Does the Nine Star Ki process forwards or backwards through the numbers? I have read conflicting things about how to find the elemental year and what year I am in. Any help with this would be appreciated.
Katja D., Holliston, MA
Hi Katja,
Thank you for your question! And I'm happy that you're diving into the Nine Star Ki. I love it and use it often!
The approach to evaluating Nine Star Ki numerology, as with most things, depends on how you were taught and your interpretation of the knowledge. In the BTB Masters feng shui program that I studied in, my teacher, Rosalie Prinzivalli, taught me the Nine Star Ki numerology as she was taught by her teacher, Edgar Sung. Edgar was also a BTB feng shui master, who studied under Professor Lin Yun. He taught Nine Star numerology such that the process works this way. This is the way I practice as well, since he is part of my teacher's lineage.
There is another numerology from the classical and Flying Star schools. In this system, called the Eight Mansion, your personal Kua number, or your ming gua, is calculated by reading your numbers based on your year of birth and your sex. The calculations are similar to Nine Star Ki, however the applications and use are totally different.
So ultimately, as is often the case in feng shui and all things in life, your interpretation of how to use numerology for feng shui depends on your teacher, their teacher's lineage and your experience and knowledge using the information. As I've shared before, teachers are a very important part of feng shui, and the way you learn each part of the practice will vary depending on who you choose to study with. I'm not sure what your experience is, but I would recommend choosing a teacher you trust, who resonates with you, and learning their methods. Know that there will be conflicting information in feng shui, especially if you aren't learning from a teacher. Just another reason teachers are so important if you really want to learn true feng shui! If you'd like to learn a bit more about Nine Star Ki before you find your mentor, I can recommend Feng Shui Astrology and Nine Star Ki: Michio Kushi's Guidebook on Love and Relationships, Health and Travel and Getting Through the 1990's.
Our 2017 Nine Star Ki podcast episode also has easy directions for calculating this number in the way that I practice. Hopefully we answered your questions and this helps! The Nine Star Ki for 2018 is coming up soon, so keep an eye out!
