by Siou Foon Lee

The search for balance is as old as life itself. We have the power to choose and it is up to us what we choose. All the choices we make are aimed at attaining harmony and avoiding disharmony.

We are responsible for our relationship with our human luck. To attract well being and happiness into our lives, we have to create harmonious spaces. It is not only about harmony and balance in our environment but harmony should lie within us.

Hence some of us set about cultivating the art of being in harmony with the cosmic laws of balance and change. Balance is the fundamental law of life.

When disharmony in life situations occurs we ask “What has gone wrong? What action should we take to put the matter right?” We are thus called upon to let go of the many programs that hold us back. We create change as we want to maximise our potential in our relationships as well as our performance in work. We learn to keep that essential balance in life. The law of balance is simple: our habitual actions return to us in equal measure.

From a different perspective, some of us thrive on challenges and enjoy leading hectic lives. Inner peace is not everyone's cup of tea. Most of us continue to struggle to find balance while maintaining a hectic lifestyle in the belief that one day……our quality of life will improve. If only we can gaze into our future. If only we can find that compass that will be revealing enough to help us make the most of our decisions.

Ba Zi (Eight Character) translated from our birth data influences destiny, the way we handle relationships, comfort zones, choices, life fulfilment, prosperity and well-being. We focus first on life situations. Every situation is distinguished by certain elements. Ancient Chinese classify all things in nature into five types of elements: metal, water, wood, fire, earth.

The aim of gaining knowledge about our Ba Zi (Eight Character) is to know what course of action to take in important areas of our lives. Preparing for what lies ahead requires informed decisions especially when we arrive at a crossroad.

The reading allows us to investigate the potential pathways of our lives. It also enables us to explore the cyclical influence of our 'predetermined factor' in the important areas of our life situations. Such areas pertain to relationships, family, friends, wealth, fame, partnership, business, recognition, career and studies.

The Eight Characters are made up of the yin and yang variations of the Five Elements. The characters are a combination of these primary bases. Different combinations have different influences, some are fortunate and some are unfavourable.

Ba Zi can be used to evaluate relationships in areas of compatibility. By assessing the structure, compatibility, clashes, combinations and inter-relationship of these characters in the area of relationships, we can learn to understand ongoing conflict and disharmony and learn to work at betterment.

Relationships between family members, friends, colleagues, potential business partners and our spouse-to-be are also viewed in the elemental forms. We analyse the interaction and reaction of the elements from one set of the four pillars.

If we want to understand the compatibility of two persons in a marriage or more persons in a business partnership we examine the sets of elements in the four pillars.

Our partner’s physical affection, attitude, intent and relationship towards us can be analysed. In the affairs of the heart, secret intents or the unexplainable attitude of a partner can be revealed.

The art of being in harmony in all areas of our immediate environment is of paramount importance. We can learn much about our nature and our life path. Our relationships, our talents, our potentials, our friendships, our leadership, our performance and our learning curve can be improved and maximised guided by the given information. There is a yearning to understand how we belong in a relationship environment, how we fit in into the scheme of things. Over time, it is easy to lose our natural balance. Deep inside, we want to know how we can live in harmony with partners/spouses/family members.

The external world offers rich visual experiences, but introspection is the most important view of all. It enables us to see our strengths and our weaknesses.

If we cannot understand ourselves how can we understand spouse/partner/family member. We can be guided by not only inspiration and intuition but by informed decisions we make after obtaining such an understanding.