Alex Chiu's Online I-Ching © 2001  Registered with the US Copyright Office.

The helper star and the enemy star

The appointed star is the star in concern. For example, if you are asking a question about a girl that you love, the star which most concerns you is the G woman star. The helper star is the star that produces the appointed star. If the appointed star is wood, the helper star must be water. If the appointed star is metal, the helper star must be soil. The enemy star is the star which kills the appointed star. If the appointed star is fire, the enemy must be water.

When asking a question, identify the appointed star first. Then measure the strength of the appointed star. Is there any helper star moving in the hexagram which could further strengthen your appointed star?  Is there an enemy star which would weaken your appointed?

A man tossed the coins asking in which month will his stocks' value go up.  He got [Rot].

The G money star is appointed.  The 4th line G sh moves because the date cn strikes with it.  So the 4th line G sh moves producing the self line R yo.  When there is a G money star moving to produce the self line, the stock value will go up.   Right now, R yo cannot be produced by G sh because R yo is bounding to the date cn.   But in month sh, the bondage shall be broken allowing G sh to produce R yo.   Month sh is also the month which G sh shall move.

Result:  The stock value rose in month sh.

The strength of the helper and the enemy

The helper produces the appointed. But a dead helper cannot produce the appointed.  An able helper must have the characteristic of one of the followings:

• The helper is being produced by the month or by the date.
  
  
• The helper star moves and turns into an element which produces back at the helper star.
  
  For example:
  

               P   wa  - - J   P   sh  - -
               B   yo  O       B   s   - - U
               K   h   -       R   w   -
               P   c   - - U   R   w   - -
               G   m   -       P   cn  -   J 
               R   e   O       G   y   - -

Let's say Mary is asking about her father's illness.  The P star is the appointed.   The 1st line R star is the helper because R can produce P.  The helper R e is very strong because it moves and turns into G y which produces back at itself.   Therefore, this helper is strong enough to help the appointed.

• The helper line is healthy under the month or the date.
  
  
• The helper line is NOT a retreating line.
  
  
• The helper and the enemy move together forming a combination which favors the helper line.
  
  For example:  

               G   wa  X       B   e   -
               R   yo  O       G   wa  - - U
               P   h   -   J   R   yo  -
               R   yo  -       R   yo  -
               P   h   -       P   h   -   J
               G   c   - - U   G   c   - -

  Let's say Mark asked about his father's illness.  The P star is the appointed.   Although the enemy star G wa is moving, it cannot hurt the appointed P star because the R star is also moving.  So the G star produces the R star.  And the R star is producing the appointed P star.

A woman wants to know if she can be hired by a company.  She tossed the coins and received [Solution] and [Commander] from the Lord.

The 4th line K moved.  K moved producing the self line.  K represents happiness.  That means you will soon become very happy.  So I guess you will be hired.  The self line also bounds to the date yo.  The date is an R star.   R represents control, power, and possession.  So R is the job.  The self line bounding to the job means you will get the job.  But now the self line is empty.   But in day cn, the self line will no longer be empty.  So in day cn, the job shall be yours. 

Result:  She got the job on day cn.

One girl threw coins asking about her father's criminal charge. She got [Combine] and [Same].

             P   wa  - -     P   sh  - U
             B   yo  -   U   B   s   -
             K   h   -       R   w   -
             G   m   X       K   h   - J
             R   e   - - J   P   c   - -
             P   wa  X       G   m   -

She is in great fear.  And the R star represents fear.  The powerful G combo surrounds the self line and is producing the self line's R fear star.  There shall be imminent horror!

• The 1st line and the 3rd line form a G combo which produces the self line R e.  If one tosses coins asking about trouble, the R star represents the trouble.  The G combo produces the self line's R e.  So the self line R e trouble star is very strong.  Wild Crane said the crime is serious.  The judgement is not going to be light.

Result: The father was put to death

Elements producing each other

Metal produces water. Water produces wood. Wood produces fire. Fire produces soil. Soil produces metal. It's always better to have the appointed and the helper being produced by the month, the date, a moving line, or the element which produces back the appointed or the helper moving line.

A man said that his younger brother has been arrested and has been charged for a serious crime. Is there any help? He got [Return] and [Zen].

             K   yo  - -     B   sh  - - J
             G   h   - -     K   s   - -
             B   c   X   U   P   w    -
             B   cn  - -     B   cn  - - U
             R   y   - -     R   y   - -
             G   t   -   J   G   t    -

The 4th line B stands for brother or friend. Therefore the 4th line B is the main character. The 4th line moves. The month and the date both are killing it.    Looks like that this crime is very serious and that the brother cannot escape death penalty.  But luckily, the B brother line moves and turns into w fire which produces back at itself.  There is still hope.  But looks like that this case will drag on for about a year.  The brother star c moves and changes into w which produces itself back.  That means your brother will escape the danger in month c.  But that's like almost 1 year later.

Result: The family spent large amount of money to buy out the judge. The brother's life was saved in month c.

The elements killing each other

Metal kills wood. Wood kills soil. Soil kills water. Water kills fire.  Fire kills metal.  One wishes that the enemy is being killed.  One does not wish that the appointed or the helper is being killed by the month, by the date, by other moving lines, or by the element which kills back. If there is one of the above which kills the appointed or the helper, the appointed or the helper must be strong enough to endure the killing.   If the appointed star is not strong enough to endure the killing, there will be consequences.

A man tossed the coins asking about the entire year's stock market trend.  He received [Combine] and [Compare].

If one asks about the stock market trend, the G money star is the appointed star.   The K star is the helper of the G star.  The B star is the helper of the K star.  In this sign, the 4th line K h moved turning into B s which produces back at K h.  Then, K h moves to produce the 3rd line G star.  But B s is being killed by both the month and the date.  So the B star is dead.  If the B star fails, the K star will also die.  If the K star dies, the G star will also vanish.  If the G star vanishes, the stock market shall crash.  Right now, the month and the date cannot kill B s because B s is still empty.  When the emptiness is fulfilled in month s, the B star shall be killed.  When B s fails, the K star and the G star will fall with it.

Result:  The stock market crashed in month s.

Being killed and produced at the same time

A young lady threw coins asking about her brother's criminal charge.  Will her brother be put do death?  She got [Stop] and [Lawsuit]:

             P   sh  -   U   P   sh  -
             B   s   -       B   s   -
             R   w   -       R   w   -   J
             G   m   - - J   R   w   - -
             R   e   X       P   cn  -
             P   wa  - -     G   y   - - U

The B star, which represents brother, is appointed.  The 2nd line R e represents the judge, and it is killing the B star.  But R e moves and turns into P cn which produces the appointed star.  So exactly what is the 2nd line doing?  Is the 2nd line an enemy or a friend?  Actually, the 2nd line is a friend.  You see, R e produces P cn, and P cn produces the B star.  So the 2nd line is actually producing the B star, not killing the B star.  The date is also producing the B star.   Don't worry.  Your brother will not die.  Besides, the date is striking at the 6th line P sh.  And P sh is right next to the B star.  Since the date is striking at P sh, P sh is moving and is producing the B star.  P sh could represent your parents.  There is nothing you can do to help your brother out. You must tell your parents to go and beg the judge.

Result: The father went to beg the judge. The judge had sympathy for the father because the father was 80 year-old.  So death penalty for the son was waived.

You see?  If the 2nd line R star moves and turns into a P star which produces the brother star, it is a helper instead of an enemy.  In my years of practice, every line similar to this one turns out to be a helper. 

A civil servant tossed the coins asking the Lord when will he be promoted to become a chief officer of the post office.  The Lord gave him [Rich] and [Travel].

The top line R sh represents promotion.  R sh moves and produces the self line.   But R sh also turns into G e which kills the self line.  So what exactly is the top line doing?  Is it killing the self line?  Or is it producing the self line?  Actually, the top line is producing the self line because R sh turns into G e which produces back at R sh.  Then R sh moves to produce the self line.  Wow!   Look at the month and the date.  Both of them are killing the top line R sh.   Can R sh still move and produce the self line?  Of course it can because R sh is being produced back by G e.  So the top line is still alive and shall move!   Look at the 1st line.  A strong K m moves and turns into R cn.  If a K star turns into an R star, a Mr. Nobody shall become a VIP. 

• Right now, the 1st line R cn is empty.  But this year is e.  The emptiness will be fulfilled this year.  So R cn won't be empty for long.  
• Both the 1st line and the 6th line are bounding to the date m.  But in year yo, the bondage shall be broken allowing both lines to move. 

Result:  He was promoted in year yo.  Look at the top line.  R sh moves and turns into G e which bounds to the self line.  That's another good sign because G represents gain.  If the gain star bounds to the self line, there will be some kind of gain.  A promotion is definitely a gain.

If a B star moves and turns into a G star which produces the self line R star, it either means:

1. You will earn money when the B star moves and turns into the G star.
2. You will lose money when the B star moves killing the G star.

The rule is simple:  If the G star is not dead, your will earn money.  If the G star is dead, you will lose money.

Take a look at this sign: 

The 3rd line B star moved turning into a money star which produces the self line R.   If the money star is not dead, you will earn money.  If the money star is dead, you will lose money.  Why?  Because if the money star is dead, it will be destroyed by the moving B star before it has the chance to produce the self line. 

I want Taiwan to declare independence so that China can invade that island.  I tossed the coins asking in which year will Taiwan declare independence, and I got [Little much] and [Joy].

The 3rd line B s moves killing the gain star G m.  So is that bad?  Is the gain star being killed?  No!  Not at all.  The 3rd line B s moves turning into the gain star which produces the self line.  That means something good will happen in year s.  Since the B star is very weak, it cannot hurt the gain star G m.   So G m still has the power to produce the self line.  If the B star is a very strong element, it will destroy the G gain star before the G gain star can reach the self line.  So God has confirmed that something good will happen in year s.

Result:  In year s (2004), Taiwan's president announced that all government oversea offices and government owned companies shall change the phrase 'Republic of China' to 'Taiwan' within 2 years.  This prediction is accurate.

What if a B star moves turning into a G star, but the G star does not produce the self line?

For example:  Richard tossed the coins asking when will the stock market improve.   God showed him [Return] and [Hurt].

The 3rd line B cn moves turning into G h.  But G h is not producing the self line, nor is G h connecting to the self line in any way.  The G star is not weak because the month produces it.  Right now, B cn is empty.   So B cn cannot turn into G h yet.  But month sh will strike with B cn fulfilling its emptiness.  So what is going to happen in month sh?  Will the stock value drop or go up?

Result:  The stock value went up in month sh.  Another reason why the stock value went up in month sh is because the self line turned into R m which has been struck by the month yo.  The R star means 'People buy.'  If the R star is hurt, people will sell their shares.  Month sh saved R m from the stroke because sh bounds to m.

So basically, if a B star moves turning into a strong G star, money is coming.

If a P star moves and turns into a K star which produces the self line G star, it either means:

1. The P star is killing the K star.
2. The P star is actually turning into a K star which produces the self line G star.

Again, it really depends on how strong the P star and the K star are.  If the K star is dead, the P star will destroy the K star before the K star can produce the self line's G star.

I tossed the coins asking will my new web host shut down my web site within a year for sending out bulk email.  God showed me [Queen] and [Hide].

The U line represents my web host.  The U line R w produces the self line.   This means they will host my site.  The 2nd line K h moves turning into R w which links to the U line.  So the 2nd line R w also represents my web host because both the U line and the 2nd line has R w. 

• The 2nd line R w, which represents my web host, moves to produce the self line.  So R w is my only helper.  If the helper has been removed, my web host will shut down my site.
• The date sh is the grave of R w.  And R w is weak under the month.
• If R w is not weak, the 2nd line R w will produce the self line when the 2nd line moves.  
• But honestly speaking, R w is not too weak.  I don't think they will shut down my web site.

Result:  They canceled my email privilege just a few days before month h began because they suspected that the mailing list which I have sent out are bulk email advertisements.  But after I have explained to them that what I have sent out are just invitations to a private halloween party, they reactivated my account on the very next day.  The reason why they reopened my account is because R w is not too weak.   K h might hurt R w momentarily, but K h cannot permanently damage the healthy R w.   From this lesson, we learned that the helper must be extremely weak or be dead in order for other forces to permanently destroy it.

How do I know if my helper is strong enough to reach the self line?

• Simple!  Let's say P wa moved turning into K t which produces the self line's G star.  As long as K t is not dead, K t still is strong enough to reach the self line.
• If both the month and the date are killing K t, the powerful P wa will destroy K t before K t can produce the self line.

For example:  A woman tossed the coins asking when will the stock value go up.   She received [Stop] and [No way].

The 1st line's P wa moved turning into K t which produces the self line's money star.   This means the stock value will go up.

• But too bad that K t is already dead.  So P wa will destroy K t before K t can reach the self line.  This means the stock value will actually drop when P wa kills K t.
• Right now, P wa is empty.  But in month w or month wa, the 1st line P wa will destroy K t.  So the stock value will drop sharply in month w or wa.

Result:  The stock value dropped in month w.

Another example:  One of my students tossed the coins asking for the stock market trend of an entire week.  He got [Compare] and [Quen].

My student said, "The 5th line G h is too weak to reach the self line because it has been struck by both the date and the month, and both the month and the date are producing the powerful B sh which kills G h.  Right now, the 5th line is loose.   So B sh cannot kill G h at this moment.  But when G h regains its strength on day h, G sh shall kill G h.  So the stock value will drop sharply on day h."

• I said, "You got it all wrong son.  G h is not dead.  So G h is still strong enough to reach the self line.  On day h, the stock value will rise sharply."

Result:  I was right.  The stock value rose sharply on day h.

A woman tossed the coins asking will her friend give her back her money in month m.   She received [Little much] and [Joy] from the Lord.

The 3rd line B s moved turning into the money star G m which produces the self line.   But too bad that the money star G m is dead, and no K star is moving to support G m.  So G m cannot produce the self line at all.  Right now, the 3rd line cannot move because G m has been struck loose by the date yo.  The 3rd line can only move in month m because G m can be revived in month m.  But when the 3rd line moves in month m, G m does not move to produce the self line.  Instead, the 3rd line B s will completely kill G m.  Since G m is too weak, B s will kill it before it has a chance to produce the self line R w.  What a coincidence?  She asked God can she receive some money in month m, and God tells her that the money star shall be destroyed in month m.  So God is saying that she cannot receive any money in month m.

Result:  She did not receive the money in month m.

Once, I placed a credit card order online for something right before I realized that it was a big rip off.  I emailed the company telling them that I am canceling the order.   But I don't know if they will honor my cancellation or not because they have a no refund policy.  So I immediately tossed the coins asking will I get a refund.   God gave me [Commander] and [Cover].

The U line's P yo moves turning into K y which produces the self line's G w money star.   This seems like they will refund me the money.  But the very powerful P yo, at the same time, might kill K y.  So the question is:  Is K y strong enough to produce the self line?  I say yes.  Although P yo is very powerful, K y is not considered weak under the month and the date.  So K y will survive the kill.

Result:  They emailed me informing me that they have refunded me the money on day wa.  It happened on day wa because the self line's empty G w fulfilled on that day.

But what if the self line's B star moves turning into a weak G star?  Will the self line still reach the G star if the G star is weak?

Tom tossed the coins asking in which month will the stock value reach the highest point.  He got [Break] and [Consolidate].

The self line's strong B star moves killing the money star G h.  So what does this mean?  Will the stock market crash when the self line B c moves?  Not exactly.

• The self line B c represents Tom himself.  If the self line B star moves turning into a weak money star, Tom will receive some money.  This means the stock value will go up. 
• Right now, G h is empty.  But in month h, the emptiness of G h shall be fulfilled.   So the self line B c will receive the money star in month h.  This means the stock value will rise in month h.
• The self line B c cannot move because it is bounding to the date c.  But in month wa, the bondage will be broken allowing the self line to move.  The stock value will go way up in month wa.
• The self line's G h money star is repelling away the 1st line's frustration star P e.   That's good.

Result:  As predicted, the stock value rose in month h.  Then it jumped way up in month wa.  Although the money star is weak, the self line B c is the one who is eating the money star.  So the money still belongs to Tom regardless how weak the money star is.

A dead element still can kill

As mentioned in the 'Strength of month and date' chapter, a dead element still can kill back unless it has been bounded up by another moving line. 

For example:  Sonny tossed the coins asking will his friend give him back his money on day m.  God showed him [Chen] and [Little storage].

The self line P sh turned into a money star G m which kills and bounds back.  The date has struck G m loose.  If he is to receive money, he will receive it on day m for sure because only day m will save the dead money star G m from the stroke.  But the problem is that the money star is dead.  Will he receive this money?

Sonny tossed again and got [Travel] and [Advance].

The self line's loser star is advancing.  This is not good.  But luckily, the 3rd line's P m moved to kill the self line so that the self line's loser star can no longer advance.  This means he will receive the money.  The 3rd line P m is loose.  So nothing will happen before day m.  But the 3rd line P m is dead.   Can P m still manage to kill the self line's loser star?

Result:  He received the money on day m.  This lesson proves that a dead element still can kill.

The element of the 2nd hexagram of a moving line can produce the elements of the first hexagram. 

For example: 

Let's look at the 3rd line.  The 3rd line is B yo moving and turning into R w.   Therefore, the 3rd line's R w can produce the self line P c. 

Let's look at the U line.  The U line R w turns into B yo.  But since the U line is not a moving line, the U line's B yo cannot produce the 2nd line K h.  If the date is t, the U line R w could be a moving line because date t would strike with R w causing it to move.  Then, the U line's B yo could produce the 2nd line K h.

The 5th line P wa can only produce back at the 5th line B s.  So P wa is dedicated to only the 5th line B s.  That means P wa cannot move to produce the 3rd line B yo.

The 3rd line B yo cannot move to produce the 2nd line K h anymore because it got killed back by R w.  But if B yo is very strong, the 3rd line B yo still might produce the 2nd line K h when a future wa year, wa month, or wa date bounds away the 3rd line R w.  

 Let's see another example:

The 2nd line P w can no longer kill the U line K s because P w moved turning into G h which kills back at itself.  But if P w is very strong, the 2nd line P w still might produce the 2nd line K h when a future y year, y month, or y date bounds away the 2nd line G h. 

Let's see another example:

The 4th line G yo moves turning into K sh which produces back at G yo.  Therefore, the 4th line G yo can produce the self line R h.  But in this case, the 4th line K sh cannot kill the self line.  The 4th line K sh only has enough energy to produce back at G yo.  Therefore, K sh can no longer kill the self line R h. 

Let's see another example:

The 5th line B sh cannot kill the U line's G t anymore since B sh is killing the 5th line G h.  But the 5th line B sh still has enough power to produce the 4th line K s.  

If a B star moves turning into a G star, that B star cannot kill another line's G star.

For example:

      Big Storage - 26  Extreme - 43

      R y   O           B wa - -      blk
      G t   X  U        K yo  -       wht
      B sh  X           G h   -       gry
 K s  B cn  -           B cn  -       yel
 P w  R y   -  J        R y   -       red
      G t   -           G t   -       grn

The 4th line B sh moves turning into G h.  The 4th line G h has absorbed all the damage from B sh.  Therefore, B sh has no energy to kill another line's G star.   So the 4rd line B sh cannot kill the 5th line G t. 

This also means:

• If a P star moves turning into a K star, that P star cannot kill another line's K star.
• If a R star moves turning into a B star, that R star cannot kill another line's B star.
• And same for a K star turning into a R star.  Same for a G star turning into a P star.

If a K star moves turning into a G star, that K star can no longer produce another line's G star.

For example:  I wanted to know will I earn money if I bet on a sports game.   I got [Joy] and [Solution].

The self line's G star is in trouble.  But luckily, the 2nd line's K e moved to rescue the self line.  I shall win money.  Right now, the self line has been struck by the date.  The self line will move on day wa.  When the self line moves, the 2nd line K e will rescue the self line.

Result:  I lost money on day wa.  I went back to the sign and looked for my mistake and realized that the 2nd line's K e is producing the 2nd line's G cn.  That means the 2nd line K e does not produce the self line's troubled money star anymore.

We all know that a moving line can produce an element that's in the 1st hexagram.  But can a moving line produce an element that's in the 2nd hexagram?

Based on my knowledge, a moving line can produce an element that's in the 1st hexagram.   But a moving line cannot produce an element that's in the 2nd hexagram.

For example:

The self line G cn moves turning into P h.  We all know that the self line P h can produce the 2nd line B y because B y is in the 1st hexagram.  But can P h produce the 1st line's B m?

The answer is No.  The self line P h cannot produce the 2nd line's B m because B m is not in the 1st hexagram.  B m is in the 2nd hexagram.

Can the self line G cn produce the 5th line's R s? 

The answer is also No.  The 5th line's R s is in the 2nd hexagram.   Therefore, the self line G cn cannot produce it.

But can a moving star that's in the 2nd hexagram produce another moving star that's also in the 2nd hexagram?

Take a look at this example:  I tossed the coins asking on which day will the stock value reach the lowest price.  I got [Trapped] and [Need].

The U line's K h moves turning into B s which produces back at itself.  Then K h moves to produce the self line's money star.  This means the price will drop so that I can buy in at a better price. 

• But too bad that the U line B s is dead.  A dead B s cannot produce K h anymore.   So will the price still drop to a better price?
• Fortunately, the 3rd line P cn moves to produce B s.  So B s is not dead after all.   B s still can produce K h.  So the price still will drop.
• Right now, K h has been struck loose by the date.  So K h cannot move until day h.
• But day h is Saturday.  The stock market does not open on Saturdays.  This must mean that the price will drop on day y because K h can also move on day y.

Result:  The price dropped to the lowest peak on day y.  Then it slowly climbed back up.  This lesson proves that a moving star that's in the 2nd hexagram can produce another moving star that's also in the 2nd hexagram. 

Helper and Enemy

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