets lost during the wars.

So, the emperors secretly continued to practise their potent astronomy based Zi Wei Dou Shu, while the naive common people indulged in the inferior calendar based Ba Zi Eight Characters divination. Ba Zi Eight Characters divination is a valid astrology system but it is definitely much inferior to its parent system Zi Wei Dou Shu.

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