Zi Wei and Tian Fu in the Yin Palace: Why It Is the First Chart Under Heaven
Why is the chart with Zi Wei (紫微) and Tian Fu (天府) in the Yin (寅) palace called the first chart under heaven, and also the Tian Xing Ming Pan (天星明盤)?
There are two reasons.
The first has to do with the star-placement rules (安星訣, An Xing Jue).
The second has to do with the fact that Zi Wei Dou Shu (紫微斗數) was originally a tool for Daoist cultivation.
Zi Wei and Tian Fu lay out two star systems
To cast a Zi Wei Dou Shu chart, you place the Life Palace (命宮) and then the Zi Wei star. The position of Zi Wei decides which branch palace Tian Fu falls in. From Tian Fu you place Tai Yin, Tan Lang, Ju Men, Tian Xiang, Tian Liang, Qi Sha and Po Jun. From Zi Wei you place Tian Ji, Tai Yang, Wu Qu, Tian Tong and Lian Zhen.
In other words, Zi Wei and Tian Fu lay out two star systems.
And when Zi Wei falls in Yin (寅) or Shen (申), it shares a palace with Tian Fu.
Why the Yin palace
From placing the Life Palace, we know the count always starts from the Yin palace. That is not only because the Yin month is the first month. It is also because the Yin hour is 3 to 5 in the morning, the hour each day when yang energy surges, like a child still in the mother’s womb, waiting for the sun to be born at the Mao (卯) hour.
That is where it comes from: Zi Wei and Tian Fu in the Yin palace is the first chart under heaven.
It means a person born carrying yang energy.
As for why this has to do with Daoist cultivation, I will explain the logic behind it in the next article.
PS: Why is Zi Wei with Tian Fu in the Shen palace not the first chart? Because Shen is the palace where yin energy surges.
Next: Zi Wei Is Not the Emperor? Daoist Cultivation and the Meeting of Xing and Ming in Zi Wei and Tian Fu
To see which palace your own Zi Wei and Tian Fu fall in, you can cast a Zi Wei Dou Shu chart on the chart calculator.