Daymaster Strength Calculator

[Ken]

Attached is a Ba Zi daymaster strength calculator I have in my files.  Hope beginners will find this useful.

Many thanks to Master Peter Leung and his students for providing this calculator.

[devadog]

This is Peter eung's calculator.

I would appreciate hearing from others about whether they find it helpful. I believe quahbkc has a differnt approach.

[Jacky]

Can you please give me more information about how to use this table?

[Ken]

Hi Devadog,

I missed out giving Peter Leung credit for the file as I was also not sure who is the author of the file.  I do find such files calculations useful for a start for beginners.

Hi Jacky,

The starting step for most Ba Zi charts is to determine the strength of the daymaster and then deciding the favorable elements.  This file is formularised by the author to help determine strength of daymaster.  However, do note for certain borderline charts, one master may view it as strong while the other master may view it as a weak chart

[devadog]

Hello Ken

I assumed no ill intention. We do forget. We even forget where we get some of what we have!

What I wonder about the various systems for determining DM strength, is that they don't seem able to take into account graveyard EB, any HS clashes, etc. and so  jia in my chart has the same weight as jia in yours.
But that can't be!
So I believe one has to start with these calculators and then press forward.
Your thoughts?

[Ken]

Hi Devadog,

You are right.  Most formulas doesn't take into consideration the effect of combis and clashes have on the chart.  This is especially critical when the clash or combi involved the 4 earth storage.  But still, the formula are useful because it is like the calculator.  You use it to arrive at the score.  It helps you to then decide if the score in each context is a strong or mediocre strong or average.  Metaphysics still requires the human judgement

[devadog]

Thanks,Ken,

I have tried to use these formulas to see the effect of LC and even annual pillar. I think it helps me guage the direction a particular cycle is moving in. Of course, it offers little insight into the effects on the shen sha. But for a beginner like me, it seems helpful. As you say, metaphysics requires the human element. We newbies tend to want mathematics when we perhaps most need art classes 

[pejo_mstd]

Hi

Tonight I spent some hours making my own calculator. This is an .exe file that works on PC. I made it from calculations presented in David Twickens 4 Pillars made easy. I calculates strength of the elements and the day master

Please give me feedback if it is usable or have any errors. There is a part which is not used, but if you want to make a printscreen of the result, it kan be handy anyway.

Enjoy.
/Peter

[pejo_mstd]

And teh part that is not used is the date, of course. I plan do add this in the future, to calculate the chart from the date and time, but for now use combo-boxes to choose the elements you find in other charts. It takes some time and testing to be sure that I am picking the correct elements and so from the date.

/Peter

[Mudbuddha]

Hi Peter,

Great piece of work you have there. I'm really impressed with your programming abilities. Clap! Clap! Clap!

However i do have some reservations about using DayMaster calculators (i am talking about Daymaster calculators as a whole, not anyone's in particular) though. I wouldn't recommend users to be dependent on it especially beginners.

BaZi is, imho, a form of science that isn't as straight forward as our typical science subjects where answers to questions can be derived through computation of mathematical formulas. In fact, BaZi is a subject which requires the practitioner to appreciate the chart as a whole and draw conclusions through conceptualising and visualisation while working within the rules and guidelines. 

The assessment of the strength of the Day Master is arguably the MOST important step in any reading of BaZi. Getting the strength of the Day Master wrong will mean any readings and conclusions drawn will most likely be wrong too. Therefore it is very important that the strength of the Day Master is correctly assessed.

Assessment of the strength, on surface, looks very easy as it is assessed as it uses only 3 criterias, namely Season, Location and Formation. However there are finer intricacies where i feel mathematical formulas cannot substitute. I quote for example the appreciating rooting support for the Day Master. In the calculators, the Qi are allocated a certain percentage say maybe 65% for the main Qi perhap? Yet however the strength that the Day Master receives from root that is further away from the Day Master (i.e. Year pillar) is weaker compared to the root that is directly under the Day Master. If a programmer were to accord a comparative percentage, how much would he allocate for the root that is in the year pillar? 30% of the 65% perhaps? Or would he just use the 65% across the board? Or how much percentage of strength addition will he allocate if he sees a full summer season supporting the Fire Day Master or how much percentage of strength reduction will he allocate for a full water frame combo that weakens a Metal Day Master? There are many variations of Day Master Assesment softwares out there but who dares says that their software is the most accurate one?

A Day Master can strong or even prosperous, but the chart can be severely unbalanced.

For example:

Jia      Geng    Geng    Wu
Shen    Shen    Shen    Shen

A calculator will say this is a strong chart. Yes, the Day Master in this case is prosperous but look at the overall configuration. A calculator would say Fire, Wood and Water will be beneficial to this Day Master. But do you think this chart needs more water? There are already 4 'Ren' Water in the chart. More water will further flood this water-logged chart.

The application of assessment methods and theories was never meant to be done scientifically or mathematically. It was intended to do so, then ancient classics would have included absolute mathematical proportions such as 1/2 of the Qi if it is rooted one pillar away or 1/16 of the Qi if rooted 2 pillars away. If one were to have enough practices and experience, the assessment of the strength of the Day Master can be concluded just by a glance in probably less than 3 secs.

Even for an IT savvy Master like JY, he has only come up with a software that only does the plotting of the chart. He has not develop a software that assesses strength of Day Master, probably for the fear that people will become reliant on it and swear by it. JY's BaZi software is probably one of the best in terms of user friendliness and layout that i've seen. If only some genious programmer can come out with another software that can rival it and give JY a run for his money. Although i am a user of his software, i still manually plots the chart whenever i can. It's only through continual practices that you can refine and hone your skills.

IT can perhaps remove the tedious process of plotting out the chart but it can never replace the human judgement.

P/S: pejo_mstd,  I am not deriding or putting down your efforts in developing the software. I meant no malice and hope you are not offended by my remarks. I am just sharing my opinion about using softwares and their inadequacies and hopefully educate  beginners in BaZi against over-reliance on softwares.

Cheers!!!
 

 

[Ken]

Hi Peter,

Impressive!  Do you know programming?

[pejo_mstd]

Hi Ken.

Thanks,

yes I know programming, that is my profession.
Acupuncture is my future profession so that is why I have interest in that and Chinese astrology.

Regards
Peter

[pejo_mstd]

Thanks for your comment Mudbuddha. No offence taken 

I agree, that you should learn by doing your self. I meant the program to be a help whe one are in a hurry, or want to compare your own calculation with a computerized one.
I am a little bit lazy by nature as a programmer, and I have a way to do programs of stuff just to learn more about what I want by analyzing it through to be able to do a program out of it.

The rest is up to the one using it. to look at the chart, see influences etc.

Thanks
Peter

[Ken]

Hi Peter,

I must say it is a good complement for acupuncturist to learn chinese astrology.  How did you your interest in acupuncture develop?

[pejo_mstd]

Actually it is an old interest. But it is in recent years when I had opportunity from my other line of work to pay for the studies.

Before I took the program to be acupuncturist, I had an education in manual kinesiology which is like applied kinesiology. It is from an American chiropractor from origin, but there are also meridian and acupuncture theories involved. And it is simply a continuation from that and a special interest.

I have also an old interest from 20 years ago in western astrology, but since I now am into 5 elements and like that way of thinking, 4 pillars is closer. And since I am also interested in older theories and chronoacupuncture it is not really so far off. And also it would bridge over to Feng Shui if I want to do something in that area futher on.

Regards
Peter