Client · sample
Iris Calder
14 Mar 1987 · 07:22 · London, United Kingdom · Pisces Sun, Virgo Moon, Aries rising
Nine stars on the Lo Shu square: a principal star from the year, a character star from the month, and the house each year puts you in.
Principal star · 本命星
Four Green Wood
☴ Xun · south-east
from the year 1987, which begins at Lichun
Month star · 月命星
Seven Red Metal
☱ Dui · west
the inner character, from the month
This year · 2026
One White Water
☵ Kan · north
the star at the centre of the square
This month, from Hanlu: the month star is 九紫 Nine Purple Fire, and you stand in the house of 9 — exposure: fame, clarity, separation, what was hidden comes to light. Be seen.
Four Green Wood, with Seven Red Metal inside
Principal: wind: gentle, persuasive, far-reaching; the one who connects.
Month star: the lake: charming, sociable, pleasure-loving; the one who enjoys. The principal is how you meet the world and the month star what you are like inside it; here they stand as Metal controls Wood.
The year turns at Lichun, early February, so a January birth belongs to the year before. Nine Star Ki is the Japanese form of the Lo Shu arts that feng shui also draws on; the stars are the nine cells of the magic square, and nothing in it is planetary. Tibetan astrology counts the same nine as the mewa, with the same numbers and colours — your mewa is Four Green.
2026: in the house of 8
SE
S
SW
E
centre
W
NE · you
N
NW
Reversal: stillness before change, revisions, sudden turns. Reorganise.
The year's star takes the centre and every other star moves with it; the cell yours lands in is the house you spend the year in. South at the top, as the square is traditionally drawn.
Directions to avoid in 2026
| 五黄殺 Five Yellow | S | the year's heaviest direction: trouble that comes of itself |
| 暗剣殺 Hidden Sword | N | trouble that comes from others, opposite the Five Yellow |
| 歳破 Year Breaker | N | opposite the year's branch: plans that break |
| 本命殺 Own Star | NE | where your star stands: your own undoing |
| 本命的殺 Own Star's Opposite | SW | opposite your star: what is done to you |
As the Japanese almanacs print them: where Five Yellow stands this year and its opposite, the direction opposite the year's branch, and where your own star stands and its opposite. Read for moves, long journeys and new ventures.
The nine-year cycle
| Year | Annual star | You are in | Which means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 一白 One White Water | house of 8 | reversal: stillness before change, revisions, sudden turns. Reorganise. |
| 2027 | 九紫 Nine Purple Fire | house of 9 | exposure: fame, clarity, separation, what was hidden comes to light. Be seen. |
| 2028 | 八白 Eight White Earth | house of 1 | winter: rest, inward work, hidden beginnings. Plan; do not launch. |
| 2029 | 七赤 Seven Red Metal | house of 2 | preparation: groundwork, patience, service to others. Build the base. |
| 2030 | 六白 Six White Metal | house of 3 | spring: new starts, energy, visibility. Begin things. |
| 2031 | 五黄 Five Yellow Earth | house of 4 | growth: maturing, communication, travel, relationships. Spread out. |
| 2032 | 四緑 Four Green Wood | house of 5 | the centre: upheaval and change, everything in flux. Hold still; reap what was sown. |
| 2033 | 三碧 Three Jade Wood | house of 6 | authority: responsibility, status, completion of the first harvest. Lead. |
| 2034 | 二黒 Two Black Earth | house of 7 | harvest: reward, pleasure, money, ease — and carelessness. Enjoy, carefully. |
Nine houses in nine years, then round again. This year is in bold.